Are you struggling to pay your gas and electricity bills? Find out what support is out there, including government energy support schemes, help from your supplier and other organisations.
Talk to your suppliers if you need energy help
The first place to go to for help with your electric bill (and gas bill if applicable) is your current energy supplier. Energy regulator Ofgem has set rules that means your supplier must offer help if you’ve fallen into energy debt. If your problems are temporary, you can ask your supplier to help you by:
- Reviewing your current payment or debt repayment plan
- Offering a temporary payment break or reduction
- Extending the deadline for paying your latest bill or any outstanding money you owe
- Paying your energy bill or debt directly from any benefits payments you receive (Fuel Direct)
In all these circumstances, you're still expected to pay for your ongoing energy usage. The amount you owe continues to rise as you consume more gas and electricity.
If you’re on a prepayment meter and run out of credit, you can receive temporary credit. This may be added automatically when your meter runs out of credit, but it depends on your supplier. Contact it to find out. Any temporary credit is paid back from future prepayment card top-ups.
See if you're eligible for energy hardship funds
All but 1 of the big six suppliers also offer hardship funds. These provide grants to those on low incomes who are struggling to repay their energy debts:
- British Gas Energy Trust
- EDF Energy Customer Support Fund
- E.ON Next Energy Fund
- Octopus Energy Octo Assist
- OVO Energy Fund (no longer running as a dedicated scheme – see its website for additional support options)
- Scottish Power Hardship Fund
Priority Services
The Priority Services Register offers additional help to vulnerable groups, including the disabled and those over the State Pension age. Aside from offering priority support during emergencies, those on the register also get help accessing and reading meters.
Check if you qualify for government energy support
If you’re on a low income and receive either tax credits or some form of benefits, you may be eligible for additional energy bill support. Government energy support schemes include:
Warm Home Discount
- Type: One-off payment designed to help with higher energy costs over winter.
- Worth: £150 (2026-27 figure).
- Who can receive it:
- Anyone in the household who receives the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit
- Those who receive the Savings Credit portion of Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Housing Benefit.
- Check your supplier: Most, but not all have signed up to this scheme. Check GOV.UK to verify your supplier is on the list.
- How to claim: You should receive this automatically as a credit against your electricity bill by the end of March each year. Prepayment meter users should expect to receive a top-up voucher.
Find out more about the Warm Home Discount here.
Winter Fuel Payment
- Type: An annual tax-free payment to help cover heating costs in winter.
- Worth: £100-300 (2026-27 figure).
- Who can receive it: Households with 1 or more people over the State Pension age who receive the State Pension and who were in the UK during a qualifying period (typically the week beginning the third Monday in September). If your income exceeds £35,000, HMRC will claw the payment back again through the tax system.
- How to claim: This should be paid automatically into the same bank account as your State Pension or other benefits in November or December each year.
Learn more about the Winter Fuel Payment here.
Cold Weather Payment
- Type: One-off payments during periods of extreme cold during winter to help with heating costs.
- Worth: £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March (2026-27 figures).
- Who can receive it: English, Welsh or Northern Irish households receiving Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit, or Support for Mortgage Interest. You may also need to receive the disability or pensioner premium or be responsible for very young or disabled children. Scottish residents can find out more about an alternative scheme - the Winter Heating Payment - which pays a single lump sum (£62 for the 2026-27 season) to low-income benefits at the mygov.scot website.
- How to claim: This is paid automatically into the same bank account as your State Pension or other benefits between November and March of each year.
Support from councils
While the government no longer offers Cost of Living payments, you may still be eligible for financial support from your local council. Since April 2026, the Crisis and Resilience Fund distributes £842 million each year to English councils to support the most vulnerable with their essential bills, including energy. This replaces the previous Household Support Fund. Contact your local council to find out more and see if you’re eligible. If you live in Scotland, you might be able to get support through a Crisis Grant. Welsh residents should investigate the Welsh Government’s Discretionary Assistance Fund.
See what help is available from other organisations
Even if you don’t qualify for help from your supplier or government schemes, you may still be able to access support from other organisations.
Fuel vouchers
These top-up vouchers are designed to help those on low incomes with prepayment meters. Unlike emergency credit top-ups from your supplier, you won’t need to pay these back:
- Worth: £25-£100 per voucher.
- Who can receive it: It depends on where you live. Typically, you need to meet 1 or more of the following criteria:
- Be on income-related benefits
- Have no access to cash savings
- Be deemed vulnerable - through children in your care or being disabled or of pensionable age
- How to claim: You need a referral from a local specified organisation, typically your local council, food bank or Citizens Advice. You get the voucher as a code by email, letter or text message. Your supplier can add the voucher online to a smart prepayment meter or through your local PayPoint or Payzone outlet.
It’s worth noting that since the Household Support Fund ended in March 2026, fuel voucher availability is more limited and localised. Support is now largely delivered through the Crisis and Resilience Fund alongside charities such as the Fuel Bank Foundation. This means it’s less of a guaranteed nationwide scheme.
Citizens Advice
You might be able to get help from a Citizens Advice adviser - including access to financial support - for 1 of the following:
- Paying for alternative fuels like oil, wood, LPG, biomass (including wood pellets) or coal.
- Securing discounts from government schemes when you pay someone else for your energy, such as a landlord or heat network supplier.
- Repaying energy debts by mediating between you and your supplier.
Oxygen Concentrator rebates
If you use an oxygen concentrator for a health condition or disability, you can get a rebate on your electricity bill courtesy of the NHS. This is paid automatically every 3 months, and your installer should have provided you with details of claiming it. If it didn’t, then get in contact with:
Air Liquide: 0808 143 9999 for the South West of England
Baywater Healthcare: covers the East of England, London, the North West of England, Yorkshire and The Humber, West Midlands and Wales (0800 373 580)
BOC: covers the East Midlands and Northern Ireland
Vivisol: covers the North East of England and the South East of England (0800 917 9840)
National Energy Action (NEA)
This charity specialises in fuel poverty and energy efficiency. You can contact its free support service for help and advice. Similar organisations exist for Scotland (Home Energy Scotland) and Northern Ireland (NI Energy Advice).
See what other schemes could help you save on your energy bills
The best way to get help with your energy bills is to investigate ways of permanently reducing your consumption. This helps cut your bills and ensures you don’t waste unnecessary energy heating and powering your home.
When it comes to improving energy efficiency in your home, there are several schemes that can help:
- Energy Company Obligation: The Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation portion of this scheme legally requires energy suppliers to help vulnerable, low-income and fuel-poor households heat and insulate their homes more effectively. The scheme has been extended to 31 December 2026.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant (replaces the Home Upgrade Grant): Available to homeowners and private tenants in England with a home EPC rating of D or worse. You'll usually need a household income of £36,000 or less, though this can be bypassed if you live in a qualifying postcode or receive certain benefits. Your home will be surveyed to work out how to make it more energy efficient, and your local council organises and pays for any agreed improvements.
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Offers a grant of £7,500 to help you switch from a fossil fuel boiler (including gas boiler) to a heat pump, or £5,000 for a biomass boiler. Applies in England and Wales only.
- Demand Flexibility Service: To help balance electricity demand, suppliers are offering rewards when customers cut their energy use at specific times. Check your supplier for details.
Cut energy costs with energy saving tips
There are many ways in which you can cut your energy costs.
- Switch tariff and supplier: First, check to see if you can save money by finding a cheaper supplier and tariff. Get started by comparing energy deals now.
- Switch to a smart meter: If you’ve not already done so, installing a smart meter lets you keep an eye on your gas and electricity usage. Use this to help cut your consumption.
- Cut electricity consumption: See where you're unnecessarily using energy and take steps to cut your usage down.
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