When you're already paying more than you'd like to for home gas and electricity, learning that prices are on the rise can be an unsettling revelation. Unfortunately, most gas and electricity providers are in the position where they have to raise their prices from time to time to keep up with rising delivery costs.

Production and delivery costs are at the root of the price change. As those costs rise for your supplier, this eventually has a ripple-effect and reaches all aspects of the service. The good news is, this isn't exclusive to any one provider, and if you speak to your family and friends using different service providers, you'll likely find that they are facing similar tariff increases.

Although you can't control rising delivery and production costs, there are things you can do to be proactive and help keep your electricity bill low in spite of price hikes. Start by speaking to your gas or electricity provider about the tariff increases and whether there are any other services plans you could switch to which would suit your household better and help minimise your costs.

If you're living in a large household, consider making the switch to a fixed-rate plan that freezes your price over time. This will help you keep your costs consistent through the winter months when you're using more heating and electricity, and can minimise the impact of a tariff increase. If you're living in a smaller household or are often away from home for long hours during the day or evening, you may be better suited to an electricity plan that charges you for exactly the amount of energy you are using.

If this is the tariff your household is on, look for other ways to reduce costs by cutting back and making your household more energy efficient. Turning off lights when you leave the room and unplugging appliances that aren't in use are two easy ways to make a big difference to the bottom line over time and cut energy consumption.

Use energy efficient appliances that will use less power than an older appliance doing the same job. Also, look to replace old light bulbs with new more efficient LED bulbs: these will not only use less energy, but last a lot longer. Finally, instead of washing your clothing in hot water, use cold water instead. This will save money and also go easier on the environment.

Although rising electricity prices aren't ideal, by being proactive you can come up with a list of ways to help make your home more efficient and keep your bill down. That way, you can keep your monthly electricity expenses at a minimum even as your tariffs change.

Peter Rose writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.