On the 26th May 2022, the UK Government announced a series of measures aimed at helping people cope with rising energy and living costs. We have summarised them in the table below: 

Measure What is it How much Who can get it Anything else to note
Energy bill support scheme grant   A one-off grant towards energy bills £400 Every household in the UK

Energy suppliers will deliver the support from October.

Direct debit and credit customers will have the money credited to their account, while customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher.

One-off payment for households in receipt of benefits A direct one-off payment to help with increasing living costs £650 People who currently receive (or had already begun an eventual successful claim as of 25th May 2022) for means-tested benefits including Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Pension Credit

The payment will be made in two instalments direct to recipients – one in July and one in the autumn.

 

This payment will be tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.

One-off payment for pensioners A direct one-off payment to help with increasing living costs £200-£300 Pensioner households that receive the Winter Fuel Payment

The payment will come as a top-up to annual Winter Fuel Payments in November/December.

For most pensioner households, this will be paid by direct debit, is not taxable and does not affect eligibility for other benefits.

The payment will be made on top of other payments that the recipient is entitled to.

One-off payment for people in receipt of disability benefits A direct one-off payment to help with increasing living costs £150 People who currently  receive (or had already begun an eventual successful claim as of 25th May 2022) for Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Scottish Disability Benefits, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance and War Pension Mobility Supplement

The one-off payment will be made in September.

 

For those in receipt of disability benefits as well as means-tested benefits, the £150 will be additional to the £650 mentioned above.

 

These payments will be exempt from tax, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.


Various suppliers have their own funds to help customers struggling to pay for their energy bills. Please note that to access most of these funds, customers must have first received money advice. Talk to us via our webchat and an adviser will talk you through how to do this. 

Scottish Power

EDF

E.ON

British Gas

OVO Energy 


Other funds are available 

Home Heating Support Fund 

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Several energy suppliers across the UK have signed up to the Warm Home Discount Scheme which offers eligible households a one-off discount of £140 to their energy bill. 

Cold Weather Payment: If the average temperature in your area falls below zero degrees Celsius over a seven day period(between November and March), eligible individuals could receive a payment of £25 (per seven day period) to put towards fuel costs. 

Winter Fuel Payment:This is different from the cold weather payment as it is only available to households with individuals over state pension age. The payment is one-off, to be used towards heating costs in the winter months and the amount can vary depending on circumstances. Most people of the required age will automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment if they receive state pension.

Child Winter Heating Assistance: This is a payment of £200 to help families with disabled children with the cost of heating. You do not need to apply for the payment if the child currently lives in Scotland. If the child or young person is eligible, you'll be paid automatically into the same account that your Disability Living Allowance for children is paid into.


There are also some useful tools to help you check what you might be eligible for. 

Turn2Us: Please note that some of the funds might require a referral from a money adviser.