Your energy bills

Our dedicated Energy Advice Officers can provide practical help on reducing fuel bills and accessing available funding. They can arrange a one-to-one appointment over the phone or in person to review your energy bills, heating system and property, to help find ways to save while keeping warm.

Find out more here.

Millions of households across Great Britain will receive non-repayable discounts on their energy bills this winter. Households to start receiving £400 off their energy bills from October, with the discount made in six instalments to help families throughout the winter period.

Households will see a discount of £66 applied to their energy bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through to March 2023. The non-repayable discount will be provided on a monthly basis regardless of whether consumers pay monthly, quarterly or have an associated payment card.

The discounts for different meter types are as follows:

• Direct Debit customers will receive the Energy Bill discount automatically as a deduction to the monthly Direct Debit amount collected, or as a refund to the customer’s bank account following Direct Debit collection during each month of delivery.
• Standard credit customers and payment card customers will see the Energy Bill discount automatically applied as a credit to standard credit customers’ accounts in the first week of each month of delivery, with the credit appearing as it would if the customer had made a payment.
• Smart prepayment meter customers will see the Energy Bill discount credited directly to their smart prepayment meters in the first week of each month of delivery.
• Traditional prepayment meter customers will be provided with redeemable Energy Bill discount vouchers or Special Action Messages (SAMs) in the first week of each month, issued via SMS text, email or post. Customers will need to redeem these at their usual top-up point.

Millions of the UK’s poorest households will start to receive the first third of their £900 cost of living payment from 25 April 2023. Here is all you need to know on whether you are eligible and when you will get your payment.

The £900 grant – which you DON’T need to apply for – will be delivered in three chunks of slightly different amounts, all of which will be tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap and will not have any impact on your existing benefits.

• £301 – from 25 April 2023
• £300 – during autumn 2023 (payment and eligibility dates yet to be confirmed)
• £299 – during spring 2024 (payment and eligibility dates yet to be confirmed)

The £301 payment will start hitting the bank accounts of qualifying households in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales from 25 April, with most payments being made by 17 May.

Key benefit qualifying dates for getting the new payment

To get the £301, you need to have been paid (or been eligible for a payment of) one of the benefits listed below for any day between 26 January 2023 and 25 February 2023.

You are eligible for the cost-of-living payment if you are entitled to any of the following:

• Child tax credit
• Income support
• Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Pension credit
• Universal credit – unless your universal credit was reduced to £0 for the entire period between 26 January to 25 February 2023. This is sometimes called a ‘nil award’ and can happen where you or your partner’s earnings or savings go up, you start getting another benefit or you get paid more than one set of wages within that period.
• Working tax credit

If you claim certain disability benefits, you will get £150 – paid in summer 2023

If you are one of six million people who get certain disability benefits you could get a £150 one-off payment paid in summer 2023.

You will get this payment if you are on any of the following benefits:

• Armed forces independence payment
• Attendance allowance
• Constant attendance allowance
• Disability living allowance
• Personal independence payment
• War pension mobility supplement

If you are above state pension age, you will get £300 – paid in winter 2023/24

If you are entitled to winter fuel payment and are above state pension age (aged 66 and over), you will get a top-up of £300 in winter 2023/24.

If you are eligible, you will be sent a letter in October or November 2023 telling you how much your total winter fuel payment will be.

If you were born on or before 25 September 1956 you could get between £250 and £600 to help you pay your heating bills. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.

The amount you get includes a ‘Pensioner Cost of Living Payment’. This is between £150 and £300. You’ll get this extra amount in both winter 2022 to 2023 and winter 2023 to 2024. This is in addition to any other Cost of Living Payments you get with your benefit or tax credits.

Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible.

From 1^st July, the energy price cap will be set at an annual level of £2,074 for a dual fuel household paying by direct debit based on typical consumption.

This is a reduction from April’s price cap which was set at £2,500. However, if you use more energy you will pay more, if you use less energy you will pay less.

The price per kilowatt hour for customers on the standard variable tariff is the following:

Customers on credit meters

If you pay by monthly/quarterly bills, this means you are on a standard variable tariff and that your price per unit rate/standing charge can rise and fall with the changes to the price cap.

From 1 October 2022 the average unit price for dual fuel customers will be limited to 34.0p/kWh for electricity and 10.3p/kWh for gas.

Customers on prepayment meters

The new Energy Price Guarantee will be applied to the rate you pay for each unit of energy, so the amount you put on your meter will last longer than if the new Guarantee was not in place.

You will still receive the £400 Energy support scheme discount, which will from the first week of each month from October- March.

Customers on a fixed tariff

If you fixed onto a tariff that is above the new Energy Price Guarantee, unit price reductions of up to 17p/kWh for electricity and 4.2p/kWh for gas will apply where appropriate.

Energy suppliers will adjust fixed tariffs automatically, customers do not need to take any action.

Standing charges

Average standing charges for customers will be in line with levels set by Ofgem at 46p per day for electricity and 28p per day for gas.

If you have any questions or need any advice regarding this, please get in contact with our Energy Advice Officers.

£25 extra a week if you’re getting certain benefits is available during the winter when the temperature is zero or below for more than seven days.

Check if you’re eligible.

Please note: The 2022 to 2023 Cold Weather Payment scheme has now ended. The 2023 to 2024 scheme will start on 1 November 2023. You’ll be able to check if your area is due a payment in November 2023.

This autumn 2022 nearly three million low-income households are eligible for a £150 rebate on their winter electricity bills.

Check with your energy supplier to see if you are eligible.

Please note: The Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2022 to 2023 has closed. The scheme will reopen again in October 2023.

If you own your own home, you may be eligible for grants to improve the energy efficiency of your home, which could help to reduce your energy bills. The Government is investing in energy efficiency schemes which are being delivered by local authorities.

Find energy grants for your home

If you receive your energy supply direct from Guinness, then you may be entitled to the Government’s energy bill support.  This entitles you to £400 help towards your energy bill and can be applied for at “Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)” – to make this application you will need:

• An email address and phone number (if you have one)
• Your bank account details (a UK current account in your name)

You may also need to upload proof of address such as a bank statement or tenancy agreement, as part of your application.

All households with a domestic electricity connection, including pre-payment meters, in England, Scotland and Wales are eligible for the Energy Bill Support Scheme discount.

If you have a smart pre-payment meter

Your discount will be credited directly to your smart pre-payment meter in the first week of each month.

If you have a traditional pre-payment meter

You’ll automatically get the discount each month as either:

• redeemable vouchers, sent by text, email or post
• an automatic credit when you top up at your usual top-up point

Your electricity supplier will let you know in advance how you will get your discount.

You’ll need to redeem vouchers at a top-up point, for example at a Post Office or PayPoint shop. Payzone outlets do not accept the vouchers.