Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills

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.

Get help from the Discretionary Assistance Fund

You might be able to get a grant from the Welsh Government to help pay for the energy you use. This is called an ‘Emergency Assistance Payment’.

You'll have to show you need the money urgently - this means if you don't get help it will have a serious impact on you or your family. You don't need to be getting benefits to apply.

If you use mains gas or electricity

You can only apply for a grant if one of the following applies:

• you have no money to pay for essentials like food, gas and electricity

• you've lost your job

• you've applied for benefits and are waiting for your payments to start

Check how to apply to the Discretionary Assistance Fund on the Welsh Government website.

If you use alternative fuels

If you don’t use mains gas or electricity, you might be able to get help to buy alternative fuels, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or oil for a tank.

Check how to apply for the Discretionary Assistance Fund for alternative fuels.

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.

Talk to an adviser if you need help. Your local Citizens Advice will need to apply for you.

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. 

If you pay your landlord for energy

If your landlord gets a discount on energy from a government scheme, they must pass on a fair amount of the discount to you.

You can check how your landlord should pass on energy discounts and how to challenge them if they don’t.

If your home is on a heat network

Heat network suppliers must pass on a fair amount of any discount they get from the government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme to you.

You can check how to get a discount on your energy if you’re part of a heat network.

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

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.

You should get the Warm Home Discount if you or your partner got the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit on 21 August 2022.

You might also be able to get the Warm Home Discount if you get a different benefit and the government decides you have 'high energy costs'. This is based on the type of property you live in, not how much you spend. They'll work this out automatically - you don't need to contact them.

If you have high energy costs, you’ll get the Warm Home Discount if you or your partner got any of the following benefits on 21 August 2022:

• Universal Credit

• Pension Credit Savings Credit

• Housing Benefit

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits

• Income Support

You can check if your supplier is part of the Warm Home Discount Scheme and see if you’re eligible on GOV.UK.

If you were eligible for a payment for winter 2022 to 2023, your supplier will have sent you a letter by the middle of January 2023. 

We’ll add more details when the scheme opens for winter 2023 to 2024.

If you're of State Pension age

You can usually get a Winter Fuel Payment, this is an annual one-off payment to help you pay for heating during the winter.

You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.

You’ll get between £250 to £600, this automatically includes an extra Pensioner Cost of Living Payment.

You should start getting the Winter Fuel Payment automatically once you reach State Pension age, but sometimes you might need to apply. You can check how to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment on GOV.UK.

Check how much Pensioner Cost of Living Payment you'll get

You’ll get £300 if you live either:

• on your own

• with people who don’t qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment

If you live with someone else who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment, the amount you’ll get depends on whether either of you gets any of the following:

• Pension Credit

• income-related ESA

• income-based JSA

If either you or the person you live with gets one of these benefits, you’ll both get £300 - as long as you’re not partners. If you’re partners, you’ll only get one £300 payment.

If neither of you gets one of these benefits, you’ll both get £150.

If you live in residential care and qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment, you'll get £150 unless you get any of these benefits. If you get any of the benefits, you won't get a pensioner cost of living payment.

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.

You can contact Baywater Healthcare if your rebate hasn’t been set up.

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’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 helpline if you need more help - a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone or by email.