Black Friday 2026 UK is on 27 November. What retailers have confirmed, how to spot a fake deal and what is worth waiting for.
The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026. What changes itself, what the darker evenings do to your energy bill, and 20 clocks to up your timekeeping game, from Alessi and Vitra to a MUJI cuckoo clock.
Last updated: 18 October 2026. I checked every date and rule in this Warm Home Discount guide against GOV.UK on 18 October 2026.
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
This is not financial advice. The Warm Home Discount is a government scheme, so your electricity supplier and GOV.UK decide whether you qualify. Check your own case with them.
Weighing up an energy switch this winter?
My Octopus Energy page has the current £50 referral credit and the steps to claim it.
See the Octopus referral offer
Energy billsWinter 2026 to 2027
£150 off your electricity bill, if you are on the right benefit
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 taken off your electricity bill this winter. Your supplier applies it, so the money never lands in your bank account. In England and Wales it usually arrives automatically. You qualify if you or your partner got Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit on 23 August 2026. In Scotland, however, some people have to apply to their supplier instead.
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September 30, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Cheap Broadband Deals UK: What You Actually Pay After the Intro Price
Ten cheap broadband deals, priced over the whole 24 months instead of the first six. EE's £25.99 plan really costs £31.24 a month. The cheapest averages £18. #broadband #moneysaving #householdbills #ukdeals #costofliving
September 28, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Smart Heating Controls UK
Smart heating controls priced for UK homes, with the Energy Saving Trust payback maths: about £600 to fit and £100 a year back.
September 22, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Refurbished AirPods UK 2026: Where to Buy and What It Saves
Refurbished AirPods UK prices at Back Market, Amazon Renewed and Apple, set against the cheapest new price at Argos, AO and Currys.
August 31, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Should You Fix Your Energy Tariff Before October?
Last updated: 13 October 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
EnergyFix or float · October 2026
Ofgem says fix. I checked the sums.
Ofgem reckons you can beat the October cap by £100 or more, so the obvious question is whether to fix your energy tariff before it lands on 1 October. So I ran the only supplier prices you can check without handing over a postcode against Ofgem’s own regional cap tables. On 30 August, Octopus’s twelve month fix beat the cap in every region of Britain, by £47 to £82. The version on sale since 11 September costs more than the cap in every region, by £75 to £117.
Update, 17 September 2026. Octopus withdrew the 12M Fixed tariff I first tested on 5 September. I have re-run the test on its replacement, on sale since 11 September, and the table and chart below now show those prices. The 12-month fix costs £75 to £117 a year more than the October cap in every region, £93 on average. Octopus 18M Fixed lands between £7 below and £33 above it. The Bank of England held its base rate at 3.75% on 17 September. That decision does not set energy prices, but the rising energy costs behind it are the same ones pushing fixed tariffs up. More on that on my Bank of England base rate page.
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
This is not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not FCA authorised. Tariffs, rates and offers change constantly, so always check the supplier’s own site before you commit.
Thinking about switching as well as fixing?
My Octopus Energy page keeps the current switching credit and the sign-up steps up to date, so you are never working from a stale offer.
See the Octopus referral offer
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August 27, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Energy Price Cap October 2026: What the £60 Rise Means
Last updated: 17 September 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
EnergyOfgem · October 2026
Up £60 a year, and two right answers
Ofgem confirmed the energy price cap October 2026 on Wednesday morning. A typical direct debit household paying for gas and electricity moves from £1,663 to £1,723 a year. That is £60 more, or roughly £5 a month. Meanwhile you will also see £1,935 quoted elsewhere, plus a 4% figure sitting awkwardly next to a 3.6% one. None of those numbers are wrong, and the reasons come down to VAT and a change in how Ofgem measures a typical home.
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
This is not financial advice. Cap rates, tariffs and offers change often. So always check the current terms on the supplier’s own site first.
Weighing up a switch before October?
My Octopus Energy page keeps the current referral credit and the switching steps up to date. That way you are not working from a stale offer.
See the Octopus referral offer
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August 17, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Meal Kits UK 2026: What We’d Actually Order This Autumn
Seven recipe boxes, ranked for dark evenings and a suspiciously warm September. Real per-portion prices, the postcodes each one refuses to deliver to, and one genuine flaw per box. No sponsored placements.
June 28, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Back Market Deals UK: June 2026 Picks
Last updated: 28 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Refurbished techJune 2026 edit
The Back Market deals worth grabbing this June
Refurbished tech moves fast, and the best Back Market deals rarely hang around for long. So this month I have pulled together the picks that actually look like value right now, spread across phones, laptops, tablets, audio and wearables. Every price was correct when we checked, but Back Market prices shift daily and stock is limited.
Want money off your first Back Market order?
Our referral page keeps the current Back Market offer and the steps to claim it up to date.
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