Support to help pay for energy costs if you live in England

You could check if you are eligible for:

Warm Home Discount

This pays £150 towards your electricity costs. This scheme is managed by energy suppliers that have chosen to take part.

To find out if you can get this, you will need to know who your electricity supplier is. If you aren’t sure, we tell you how to find out who supplies your energy here.

If your electricity bill is in either your name (or your partner’s) and you receive one of the following means tested benefits, you could be eligible for Warm Home Discount:

Universal Credit
Housing Benefit
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Pension Credit

If eligible your supplier will apply the discount directly to your electricity bill.

Find out more about Warm Home Discount.

You could check if you are eligible for:

Winter Fuel Payment

This pays £100 – £300 to help with your heating bills over winter.

Most people who are eligible to receive this payment will get it automatically during November or December.

This will be paid directly into your bank account, however, you may need to submit a claim to receive payment if:

• you’ve not received Winter Fuel Payment before
• or, you’ve deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment

Check if you need to submit a claim and how to do this.

You can find out more about the Winter Fuel Payment and if you can get it here.

If you get any of these benefits:

Pension Credit
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest

You could check if you are eligible for:

Cold Weather Payment

This pays you £25 if it gets freezing (0 degrees or lower) where you live for a week or more.

If you qualify, you do not normally need to apply for this. The payment goes into the same account as your other benefits.

You can find out who can get Cold Weather Payment here.

If you are not getting Cold Weather Payments and think you should be, you can find out what to do.

If you use an oxygen concentrator at home

You could check if you are eligible for:

Electricity refund

This gives you back the money you’ve spent on electricity to power your oxygen concentrator.

Find out how to claim your money back. If you live in:

London or the South West, visit the Air Liquide Healthcare website

North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, or West Midlands, visit the Baywater Healthcare website

East of England or East Midlands, call the Electricity Rebates (BOC Home Oxygen Service) Patient Service Centre on freephone 0800 136 603.

North East or South East, visit the Dolby Vivisol Home Respiratory Care website

If you need help with buying heating oil or LPG

You could check if you are eligible for:

Crisis & Resilience fund

The UK Government has provided funding to support people in crisis. One of the ways the Crisis & Resilience Fund can be used is to support households who are struggling to purchase heating oil and LPG.

Each Local Council has a fund to deliver crisis support. If you are eligible you could receive financial support towards purchasing fuel.

Eligibility

This will vary by local council, but it is likely you may be eligible if you receive a low household income and are experiencing financial hardship.

How to apply:

Check your local council website
Find your local council
Look for their cost of living or hardship support schemes
Schemes could be listed under terms such as ‘emergency help’, ‘household support’, ‘welfare support’ or ‘crisis support’.
Apply online or contact your council directly
Follow the guidance provided on their website
Evidence and supporting information
Be prepared to show proof of income, expenses and financial hardship