Support With Your Energy Bills

You can get help if you’re struggling to afford your energy bills or top up your prepayment meter. You might be able to take advantage of certain benefits, grants and help offered by the government and energy suppliers.

Get a £400 energy discount from the government

The government will give every household £400 off their electricity bill. This is called the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

You don’t need to do anything to get the money and you won’t have to pay it back.

You’ll get the £400 in 6 instalments starting from October 2022. You’ll get:

£66 in October and November
£67 in December, January, February and March

You’ll get the discount monthly, even if you pay for your energy quarterly or use a payment card.

How you get the discount will depend on how you pay for energy.

Grants from your energy supplier

A number of energy suppliers offer grants to help you meet the cost of your energy bills.

Check if you can get a fuel voucher

If you can't afford to top up your prepayment meter, you might be able to get a fuel voucher. This is a code given to you in a letter or in a text message or email. You can use it to add credit to your gas card or electricity key. If you don't have one of these, contact your supplier to get one.

Your local council might be able to help you get a fuel voucher - find your local council on GOV.UK. If you’re still not sure if you can get a voucher, get help from an adviser.

You can use a fuel voucher at:

a shop signed up to PayPoint - find a shop near you on the PayPoint website
a Post Office or shop signed up to Payzone - find a Post Office or shop near you on the Payzone website

To use your voucher you’ll need to take:

the code and instructions
some form of ID - for example, your passport or a bill with your name and address

Check your fuel voucher to see when it expires. You might have to use it within 15 days.

If you have problems using your voucher, contact the organisation that gave it to you - you should be able to find their contact information on the instructions.

Winter Fuel Payments

The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual one-off payment to help you pay for heating during the winter.

You can usually get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born on or before 25 September 1956.

You’ll automatically get an extra 'pensioner cost of living payment' with your usual Winter Fuel Payment in either November or December.

You should start getting the Winter Fuel Payment automatically once you reach State Pension age, but sometimes you might need to apply. You can find out how to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment on GOV.UK.

Cold Weather Payments

Cold Weather Payments are one-off payments to help you pay for extra heating costs when it’s very cold.

You’ll get a payment each time the temperature drops below a specific temperature for a set period of time.

You’ll only be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment if you already get:

Pension Credit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Universal Credit
support for mortgage interest

If you're eligible, you'll get paid automatically. Find out more about Cold Weather Payments on GOV.UK.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides price reductions on electricity and gas for commercial energy buyers – including housing associations like us here at Wrekin.

If you’re on a communal heat network or pay for lighting in communal areas of your building for example, and the charges for those energy supplies are included with your rent and service charge payments, we will write to you in the new year explaining how we are applying the regulations and whether you are eligible for any discount or not.

Available schemes

Marches Energy Agency - If you are worried about your energy bills, the friendly staff at the Matches Energy Agency are here to help . They can help with billing concerns, changing tariffs, pre-payment meter top-ups, and also check your suitability for grant funding for heating and insulation measures. Call them for free on 0800 677 1307, or email advice@mea.org.uk

LEAP - (Local Energy Advice Partnership) can provide help and advice with energy switching, free energy saving measures, money advice and check if you’re eligible for insulation, a new appliance or even a new boiler. Please call LEAP on 0800 060 7567 or apply for leap online.

CONNECTED FOR WARMTH- Connected for Warmth is funded by the Warm Homes Fund, a £150 million national fund provided by National Grid and administered by Affordable Warmth Solutions. Cadent are also contributing towards the cost of the heating systems.

It’s free for eligible households and can also provide a free connection to the gas main if required, ensuring that those in need can benefit from affordable heat and hot water.

Apply for the Connected for Warmth scheme online, or call (free) on 0800 029 4547.

HEART is an initiative to support fuel poor and vulnerable households through the replacement of old, inefficient fridges, fridge/freezers, washing machines and electric cookers with modern, efficient alternatives.

Our Money Matters Team are here to help