Help with gas and electric bills
If you’re not on UC, there are many ways in which you can get help if you’re struggling to afford your energy bills and wonder what government energy grants are available for you.
Whether you need help with gas and electric on Universal Credit or PIP (among other qualifying benefits) you might be able to take advantage of help for low income families offered by us and funded by your energy supplier.
Applications for the FREE Energy Company Obligation grant are now open through November 2024.
Do you qualify for an energy efficiency grant to help with gas and electric bills on benefits?
You’re likely to receive help with gas and electric on low income through the ECO4 scheme; if you receive qualifying benefits and you own a home with low energy efficiency, we can improve:
- Homeowners
- Claiming qualifying benefits
- Whose property energy efficiency can be improved (gas boiler, storage heaters, insulation and more)
Get help with gas and electric on universal credit
Universal Credit is one of the qualifying benefits for the Carbon Saving Obligation scheme, and you can check now if you qualify below.
If you do, depending on certain circumstances lied out by Ofgem, you can get help with gas and electric bills by having insulation installed or replaced in your home through Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
If you have inefficient electric heating it can be replaced with modern electric storage heaters that paired up with economy 7 heating tariff can lower your household bills and save money. You can also find out grants available on Universal Credit here.
ECO help with gas and electric bills on benefits – see of you qualify:
- Child Benefits (based on household income)
- Child Tax Credits (CTC)
- Housing Benefit NEW
- Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
- Income related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Pension Credit Savings Credit NEW
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Warm Homes Discount Scheme
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
If your local weather drops below or equals zero degrees Celsius, claiming UC will qualify you for Cold Weather Payments of £25 every seven days.
With the Warm Home Discount, you can get help with gas and electric bills up to £150 per year. Keep in mind not all energy providers allow to use the discount on gas bills instead of electricity bills, so best if you speak with your energy supply company directly.
People born on or before 26 September 1955 who claim Universal Credit they are also eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment of £100 to £300 that can help with electric and gas bill. In November and December, most payments are made automatically.
If you qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment but do not receive your payment by Christmas, you can make a claim and you will receive your payment three months after submitting the claim.
Government help with gas and electricity bills
The stress of not being able to pay for heat or electricity in your home can be debilitating and overwhelming.
A number of government schemes can help you cope with the rising cost of your gas and electricity bills, including the Energy Company Obligation grant that we mentioned above so make sure that you check your eligibility as well before you move on to the following schemes tha offer extra help with gas and electric.
A variety of government programs may be available for those who are struggling to pay for gas or electricity, including:
£150 Council tax rebate (if you pay Council Tax)
All households in Council Tax bands A to D, weather they needed gov help with gas and electric or not, received a one off payment of £150 in April 2022. Contact your local authority council if you have not yet received this.
£400 energy bill grant
There will be a £400 support for each electricity account to pay for their energy bills. Your electricity account will be credited with £66 every month between October 2022 and April 2023.
Those with pre-payment meter will receive credit or vouchers instead of one off payments.
£650 cost of living payment
People receiving means-tested benefits will receive a single payment of £650 to help with gas and electric costs, including Universal Credit, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Pension Credit.
The £650 will be paid to you in two installments in July and autumn 2022.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
It is possible to save money on your energy bills between September and March by taking advantage of the Warm Home Discount. Your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment will not be affected by the discount.
The scheme changed in October 2022. The £150 discount will be available to a wider range of households.
Cold Weather Payment
A weekly payout of £25 is given for every seven days of cold weather, if the average temperature in your area is zero degrees Celsius or below, during the period from 1 November to 31 March only.
Winter Fuel Payment
For those who reached state pension age, the government will give out between £100 and £300 tax-free financial help with gas and electric heating costs if you were born on or before 5 November 1953.
Winter fuel payments are usually made between November and December.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
You may be able to get a government grant up to £6,000 for low carbon heating systems like air source heat pumps if you live in England or Wales. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme runs from 2022 until 2025.
Grants to pay energy debts
Increasing living expenses and rising inflation prompted British Gas to set up the Energy Support Fund. This fund will provide grants to eligible British Gas customers with debts to apply for help with gas and electric up to £750 to help them pay down their debts.
Cheaper tariffs
Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff is worth considering if you use electric storage heaters to heat your home. Standard variable tariff allows you to charge you storage heater or use home apliences during the night when the electricity tariff is cheaper than fixed tariff thus saving you money… Or switch energy supplier!
Switching to a smart meter
With a smart meter, energy suppliers will have access to your energy consumption based on meter readings. While a smart meters don’t automatically save you money, it will show you exactly how much energy you use in pounds and pences in real-time. With this information you can in turn save money on your energy bills!
To have a smart meter installed in your home at no cost to you, check your eligibility for the grant below, and we’ll take care of the rest!
How do I get help with gas and electricity bills?
When you are struggling to pay and need help with gas and electric bills with direct debit or cash for prepayment meter, before your supplier cuts you off, start by getting energy efficient home for free through government help grants.
You can get help with gas and electric as well as insulation upgrades:
- electric storage heaters replacement
- insulation installation or upgrade
- smart meter installation
- solar panels
- air source heat pumps
There are ways to minimise your living costs especially nowadays with rapidly rising energy costs.
We hope this article was helpful in finding ways to apply for help with gas and electric and don’t forget, you can check your eligibility for the ECO4 grant today and have your home’s energy efficiency improved through heating upgrades and insulation installation.
This is a government backed scheme
Don't wait! Apply Today
The ECO4 grant has launched in April last year and is the last of the Energy Company Obligation scheme. The applications are now open so hurry if you don’t want to miss out on a FREE upgrade of your room heater to an electric storage heater to get help with gas and electric!