Information if you're struggling to pay your bills, including:
- Energy supplier charitable trusts
- Priority Services Register
- Fuel Direct
Many big energy firms have charitable trusts and funds that can help you if you’re in debt and struggling to repay.
You usually need to be a customer of the firm to apply, but some help non-customers too.
Eligibility requirements can vary, and you may need to be in receipt of certain benefits to apply to some. You may also need to have spoken to a debt adviser to apply.
British Gas – British Gas Energy Trust: https://bget.org.uk/login.php
EDF - Priority Services Register and Support Fund - https://www.edfenergy.com/PSR
EON – EON Next Energy Fund - https://www.eonnextenergyfund.com/
Octopus Energy (also open to customers of Affect Energy, Co-operative Energy, Ebico Living, London Power and M&S Energy) - https://octopus.energy/blog/struggling-to-pay/
Scottish Power – Scottish Power Hardship Fund - https://community.scottishpower.co.uk/t5/Extra-Help/Hardship-Fund/ta-p/53
Shell Energy – Shell Energy Support Fund - https://www.shellenergy.co.uk/info/here-to-help
Utility Warehouse - Customer Support Scheme (in partnership with Citizens Advice) - https://citizensadviceplymouth.org.uk/our-services/
The Priority Services Register is a free support service operated by energy suppliers and network operators. It offers a range of services to help people in vulnerable situations.
The help you can get includes:
- Advance notice of planned power cuts
- Priority support in an emergency, such as during unexpected power cuts
- Identification and password scheme
- Nominee schemes where you can nominate someone to receive communications from your supplier
- Help with prepayment meter access
- Regular meter reading services
- Accessible information, such as bills in large print or Braille.
To join the register, you’ll need to contact your supplier and ask to be placed on it. You’ll just need to contact your supplier, as you can ask them to pass your details to the network operator to be added to their register too.
If you have different suppliers for gas and electricity, make sure you contact both suppliers. Don’t forget to let ask your new supplier about their Priority Services Register if you switch.
Eligibility
You’re eligible for the Priority Services Register if one of the following applies to you:
- You’ve reached your state pension age
- You’re disabled or have a long-term medical condition
- You’re recovering from an injury
- You have a hearing or sight condition
- You have a mental health condition
- You’re pregnant or have children under 5
- You have extra communication needs, including if you don’t speak or read English well.
If your situation isn’t listed, talk to your supplier as you may still be able to join. This can include short-term situations, such as needing support after a stay in hospital.
If you’re struggling to pay for your energy and you’re on certain benefits, you may be able to pay directly from your benefit payments under the government’s Fuel Direct scheme. This is also known as ‘third party deductions’.
Through the scheme, you can arrange to have a small, fixed amount deducted from your benefit payments each week to go towards paying off your energy debt.
To use the scheme, you need to contact your Jobcentre, or Pension Centre if you’re claiming Pension Credit, and give them your suppliers details and what you owe. They will then get in touch with your energy provider.
How much will be deducted depends on which benefit scheme the payment is deducted from:
- Universal Credit – a fixed rate of 5% of your entitlement can be deducted and paid directly to your supplier for gas, electricity and water.
- For other benefits – a set amount of £3.70 will be directly deducted each week to pay off the debt you owe, plus an additional amount to cover your ongoing usage.
If you're struggling to pay for essential items such as food, gas or electricity, please get in touch with us. Our Housing Support and Financial Inclusion teams are here to help you. Call us on 0300 330 7003 or complete our online form and someone will get in touch with you: Our housing support service
If you're worried you can't afford to top up your prepayment meter, contact your supplier straight away.
Ofgem rules mean they must offer emergency support, including:
- Emergency credit if your meter runs low or runs out.
- 'Friendly hours' credit if top-up points are closed and your meter is running low. You can access this overnight, at weekends and on public holidays.
- Extra support credit if you are in a vulnerable situation and have few options to pay.
- Extra support credit while you work out ways to pay if you're in a vulnerable situation.
You will need to repay the credit when you next top up, but you can ask to agree these arrangements in a payment plan. Suppliers must work with you to agree payment plans you can afford. If you're currently on a repayment plan and are struggling, you can ask them to review this.
You can ask for:
- A review of payments and debt repayments.
- Payment breaks or reductions.
- More time to pay.
- Access to hardship funds.
- Priority Service registration if you're in a vulnerable situation (see section above).
Not happy with the help offered?
If you're not happy with the support your supplier has offered, you can make a complaint.
You can ask for help from Citizens Advice's consumer helpline by calling free on 0808 223 1133, Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm or by submitting an online enquiry: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/
If you are in vulnerable situation, the consumer helpline adviser may refer you to the Extra Help Unit. They will raise a complaint with your energy supplier on your behalf if you're vulnerable or at risk of disconnection.
Citizens Advice has some really useful information if your supplier is trying to make you have a prepayment meter installed in your home.
Your supplier can't force you to have a prepayment meter if it wouldn't be safe or practical.
This means you can refuse a prepayment meter if an illness or disability means it you would be harmed if your gas or electricity supply was cut off.
You can also refuse to move to prepayment if you wouldn't be able to either:
- get to your meter
- top it up - either because you can't afford it or you can't get to a shop
If you run out of gas or electricity because you can't top up your meter, this is called 'self-disconnecting'. Tell your supplier that you'd have to self-disconnect if you had a prepayment meter. This is sometimes called ‘self-disconnecting’.
Your supplier also has to follow rules set by Ofgem, the energy regulator. These rules mean your supplier can’t make you move to prepayment if:
- you don’t agree that you owe them money, and you’ve told them this - for example if the debt came from a previous tenant
- they haven’t offered you other ways to repay money you owe - for example a repayment plan or payments through your benefits
- they come to your home to install a prepayment meter without giving you notice - at least 7 days for gas and 7 working days for electricity
- they haven’t given you at least 28 days to repay your debt before writing to you to say they want to move you to prepayment
- Tell your supplier if any of these apply. If they still want to move you to prepayment, you should complain to get them to change their mind.
Find more information from Citizens Advice on what to do if:
- You're disabled or ill
- You wouldn't be able to get to your meter or top it up
Go to: Stop your energy supplier moving you to prepayment - Citizens Advice