As temperatures drop, and we rely more on the heating, finding out what support is available is crucial to helping you get through the Winter months affordably. There are numerous initiatives, grants and schemes targeted at helping people afford their energy bills. Read through the following to see if any may be suitable to your household.

Winter Fuel Payment

A tax-free annual payment towards heating costs for households with someone born on or before September 22, 1958, in receipt certain benefits. This is a payment of £200 if the individual is under 80 or £300 if the individual is over 80.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

A single payment of £150 to help reduce electricity bills for low-income households in England, Wales, and Scotland. This scheme runs from October 2024 and March 2025.

Cold Weather Payments

£25 per week, if you live in an area where the temperature drops to 0°C for seven days in a row. This scheme is currently running and scheme runs from November 1, 2024.

Household Support Fund

Extended until April 2025, providing £421 million to local authorities in England to help vulnerable households with energy, food, and water costs.

British Gas Energy Support Fund

Offers grants up to £2,000 for eligible British Gas customers struggling with energy bills.

E.ON Next’s Winter Support Scheme

Provides discounted energy and debt write-offs for vulnerable customers, offering up to £60 million in extra support.

⚠️ ECO4 has closed to new applications — here’s the help you can get nowECO4 grants are no longer available. See the grants and funding you can get now.

Energy Efficiency Schemes

Various grants and programs are available to improve home energy efficiency, potentially reducing bills long-term.Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS), launched in 2023, this £1 billion scheme aims to insulate up to 300,000 homes across England, Wales, and Scotland.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4): This scheme focuses on improving energy efficiency, ECO4 takes a ‘whole house’ approach, potentially providing more comprehensive support than GBIS.

These schemes can significantly reduce energy bills, with the government estimating savings of around £310 per year for participating households. Eligibility criteria vary, check if you’re eligible on “insert link to Consumer Rights checker”