Grants & benefits to help pay energy bills
If you’re struggling to cover your energy bills or you can’t afford to top up your prepayment meter, you may be able to get help. You may also be able to get a grant or loan to improve the energy efficiency of your home, which could in turn reduce the amount you spend on heating.
Are there grants available to pay off energy debts?
If you’ve fallen behind with your energy bills, you may be able to get a grant to help you pay off what you owe.
Grants are available from energy companies and charitable trusts.
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Energy supplier grants
Most energy companies set aside money to help customers who are really struggling. We’ve done a round-up of the main grants available:
British Gas Energy Trust
You can get help from the British Gas Energy Trust whether you’re a British Gas customer or not. Just bear in mind, if you’re not a British Gas customer, you’ll have to check whether you can get a grant from your own supplier first.
Through its support fund, the Trust helps people with gas or electricity debts, but it asks that people get debt advice first. We can help with this.
EDF Energy Customer Support Fund
If you’re an EDF customer and you’re behind with your energy bills, you may be able to get help from their support fund. Find out more here.
E.ON Next Energy Fund
This is open to current and previous E.ON customers who owe the company money after falling behind with their payments. It can also help by replacing old electrical appliances and gas boilers. Get more details here.
Octopus Octo Assist Fund
If you’re an Octopus customer you may be able to get help paying your bills, a home energy visit, a free energy-efficient electric blanket or the chance to borrow a thermal camera to spot areas of heat loss. Discover more here.
Ovo Customer Support Package
Ovo are offering financial and practical support to eligible customers struggling as a result of high energy costs. Help includes emergency top-up credit, payment reductions, electric throws, self-heating mattress toppers, LED bulbs, smart sockets and boiler services. Find out more about Ovo’s support scheme.
Scottish Power Hardship Fund
If you’re behind with your Scottish Power bill and you get certain benefits or have a low household income, you may be able to get help through their Hardship Fund. Find out how they can support you here.
Utility Warehouse Hardship Fund
The support fund at Utility Warehouse has been set up to help customers struggling to pay their bills. It includes budgeting and energy efficiency advice, a benefits review and financial assistance. Discover how Utility Warehouse could help you.
Grants from charitable trusts
Charitable organisations give grants to help those in need. Grants are awarded to people based on their personal situation e.g. some are aimed at individuals who have worked in certain jobs and others are there to help those with particular health conditions. If you’re struggling to cover your energy bills, you may be able to apply for a grant to help.
Fuel vouchers
If you can’t afford to top up your prepayment meter, you may be able to get a fuel voucher. This is a code sent in a text message, email or letter. You can use the code to add credit to your electricity key or gas card.
To get a fuel voucher, get in touch with your local council, food bank or Citizens Advice.
Signing up to the Priority Services Register
You may be able to get extra help from your energy supplier by signing up to the Priority Services Register. To sign up, you must be one of the following:
- a pensioner
- disabled
- living with a long-term health condition
- classed as ‘vulnerable’ by your energy network
Your energy network may consider you vulnerable if:
- your English language skills aren’t strong
- you're pregnant or have children under the age of five
- you would struggle to smell gas
Being on the Priority Services Register may mean:
- your calls are prioritised
- engineers will have to give you a password if they visit, so you know they’re legitimate
- you can get your prepayment meter moved if you struggle to access it
To sign up to the Priority Services Register, fill out the form on your electricity operator’s website. Your electricity operator is the company that owns the electricity cables in your area, not your electricity supplier.
Help with energy bills in Scotland
If you live in Scotland, you may be able to get help worth £10,000 or more to make your home warmer and more energy efficient from Home Energy Scotland.
They work on behalf of the Scottish government and provide money for things like installing heating and insulation.
Help with energy bills in Wales
In Wales, the Nest scheme offers free and impartial advice on making your home warmer and more energy efficient. If you’re eligible, you may also be able to get free home energy efficiency improvements, such as a new boiler, solar panels, insulation, central heating or a heat pump.
Alternatively, you may be able to get a home improvement loan of up to £35,000 from your local council to make your home warm, safe and secure.
Help with energy bills in Northern Ireland
If you live in Northern Ireland, there are a number of grants available to eligible households to help improve the energy efficiency of your home.
FAQs
Local councils in England have each been given money under the household support fund to help those who need urgent help with essentials, like energy bills.
Each council decides how to spend this money, so what’s available will depend on where you live.
Some councils also offer grants or loans for energy efficiency improvements to your home.
To check what help’s available in your area, find your local council website.
If your landlord gets a government discount on your energy bill, they have to pass this saving onto you. This is known as the ‘pass-through requirement’.
Within 30 days of getting the discount, they should tell you:
- how much they got
- how much they’re passing onto you and how they worked that figure out
- when and how you’ll get the money
- how to challenge their decision
Complain to your landlord in writing if you:
- don't get a discount
- don't get enough of a discount
- weren't told about the discount
If you disagree with the amount of the discount passed onto you, you may be able to make a claim against your landlord in the county court.
If your home is on a heat network and your landlord doesn’t pass on a fair amount of any discount they get, you should complain to your heat network supplier.
If you’re worried your landlord may try to evict you if you complain, speak to Citizens Advice before doing anything.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a scheme to help vulnerable and low-income households make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. Help is available across the UK.
Awards cover the cost of things like insulation or replacing your boiler.
Contact your local council to find out if they’re taking part in ECO or go direct to energy suppliers taking part in the scheme.
Under the energy bill support scheme, every household received a £400 discount on their energy bills for winter 2022/23. The scheme ended in March 2023. There is no equivalent scheme for winter 2023/24.
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