Cost of living support for rising energy costs

All UK households will get a grant which will reduce energy bills by £400 from October.

• the discount will be made automatically by your energy supplier
• there is no need to apply

Over the course of six months from October;

• direct debit
• and credit customers

will have the money credited to their account.

Customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher.

What additional help will people on benefits get?

A £650 payment will be made to more than eight million low-income households who receive

• Universal Credit
• tax credits
• pension credit
• and other means-tested benefits

This will be an automatic payment into bank accounts.

It comes in two instalments - the first in July and the second sometime in autumn. Payments for those on tax credits only will follow shortly afterwards.

Those on disability benefits will receive £150 in September, which may be on top of the £650 payment, because in many cases they have higher energy use.

Anyone receiving the following benefits will be entitled to the extra £150:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment,
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• and War Pension Mobility Supplement

What extra help will pensioners get for winter fuel bills?

Households that receive the Winter Fuel Payment will receive an additional £300 in November or December.

Lower-income pensioners who claim pension credit, will receive the money in addition to the £650 support for those on benefits which is mentioned above.

A small group of pensioners with disabilities will receive a total of £1,500 when all the new payments and discounts they are eligible for are added up.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

The government has launched a new online tool to make it easier for people to check if they are eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Find out about the Warm Home Discount scheme

The online tool will guide you through the eligibility criteria, asking questions about your electricity supply, the benefits you may receive and characteristics of your property.

All customers will receive a letter between now and mid-January 2023 confirming their eligibility and the payment will be made automatically through energy suppliers by March 2023.

Check if you’re eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme

Find out more on the Government website

Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding

On 19 December the Government announced extra help with the rising cost of energy bills through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Find out more about Energy Bills Support Scheme

The scheme will offer households who do not have a direct relationship to an energy supplier, the opportunity to apply for a payment of £400. 

The households this payment is intended to help is likely to include

• care home residents
• residents of park homes
• tenants in certain private and social rented homes
• homes supplied via private wires
• residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
• farmers living in domestic farmhouses
• off-grid households

Although it was due to launch on 23 January, the Government has said it needs some more time before being able to launch the scheme fully. 

More details will be published when we receive further guidance about the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Find out more about Government schemes