Many households are feeling the strain of higher costs, and many are desperate for help with energy bills.
Energy bills account for a significant chunk of household expenses, and for those on low incomes or claiming benefits, the burden is a heavy one – especially during the colder months when we use more energy.
Inflation on basic living costs, and changes to tariffs and government support schemes will continue to impact families in 2025, who may face difficult choices between heating their homes and other essentials.
If you are worried, there is good news. You might be entitled to help with energy costs. In this article, we’ll break down the various energy bills support schemes to assist UK consumers in 2025. We’ll help you understand who is entitled to help with energy bills and share tips to help with energy costs.
Government Schemes to Help with Energy Bills
There are energy bills discount and support schemes available to individuals and families that need help with energy costs or energy debt. Read on to learn who is entitled to help with energy bills.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a £150 discount off your winter electricity bill for people who receive benefits.
There's one of these energy bills discount schemes for England and Wales, and another for Scotland. If you live in England or Wales, you qualify if you either:
- get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit
- are on a low income and have high energy costs
If you live in Scotland and receive certain benefits, you may need to apply. You’ll only get the Warm Home Discount if your supplier is part of the scheme. You can check your eligibility here.
If you’re eligible, you’ll usually get the energy bills discount automatically each year. If you are on a standard credit or smart prepayment meter, your electricity supplier should apply the bill discount between October 2024 and March 2025. If you are on a traditional prepayment meter, you should be sent a top up voucher by post, email or text, and have 90 days to redeem it at the Post Office or a PayPoint shop.
Fuel Poverty Grants and Winter Fuel Payment
If you can't afford to top up your prepayment meter and need help with energy bills, another energy bills support scheme involves getting a fuel voucher, by contacting your local council or Citizens Advice.
This voucher is sent as a code in a letter, text message or email, and you can use it to add credit to your gas card or electricity key. If you have a smart prepayment meter, the fuel voucher will provide instructions on how to add the credit to your account online.
Fuel vouchers can be redeemed at:
You may have to use it within 15 days, so always check your fuel voucher to see when it expires. If you have any problems using the voucher, it’s best to contact the organisation that gave it to you.
You might be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born before 23 September 1958, live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and get one of the following:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
It’s an annual one-off payment of either £200 or £300 to help with energy bills during the winter. If you’re eligible, a letter in October or November each year will tell you how much you’ll get. It’s usually paid automatically in November or December.
If you don’t get a letter by early December and you think you're eligible for this energy bills support scheme, check if you need to make a claim.
Cold Weather Payment
Cold Weather Payments are different from Winter Fuel Payments. If the average temperature in your area is recorded as or forecast to be zero degrees Celsius or below, you’ll get £25 for each 7-day period that the temperature falls below this level, between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Cold Weather Payments do not affect other benefits. To be eligible for this scheme, you need to be receiving one of the following:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest
You don’t need to apply, but may need to tell Jobcentre Plus if you have a baby or if a child under 5 comes to live with you. You will then get these payments automatically.
Check if a postcode in England or Wales is eligible.
If you live in Scotland, you cannot get Cold Weather Payments. However, you might get an annual Winter Heating Payment instead, which is not dependent on weather conditions.
Fuel Direct Scheme
If you’re struggling to pay for your energy and owe money, you may be able to pay directly from your benefit payments. For gas and electricity payments, this is known as Fuel Direct.
The following benefits can be used:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
Your supplier can ask for deductions to be made from your benefits to pay any outstanding energy bills as well as your ongoing energy usage, if they have already offered other payment arrangements but none were suitable for you.
You’ll be told how much will be deducted by letter or in your Universal Credit journal. Then, your supplier will continue to receive payments directly from your benefits, and any debt action on your account will stop.
Fuel Direct can help you manage your energy bills if other payment arrangements or pay-as-you-go meters are not suitable for you.
Household Support Funds From Your Local Council
You may be able to get help with essential costs from your local council, sometimes known as ‘the Household Support Fund’. This could help if you’re vulnerable and struggling to afford:
- energy and water bills
- food
- essential items
Your council may also offer food vouchers during the school holidays.
If you receive benefits, they won’t be affected by a payment from a Household Support Fund scheme.
Each council decides how to run its own schemes, so there may be differences in:
- eligibility criteria
- if or how you need to apply
- who receives the money (some councils, for example, share out money through local charities and community groups, limiting household applications to one per year)
If you live in England, check with your local council to find out about available support.
Government Grants for Energy-Saving Improvements
You can also apply for help for home energy-saving improvements if you get certain benefits, live in social housing or are on a low income:
You might be able to get help for energy-saving improvements to your home if you either:
- claim certain benefits and live in private housing (if you own your home or rent from a private landlord, for example)
- live in social housing
You could get help with the cost of:
- insulation work to your loft or cavity walls, for example
- replacing or repairing your boiler, or other upgrades to your heating
Check if you’re eligible here.
The Great British Insulation Scheme
You may be able to get free or cheaper insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills if your home:
- has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G (you can check your EPC here).
- is in Council Tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland or Wales (you can check your Council Tax band here).
You can be a homeowner, landlord or a tenant, either renting privately or from a housing association. However, if you’re a tenant, you’ll need to speak to your landlord or housing association before applying, and get their permission before any insulation can be installed.
If you own a home in England with no boiler, you’ll be able to apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant from April 2025. It may help you make improvements to your home to make it more energy efficient.
Support for Disabled Individuals and Vulnerable Groups
Gas and Electricity Discounts for Disabled People
There are no specific gas and electricity discounts for disabled people. However, there are rebates and free electric blanket schemes in the UK that can help with energy bills for disabled people.
If you use and charge medical and disability equipment at home, you could:
- check with your supplier that you are on the best tariff for your situation
- see if you can get financial help from your supplier
If you use an oxygen concentrator at home, you can get a rebate for the electricity it uses. Call the Electricity Rebates (BOC Home Oxygen Service) Patient Service Centre on freephone 0800 136 603, or the Electricity Refund (Air Liquide Healthcare) rebate team on freephone 0800 781 9939.
Free Electric Blanket Programs
It costs around £4 per day to heat a whole home, but just 2-4p per hour to heat a person with an electric blanket, so it’s an incredibly energy-efficient way to help with energy bills and stay cosy.
If you cannot afford to buy one, both OVO Energy and Octopus Energy are offering free electric blankets to their UK customers this winter.
OVO Energy's free electric blanket
If you’re an OVO or Boost customer, you can apply online for the supplier’s customer support package, which includes free energy-saving products, such as electric throws and mattress toppers.
Octopus Energy's free electric blanket
Octopus Energy is giving free electric blankets (one per household) to UK Octopus customers most in need this winter.
They are prioritising the elderly, and those with mobility issues or medical conditions that mean they spend a lot of time in one spot or are more impacted by the cold.
Scotland Child Winter Heating Payment
The Child Winter Heating Payment is a benefit from the Scottish Government. Paid once a year, it’s designed to help disabled children and young people and their families with the increased costs of heating their homes over winter.
You can get Child Winter Heating Payment if you are under 19, live in Scotland, and receive one of the following benefits:
- The highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children.
- The highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment.
- The enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- The enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment.
The payment for winter 2024-2025 is £251.50. However, if you have more than one eligible child or young person in the household, they'll each get the payment.
Supplier Grants and Schemes
Suppliers often have grants and schemes available, too. It’s best to check with your supplier, as eligibility criteria can vary. In some cases, you may even be eligible for a grant or scheme if you are not supplied by that company.
Supplier grants and schemes include:
British Gas’ Energy Support Fund & The Individual and Families Fund
EDF Energy Customer Support Fund
You can find out more about each by visiting the links above.
REPORT ENERGY THEFT
Only energy suppliers, the government, or other non-profit organisations are able to provide free or discounted electricity.
If anyone else, such as a local tradesperson, offers to fix your meter to help with energy bills, this is illegal. This is energy theft.
Energy scams involving meter tampering have been making the headlines over the past few years. Staying informed is the best way to stay safe. Learn how to protect yourself from energy scams in 2025 here.
Meter tampering not only increases costs for others – adding around £50 per year to every customer’s bill – but it also puts you and your loved ones in grave danger. You can read about the consequences here.
If someone you know is tampering with their gas or electricity meter, it’s essential to report it, 100% anonymously, to Stay Energy Safe.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay Your Energy Bills?
Many suppliers charge extra fees for late payments, and non-payment could also damage your credit rating and make it harder to borrow money in the future. Suppliers could pass your details to a debt collection agency and may charge you to cover the cost of this.
If you are struggling to pay and need more help with energy bills, under Ofgem rules, your supplier must work with you to agree a payment plan you can afford.
You can also ask them for:
- a review of your current payments and debt repayments
- payment breaks or reductions
- more time to pay
- access to hardship funds
- advice on how to use less energy
Ofgem also offers practical advice and support.
If you haven’t paid a bill after 28 days, your supplier may contact you about the possibility of disconnecting your gas or electricity supply. It’s rare to be disconnected as your supplier will usually offer to install a prepayment meter or switch an existing smart meter to prepayment mode.
If your supplier decides to disconnect you, they must give you a chance to pay your debt through a payment plan.
If you've reached state pension age, your supplier can't disconnect you between 1 October and 31 March if you either:
- live alone
- live only with pensioners, or under-18s
If you're struggling to keep up with energy bills, it can feel overwhelming – but you don’t have to face it alone. Support is available, from grants and discounts to vouchers.
Scammers prey on tough times. Be wary of anyone promising “free energy” or quick fixes that seem too good to be true. This isn’t just illegal – it’s extremely dangerous.
Staying safe is what matters most. That means knowing how to spot and prevent energy theft.
If you suspect someone of tampering with a meter, speak up. Report it 100% anonymously to Stay Energy Safe, using our online form or by calling 0800 023 2777.
To learn more, visit our pages on electricity theft and gas theft.