Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Free solar panels or new 'try free then buy'
Solar panels can make you £10,000s, as you get paid to generate electricity, but should you buy?

Solar panels aren't just about group hugs and going green, they can save you £10,000s. As the industry's rapidly changing, we've fully re-written our Free Solar Panels guide (this is a brief summary). You roughly need a south-facing roof to put the panels on and thankfully they don’t need sunshine to work, just daylight. You financially gain in two ways:

• Electricity savings: typically c. £70/year. The Energy Saving Trust has cut its estimate of a typical home's annual savings to £70/year, as its research shows more electricity goes back to the grid than previously thought.
• Feed-in tariff: typically c. £1,030/year. This is the doozy: sign up now and for the next 25 years the Govt promises you will be paid a high feed-in tariff rate. In other words, it pays you to generate energy at more than treble what you normally pay to buy it from the grid.

Consider these gains over 25 years, and you'll see it can be extremely lucrative. There are now three routes to gain:

• Buy panels for £8,000-£14,000. If you have cash, on top of electricity savings the Govt's feed-in tariff scheme could pay back double your spend. Eg, a £12,000 system could net £25,750 over 25 years (see How To Buy Solar Panels).
  
• Free panels, but you don't keep 'feed-in' tariff. If you're in England, Wales or, in a few cases, Scotland, some companies fit panels for free, but they then keep the big-money feed-in gain. You just keep the £70 electricity saving, though prices are predicted to rise massively over 20 years, so the saving could jump.
  
• Try free then buy. An interesting new option from E.on. You get free panels, but it lets you buy 'em out, you can do it at a reasonable price to gain the feed-in tariff.

Full list of fitters & free panel companies in the Updated Guide: Solar Panels Related: Cheap Gas & Elec, Energy Grants

New 'rebuild credit' card with 0% spending
Card helps those with poor credit histories boost their scores - if used CAREFULLY

If you've a poor credit history, you'll struggle to get new credit cards, loans or even mobile contracts. To (re) build your creditworthiness you need a history of good practice. One key technique's to get any credit card and spend a little each month for a year or so, always REPAYING IN FULL on time to avoid interest ...

• New top easier-to-get card. Until 8 July, the Capital One* Classic card (moneysup exclusive) gives accepted new customers 0% spending till their Oct statement, so 3+ mths. After it jumps to a big 34.9% representive APR. It's a specialised poor credit card, so even some with limited CCJs/defaults may be accepted (not bankruptcy).
• How to use it safely. Most people should use it for, say, £50 of their normal monthly spend and fully repay each month, preferably by direct debit for safety. Yet the super-organised can take advantage of the initial 0% period - provided they make at least min. repayments & ensure it's fully cleared BY OCT. Eg, those facing repeated bank charges, which are far costlier than interest, can spend on the card rather than from their bank to get under the overdraft limit, then aim to clear the card by Oct (keep to a tight budget).
• Check your credit file FREE. Checking regularly that the info used to decide whether to give you credit is correct is vital. Two agencies do free 30-day trials, so sign up, get your file, then cancel. The third (Callcredit) is launching totally free reports in August. Full help in Free Credit File Check.

FULL step-by-step info and more card options in the Updated Guide: Top Credit Rebuild Cards, Official APR examples

New top 3.1% easy-access savings
A smidgeon higher rate & a touch of cash to charity too. Limited withdrawals though

Normally, we ignore products that give to charity, as you're far better off getting the best rate and donating the gains. Here the two coincide. All below have full £85,000 UK Savings Protection.

• New 3.1% easy access (limited withdrawals). The Coventry BS Poppy Online Saver pays 3.1% AER, incl a year's 1.1% bonus, so ensure you diarise to ditch and switch then. It only allows four penalty-free withdrawals per year though. It gives roughly 1p per £20 saved to the Poppy Appeal.
• Earn 3% with unlimited withdrawals. If you need to be safe and have more access to your money, the Santander* eSaver (issue 3) pays 3% AER, incl a year's big 2.5% bonus, so, again, diarise to ditch & switch.
• Top cash ISA. If you haven't used your £5,340 tax-free ISA allowance, the Santander Flexible ISA (issue 3) pays 3.3% AER and tracks changes in base rate for a year; after this time the rate will drop.

Full details & options in the Updated Guides: Top Savings, New Cash ISAs Related: 5% Current Accounts

£2/mth 'unlimited' (c.100GB) broadband for some!
Cheapest ever 'unlimited' deals available - but it depends on who your mobile provider is
Broadband wars are heating up, with the mobile companies launching some cracking deals for their customers. Use our broadband checker tool to quickly see which are available in your area.

• O2 broadband for as little as £2/mth. The highly rated (79% rate it good) O2 broadband has a heavy promotion on its All Rounder 'unlimited' (fair usage c.100GB) broadband deal - assuming you're one of the 80% in its core area. Its standard O2 mobile customer price is £12.50/mth, but there are reductions galore:
  1. £50 cashback and 6mths free for long-standing O2 custs. Long term (24mths+) O2 mobile customers get 6 mths free and £50 cashback signing up to the deal via comparison site Simplify Digital* - factored in over the year's contract it's an avg £2/mth.
  2. £50 cashback and 3mths free for others. Again via Simplify Digital*. If you've been an O2 mobile customer for less than 24 mths it takes it down to an unbeatable £5.21/mth avg over the year's contract. If you're not an O2 customer, as the base price is £17.50/mth + £25.53 connection fee the deal makes it an avg £11.09/mth (still cheapest unlimited, if you count c.100GB as unlimited).
• £50 M&S voucher with Orange for its mobile customers. Sign up to Orange's* unlimited broadband by phone and you'll get a £50 M&S voucher. Usually £10/mth for its mobile customers, factor in the voucher value and it's £7.22/mth average over the 18 month contract.

FULL details plus superfast best buys & cashback deals in the Updated Guide: Cheap Broadband Related: Home Phones

70 free UK summer music festivals map 2011
From kids' music to rock, free festivals | plus get into paid festivals free eg, Reading

Across the country are masses of free festivals, fairs and carnivals, so plan it right and if you've the time, you can spend the whole summer partying for free. To help we've a new Free Summer Festivals 2011 guide and map. Here are just a few:

• The Notting Hill Carnival. The mammoth two-day parade - one day for kids, one for adults - is free on the weekend of 28 & 29 Aug in West London
• Dundee Blues Bonanza. A blues music festival held over 3 days from Fri 1 July, featuring 60 live acts, as well as music & acoustic workshops for adults and kids.
• Cardiff Festival. A celebration of live music, street and open-air theatre, comedy and exhibitions from Thu 30 June throughout the Welsh capital.
• Red Sails Festival. A family-friendly festival in Portstewart, Northern Ireland, from 23 - 30 July, with free music from local bands and orchestras, Irish dancing and a laser light display.
  
• Get into paid festivals for free. No, we don't mean tunnel your way in. By volunteering as a steward for charities, a Festival Samaritan or others, you can get in free to major festivals, incl Leeds, Latitude, T4 on the Beach and Reading, though you'll need to work for it (see the guide for listings & info).
  

Those are just the beginning. See the Updated Guide: 70 Free UK Music Festivals Related: Cheap Days Out