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The Energy Grants Edition – MoneyMagpie
Sep
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Energy Grants. With the long hot summer over and the nights drawing in, many individuals’s major concern will likely be how you can get help with heating their homes and any financial assistance they will get with the associated fee of living.
Listed below are some key ways you possibly can get this sort of help across the UK this September.
£400 ENERGY DISCOUNT
The federal government will give every household £400 off their electricity bill. This is named the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
You don’t have to do anything to get the cash and also you won’t must pay it back.
You’ll get the £400 in 6 instalments ranging from October 2023. You’ll get:
- £66 in October and November
- £67 in December, January, February and March
You’ll get the discount monthly, even in case you pay on your energy quarterly or use a payment card.
The way you get the discount will rely upon the way you pay for energy.
HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT FUND
£421 million has been made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in have to help with significantly rising living costs. This funding covers the period 01 April 2022 to 30 September 2022 inclusive.
Local Authorities have discretion on exactly how this funding is used: primarily be to support households with children, and pensioners who’ve energy bills, food and water bills. In exceptional cases of real emergency, this fund might be used to support housing costs where existing housing support schemes don’t meet this exceptional need.
COUNCIL TAX REBATE
You’ll be able to get £150 back from the council to assist pay your energy bills – this is named a ‘rebate’.
You’ll get the rebate in case you pay council tax and your house is in council tax bands A to D. You could find your band in your council tax bill or check your council tax band on GOV.UK
You’ll only get the rebate in case you’re the one who has to pay council tax on your household. Just one person per household will get the rebate.
You’ll get the rebate even in case you:
- get a Council Tax Reduction, including a full reduction, and your house is in bands A to D
- get the Disabled Band Reduction discount and your house is in bands A to E
- are subject to immigration control and your biometric residence permit says “no recourse to public funds”
For those who get advantages, the rebate won’t affect them.
For those who can’t get the rebate, the council might still give you financial help. For instance, they may aid you in case you’re in council tax bands E to H and also you get certain advantages. Contact your local council to see in the event that they can aid you – find your local council on GOV.UK.
The right way to get it…
For those who arrange a direct debit to pay your council tax before the tip of March 2022, your council should pay you robotically. Local councils will begin to make the payments directly into bank accounts in April 2022.
For those who don’t pay by direct debit or didn’t arrange a direct debit before the tip of March 2022, you need to still get a rebate.
Your local council will contact you – they’ll probably ask you to finish a web based form.
After you’ve given the council your details, they’ll make the payment as soon as possible.
For those who don’t hear out of your council, contact them to ascertain how you possibly can claim the rebate. It’s best to contact them before 30 September 2022 when the scheme closes.
WARM HOME DISCOUNT SCHEME
For those who get advantages, you may have the opportunity to get £150 off your electricity bill or £150 added to your prepayment meter. You don’t have to apply for the scheme – payments are automatic.
Check which energy supplier you were with on 21 August 2022. You’ll be able to only get the discount in case your supplier is within the scheme. The next suppliers are a part of the scheme:
- Affect Energy
- Boost
- British Gas
- Bulb Energy
- Co-op Energy
- E (Gas and Electricity)
- E.ON
- E.ON Next
- Ebico
- Ecotricity
- EDF Energy
- Good Energy
- Green Energy UK (GEUK)
- London Power
- M&S Energy
- Octopus Energy
- Outfox the Market
- OVO
- Rebel Energy
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- ScottishPower
- Shell Energy Retail
- So Energy
- SSE
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse
For those who or your partner get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you need to get the Warm Home Discount.
You may also have the opportunity to get the Warm Home Discount in case you get a special profit and the federal government decides you’ve got ‘high energy costs’. They’ll work this out robotically – you don’t have to contact them.
If you’ve got high energy costs, you’ll get the Warm Home Discount in case you get any of the next advantages:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit Savings Credit
- Housing Profit
- income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits
- Income Support
FUEL VOUCHERS
You may have the opportunity to get a voucher to assist pay on your energy. You may have the opportunity to get a voucher to assist pay on your energy if either:
- you employ a prepayment meter
- you don’t use gas or electricity on your heating
For those who can’t afford to top up your prepayment meter
You may have the opportunity to get a fuel voucher. It is a code given to you in a letter or in a text message or email. You should utilize it so as to add credit to your gas card or electricity key. For those who don’t have certainly one of these, contact your supplier to get one.
Your local council might have the opportunity to aid you get a fuel voucher – find your local council on GOV.UK. For those who’re still unsure in case you can get a voucher, get help from an adviser.
You should utilize a fuel voucher at:
To make use of your voucher you’ll have to take:
- the code and directions
- some type of ID – for instance, your passport or a bill along with your name and address
You could use your fuel voucher inside 3 months after you get it.
If you’ve got problems using your voucher, contact the organisation that gave it to you – you need to have the opportunity to seek out their contact information on the instructions.
For those who don’t use gas or electricity on your heating
You may have the opportunity to get a fuel voucher in case you:
- depend on oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), coal or wood as your major source of heating
- aren’t on the gas grid
You’ll need to point out that you may’t heat your house because you possibly can’t afford to purchase fuel – or you may not have the opportunity to afford it soon.
Consult with an adviser in case you need a voucher. Your local Residents Advice might want to apply for you.
WINTER FUEL PAYMENT
Versus an energy grant per se, The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual one-off payment to aid you pay for heating throughout the winter.
You’ll be able to often get a Winter Fuel Payment in case you were born on or before 25 September 1956.
You’ll robotically get an additional ‘pensioner cost of living payment’ along with your usual Winter Fuel Payment in either November or December.
It’s best to start getting the Winter Fuel Payment robotically when you reach State Pension age, but sometimes you may have to apply. You’ll be able to discover how you can apply for the Winter Fuel Payment on GOV.UK.
Check how much pensioner cost of living payment you’ll get
You’ll get £300 in case you live either:
- on your personal
- with individuals who don’t qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment
For those who live with another person who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment, the quantity you’ll get depends upon whether either of you get any of the next:
- Pension Credit
- income-related ESA
- income-based JSA
If either you or the person you reside with gets certainly one of these advantages, you’ll each get £300 – so long as you’re not partners. For those who’re partners, you’ll only get one £300 payment.
If neither of you get certainly one of these advantages, you’ll each get £150.
For those who live in residential care and qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment, you’ll get £150 unless you get any of those advantages. For those who get any of the advantages, you won’t get a pensioner cost of living payment.
COLD WEATHER PAYMENTS
Cold Weather Payments are one-off payments to aid you pay for extra heating costs when it’s very cold.
You’ll get a payment every time the temperature drops below a particular temperature for a set time frame.
You’ll only be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment in case you already get:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
- support for mortgage interest
For those who’re eligible, you’ll receives a commission robotically. Discover more about Cold Weather Payments on GOV.UK.
ENERGY DEBT GRANTS
For those who’re in debt to your energy supplier, you may have the opportunity to get a grant to assist pay it off.
For those who can’t get a grant out of your supplier, you may have the opportunity to get a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust. These grants can be found to anyone – you don’t must be a British Gas customer. You’ll have to get debt advice before applying – get help from a debt adviser.
For those who’ve already spoken to a debt adviser – check in case you can get a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust.
Once you apply for a grant, you’ll have to supply detailed details about your financial situation in your application. It could take some time to finish, and it may be price getting help from a friend or member of the family. You can even check with an adviser for help filling in forms.
LOCAL ENERGY GRANTS
You may have the opportunity to seek out grants or schemes run by your local council. Find your local council on GOV.UK.
You may have the opportunity to get extra help and support out of your energy supplier by signing as much as the Priority Services Register. You’ll be able to join in case you’ve reached state pension age, you’re disabled or sick, or in case your energy network considers you ‘vulnerable’.
Your energy supplier can aid you with things like:
- reading your energy meter
- moving your energy meter freed from charge
- getting your bills sent or copied to another person – for instance, a carer
And don’t forget
For those who’re fighting money, there are things you possibly can do to save lots of in your regular living costs. Check what to do in case you need assistance with living costs.
For those who’re finding it hard to pay your bills, you possibly can get help. Discover more about getting help along with your bills.
You can even get help with debts.
For those who’re struggling to pay for food, discover how you can get help from a food bank.
