Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills
This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland, See advice for Wales
You might be able to get help if you’re struggling to afford your energy bills or top up your prepayment meter. The help you get depends on:
how you pay for your energy
the type of energy you use
if you claim benefits
Check if something is an energy scam
Some scammers are pretending to be from energy companies to get your personal information.
If you think something might be a scam:
don’t give out any personal information or bank details
don’t use any contact details from the possible scam
You can check if something is a scam.
Check if you can get a Winter Fuel Payment
If you’ve reached State Pension age and get certain benefits, you might be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. This is an annual one-off payment to help you pay for heating during the winter.
You’ll get the payment if you or your partner get one of these benefits:
Pension Credit
Universal Credit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income Support
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit
You’ll get £200 if you’re aged under 80 or £300 if you’re over 80 years old.
If you’re eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, you’ll get a letter in October or November each year saying how much you’ll get. You’ll usually be paid automatically in November or December.
If you don’t get a letter by early December and you think you're eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, you can make a claim. You must make your claim before 31 March 2025. Check how to make a claim for a Winter Fuel Payment on GOV.UK.
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.
You'll get the voucher as a code in a letter, 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
If you have a smart prepayment meter you can also add the fuel voucher credit to your account online. To do this, follow the instructions on your voucher.
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.
If you don’t use gas or electricity to heat your home
If you can’t afford to buy fuel, you might be able to get financial help. You might be eligible if you:
rely on oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), coal or wood as your main source of heating
aren’t on the gas grid
You’ll need to show that you can't heat your home because you can't afford to buy fuel - or you might not be able to afford it soon.
Your local Citizens Advice will need to apply for extra financial help for you.
If you think you're eligible for help, talk to an adviser.
Check what other help you can get if you use alternative fuels.
Check if you can sign up to the Priority Services Register
You can get extra help from your gas and electricity supplier by signing up to the Priority Services Register. You can sign up if you’re either:
of State Pension age
disabled or have a long-term health condition
considered ‘vulnerable’ by your energy network
You could be classed as vulnerable if you're disabled or have a long-term health condition. Your energy network might also consider you vulnerable if you:
don't speak or read English well
have children under 5 years old or are pregnant
have no sense of smell or would struggle to smell gas
Check if you're eligible to sign up to the Priority Services Register.
If you’re on the Priority Services Register your energy supplier can:
make your call a priority when you contact them
give their engineers a password if they visit or contact you - so you know they’re genuine
move your prepayment meter if you struggle to get to it
Signing up to the Priority Services Register
You’ll need to fill out the form on your electricity operator’s website - this is who owns and operates the electricity cables in your area. Your electricity operator is different from your electricity supplier, who sends your bills.
You can check who your electricity network operator is on the Power Cut 105 website. You'll need to know the postcode of your property.
Grants to help pay off energy debt
If you’re behind with your energy bills, you might be able to get a grant to help you pay off your debt. This might be from your energy company or a charitable trust.
Check which grants you can apply for.
Grants for energy-saving home improvements
You might be able to get help with the cost of things like insulation, a new boiler or improvements to your heating.
Check if you can get help making energy-saving improvements to your home.
Local energy grants
You might be able to find grants or schemes run by your local council. You can try searching on your local council’s website for energy grants. Find your local council's website on GOV.UK.
Check if you can get a Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount scheme is closed. It will open again in the autumn for winter 2024 to 2025.
If you get benefits, you might be able to get £150 off your electricity bill or £150 added to your prepayment meter. You don’t need to apply for the scheme - payments are automatic.
If you got the Warm Home Discount last winter and your situation hasn’t changed, you should get it again.
If you didn’t get it last winter, you should check if you’ll be eligible this year.
Check if you might be eligible
The government check your eligibility for the Warm Home Discount scheme on a specific date - it’s usually in August. They’ll announce the date later in the year. You can check before August to make sure you’re eligible.
To get the Warm Home Discount, you or your partner need to be getting one of the following on the specific date:
the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit.
a different benefit and your home has high energy costs
Your energy supplier also needs to be part of the scheme.
Check eligibility details and if your supplier is part of the scheme on GOV.UK.
If you live in a mobile home or park home site
You might be able to get the £150 discount as part of the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme. To get the discount you must:
permanently live on a park home site
pay for your electricity through the park, or as part of their pitch fees
You must also meet a rule about your household income.
You are eligible if you or somebody you live with get any of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Universal Credit - and your income is below £1,665 per month
Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit - and your income is below £19,978 per year
Housing Benefit or housing element of Universal Credit
You’re also eligible if your household income is below £19,978 per year before any tax or other deductions are taken off.
You should apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme as soon as possible. There’s limited funding and the applications will be dealt with in the order they're received.
Apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme on the Charis website.
Check if you can get a Cold Weather Payment
If you get certain benefits you might get a Cold Weather Payment when it's very cold. This is a one-off payment to help pay for extra heating costs.
You’ll get Cold Weather Payments between 1 November and 31 March. You'll get a payment each time the average temperature in your area drops below zero degrees Celsius for 7 days in a row.
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. Check if you can get a Cold Weather Payment on GOV.UK.
If you use an oxygen concentrator
If you use an oxygen concentrator for a disability or health condition, you can get money back for the electricity it uses. This is called a ‘rebate’.
You should get the rebate every 3 months. The person who installs your concentrator should tell you how to get the rebate.
If your rebate hasn’t been set up, contact the supplier of your concentrator. Your supplier depends on where you live. If you live in:
London or the South West, contact Air Liquide Healthcare on their website
the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, or the West Midlands, contact Baywater Healthcare on their website
the East of England or East Midlands, contact BOC Home Oxygen Service on their website
the North East or the South East, contact Dolby Vivisol Home Respiratory Care on their website
If you’re struggling with living costs
If you’re struggling with money, there are things you can do to save on your regular living costs. Check what to do if you need help with living costs.
If you’re finding it hard to pay your bills, you can get help. Find out more about getting help with your bills.
You can also get help with debts.
If you're struggling to pay for food, find out how to get help from a food bank.
If you need a warm, welcoming space
‘Warm welcome’ spaces are public places that anyone can use - for example a community space like a library. They’re free, warm, welcoming and safe.
You can ask your local council about warm welcome spaces near you. You can find out how to contact your local council on GOV.UK.
Some spaces are only open in winter and some are open all year. Each space is different, but they might offer things like:
hot food and drink
activities and the chance to learn new things
a place to meet people in your community
access to the internet and help to use a computer
If you’re finding things difficult
Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You should talk to your GP if your money problems are affecting your mental health.
You can find other ways to get help with your mental health on the Mind website.
Samaritans
If you need to speak to someone right now, you can call the Samaritans for free.
Helpline: 116 123 (Monday to Sunday at any time)
Welsh Language Line: 0808 164 0123 (Monday to Sunday 7pm to 11pm)
Shout
You can also text 'SHOUT' to 85258 to start a conversation with a trained Shout 85258 volunteer. Texts are free, anonymous and confidential from anywhere in the UK.
If you think it's an emergency
If you think your life or someone else’s is at risk, you should call 999 or go to A&E if you can.
You can also find a list of urgent mental health services on the Mind website.
Further help
Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service if you need more help - a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone or online chat.
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