Government help with energy bills

There are a few forms of financial support the government offers to help people with energy costs.

Household support fund

The household support fund gives financial help to people struggling to pay for essential expenses, such as food and energy.  

Each council decides what type of help to offer, but it usually comes in the form of vouchers for supermarkets or energy bills, or one-off cash grants that don't need to be paid back.

You don’t need to be on benefits to be eligible, so if you’re finding it hard to keep up with day-to-day expenses, get in touch with your local council to see if you qualify for help.

Warm home discount

The warm home discount provides a one-off £150 discount on electricity bills during winter.

It supports people on a low income or those who receive the guarantee credit element of pension credit.

If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill, rather than pay it directly into your bank account.

You should get a letter between October and December telling you when to expect your discount.

If you think you’re eligible and haven’t heard anything by early January, call the warm home discount helpline on 0800 030 9322.

Winter fuel payment

The winter fuel payment (also known as the winter fuel allowance) is a tax-free payment of £200 (£300 if you’re over 80) to eligible households to go towards the cost of heating during the colder months.

You’re eligible for the winter fuel payment if you were born before 23 September 1958 and on either pension credit or one of the following means-tested benefits:

• universal credit
• income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
• income support
• child tax credit
• working tax credit

Cold weather payment

The cold weather payment is triggered when the average temperature in your area drops below freezing for seven consecutive days between 1 November and 31 March.

Eligible households get £25 for each seven-day period of cold weather.

You might qualify for the cold weather payment if you receive certain benefits, such as:

• pension credit
• universal credit
• income support
• ESA
• JSA

You might also be eligible if you get a severe disability premium, you live with a child aged under five or have a child with a disability.

If you’re eligible, the money will be paid automatically into your bank account within 14 working days of the cold period.

Government help with energy bills is often means-tested and can depend on you claiming certain benefits. £23bn in benefits goes unclaimed every year in the UK, according to Policy in Practice.

So if you’re struggling to keep up with your bills, it might be worth checking you’re not missing out on benefits you’re entitled to, as this could open the door to more extensive support.

As well as help to cover the cost of your bills, you may be entitled to financial support to make your house more energy efficient. In turn, this could bring down the amount you spend on energy.

Boiler upgrade scheme 

The boiler upgrade scheme offers grants to encourage people to replace old, inefficient fossil fuel heating with low-carbon systems. This could help you cut your bills.

You can get: 

• £7,500 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump 
• £7,500 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump 
• £5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler 

To qualify for a boiler replacement grant, you must meet these conditions: 

• your boiler is over 15 years old and inefficient 
• your home has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F, or G 

You or a household member must also get a means-tested benefit, such as:

• universal credit 
• pension guarantee credit  
• JSA
• ESA
• income support  
• working tax credit  
• child tax credit  
• housing benefit
• child benefit

Energy company obligation

The energy company obligation (ECO) helps vulnerable and low-income households make energy-efficiency improvements to their homes and is available across the UK. 

Awards cover the cost of upgrades such as insulation or replacing your boiler.

Get in touch with your local council to see if they’re taking part in ECO or go straight to energy suppliers taking part in the scheme.

Great British insulation scheme

The Great British insulation scheme helps families in lower council tax bands with less energy-efficient homes get upgrades such as roof, loft and cavity wall insulation.

These improvements can help them cut the amount they spend on energy by hundreds of pounds a year.

You may be eligible for support under the scheme if: 

• your home has an EPC rating of D or below; and
• you’re in council tax band A-D in England or A-E in Wales and Scotland

Use the online checker for the Great British insulation scheme to see if you qualify.

If you’re struggling to keep up with ever-increasing energy bills, get in touch with your provider.

Many energy suppliers offer grants to help customers who are struggling.

If you’d benefit from additional help from your provider, it’s also well worth signing up to their priority services register. The kind of extra help that’s available includes. 

• priority support in an emergency
• advance notice of scheduled power cuts
• help reading a meter

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  

Contact your supplier directly for more information. Or 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.