How to Get Help With Bills and Housing Costs in England
Many people in England are feeling the squeeze with bills and housing costs. The good news is that there are various supports available, for energy, housing, council tax, and essential living costs.
Help With Utility Bills
Energy Bills
If you have a low income or receive certain benefits, you may be eligible for help with your energy bills via:
- Warm Home Discount: A scheme that gives £150 off your electricity bill (This will reopen at the end of October 2025).
- Energy-saving improvement schemes such as ECO (Energy Company Obligation), which runs until 31 December 2026, for insulation, heating upgrades, etc. The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026.
- Supplier schemes & grants: Contact your energy provider to ask about support, debt repayment plans, or grants.
Tip: You can use our EPC Checker to see your home’s current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. It only takes a few minutes.
Local Council Support (Household Support Fund)
Your local council may offer help for essentials like energy, food, and water bills via a Household Support Fund. You’ll need to check with your specific council.
Cheaper Phone & Broadband (Social Tariffs)
If you receive certain benefits, you might qualify for social tariffs for phone or broadband. The Ofcom website lists approved providers.
Water Bills
You may be eligible for support to reduce or manage your water bill. Check guidance from CCW (Consumer Council for Water) and your supplier.
Support With Housing Costs
Council Tax Reduction / Support
If you’re on a low income or getting certain benefits, your local authority may reduce your Council Tax bill (sometimes called Council Tax Support or Reduction). Each council has its own rules.
Help Paying Rent (Discretionary Housing Payments – DHPs)
If your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit’s housing element doesn’t fully cover your rent, you can apply for extra help via Discretionary Housing Payments.
- DHPs can help with rent shortfalls, rent deposits, rent in advance etc.
- DHPs cannot cover council tax.
- Each council runs its own process — contact your local council to apply.
Housing Cost Help Through Universal Credit
If you qualify for Universal Credit, it can include help with housing costs (rent, some service charges).
- If the housing amount doesn’t fully cover your rent, you may be able to request alternative payment arrangements or ask your landlord to be paid directly.
- You may also qualify for Support for Mortgage Interest if you’re a homeowner and meet certain criteria.
Housing Benefit (Supported / Temporary Housing)
If you live in supported, sheltered, or temporary accommodation, you may still be able to claim Housing Benefit to help with rent.
Other Support You May Qualify For
- Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payment for eligible households, particularly pensioners, to help with heating costs.
- Energy supplier hardship funds and support offers (e.g. debt repayment plans). Contact your supplier directly.
- Health and care support (NHS prescriptions, dental, eye care) through existing welfare / health schemes.
- Travel discounts exist for some benefit claimants (check government / DWP / local schemes).
What To Do Next
- Check your eligibility using an online benefits calculator (e.g. via Citizens Advice).
- Contact your local council: For Household Support Fund, DHPs, Council Tax Support.
- Contact your energy and water suppliers: Ask whether they offer support, grants, or payment plans.
- Apply via official government pages, e.g. GOV.UK for Universal Credit, housing, energy support.
- Report changes to your income or living circumstances: It’s important so you don’t lose or overclaim benefits.
Help is available, reach out early to make sure you get the support you need.
People Also Ask
For winter 2025/26, more households are eligible under the Warm Home Discount. You qualify if you receive the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit (Core Group 1). You can also qualify under Core Group 2 if you receive certain means-tested benefits and you (or your partner) are named on the electricity bill. The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 payment, applied automatically as a credit to your electricity bill during winter.
It may be that your supplier did not automatically match you as eligible, or that you do not meet all of the eligibility criteria. According to GOV.UK, if you think you should qualify and haven’t received a letter by mid-January, you should call the helpline. Make sure to call the 0800 030 9322 helpline by 28 February 2026.
ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026, following a nine-month extension, but Consumer Rights can no longer help with ECO4 applications. ECO is not a grant scheme: energy suppliers decide what they fund, and you may be asked to contribute. You can apply for a free home battery or see other funding options.
The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) was a government energy-efficiency programme (previously ECO+) that targeted low-efficiency homes to help reduce fuel poverty. It offered support to install insulation and other energy-saving measures in less efficient properties. It began in April 2023 and closed on 31 March 2026.
Yes, the Household Support Fund (HSF) is managed by local councils to help people pay for essentials such as energy costs, food, or housing expenses. You do not need to be on a benefit to apply, and getting help from the HSF typically will not affect your other benefits.
A social tariff is a discounted price plan offered by energy or broadband companies to low-income or vulnerable customers. These lower-cost deals are available to people on certain benefits, like Universal Credit or Pension Credit. The aim is to make essential services more affordable for households on tighter budgets.
A Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) can be awarded to help with a shortfall between your rent and what your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element covers. According to government rules, the payment cannot exceed your eligible rent amount.
The maximum Housing Benefit you can get is generally the lower of your rent or your Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate for your area. Local authorities use LHA rates to calculate how much they will pay, and these vary by region.
You may qualify for a Cold Weather Payment if the weather in your area is forecast or has been at 0 °C or below for 7 consecutive days. You also need to be receiving certain benefits to be eligible, and you will not qualify if you live in a care home.
You may receive a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born on or before 21 September 1959 and lived in the UK during the qualifying week (15–21 September 2025). If your taxable income is over £35,000, a portion of this payment may be recovered through the tax system.
Useful Resources:
- Ofcom Website Lists
- Find Your Local Council
- Support for Mortgage Interest
- Housing Benefit
- Citizens Advice
Cost of Living Support Available:
- Household Support Fund (England)
- Cost of Living Payments
- Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)
- Mortgage Guarantee Scheme
- Council Tax Reduction
Other Support Available: