Fuel grants - help?

macavity

does anyone know of any grants available to help people pay their fuel bills? ive just had gas and electric bills that i cannot pay - i'm on income support and waiting to hear about maternity allowance. ive heard that there may be help for people living in fuel poverty (10% of their income spent on fuel). my energy bills alone, when worked out weekly, leave me with £1.50 for food, transport and other expenses!!

help - i really don't know what to do.

factoryworker

macavity wrote: »

does anyone know of any grants available to help people pay their fuel bills? ive just had gas and electric bills that i cannot pay - i'm on income support and waiting to hear about maternity allowance. ive heard that there may be help for people living in fuel poverty (10% of their income spent on fuel). my energy bills alone, when worked out weekly, leave me with £1.50 for food, transport and other expenses!!

help - i really don't know what to do.

there are short and long term actions;

short term; inform your supplier you are struggling immediately; check you are on their best tarif/eligble for social tarif; even if unable to change tarif (lower fuel cost), it will mark on your account that you are NOT avoiding debt/cost; this is very important if things deteraite later on

long term: the three steps to managin fuel cost are:
1) reduce usage; check with supplier for free insulation; use and draw heavier curtains earlier in winter to trap heat (the cost of curtains will be far outweighed by the fuel savings), tuen items off standby, dont leave PC on, use ONLY energy bulbs -always use gas not elec for heating etc; ask to speak to the Energy Efficiency Advisor at your supplier, not only for advice but also to bookmark that you are seeking help.
2) ensure lowest fuel cost; make sure you on the best tarif, paying by DD, generally online (without exit penalties), social tarif etc.; ensure you have correct elec meter (i.e not E7 if you don't heat with elec only), submit regular reads to ensure accurate bills; ask current supplier if they can rebill you on abetter tarif (discretionary but worth asking)
3) increase income; ensure you are getting all the benefits you can; theres a great benefit checker on MSE or most energy companies will also do; try mystery shopping/questionnaire filling for extra few pounds and maybe a free dinner

To answer your question about grants:
1) check with your current suplier for their assistance programs; all the major suppliers have either Trust Funds (for thier customers) or specialist teams to point you through to help
2) check what water company you are supplied by; some have trust funds to help customers pay debt for other utilities- i.e. gas/elec (daft but true!)
3) check charities relevant to any personal circumstances; i.e. mental health - check MIND, if child of a servicemen check SoldiersSailors AirForce Assoc etc

Ultimately get to Citizens aDvice; they will be able to pinpoint all assistance schemes, including localised ones to where you live and will help to ensure your current supplier is aware a)your struggling b) your not avoiding issue c) your actively seeking help d) CAB talking to supplier will ensure they put you on best tarif/considering rebilling etc.

Which approximate area of country and supplier are you with, and what type of heating/metering are you on and how do you pay

Fire_Fox

macavity wrote: »

does anyone know of any grants available to help people pay their fuel bills? ive just had gas and electric bills that i cannot pay - i'm on income support and waiting to hear about maternity allowance. ive heard that there may be help for people living in fuel poverty (10% of their income spent on fuel). my energy bills alone, when worked out weekly, leave me with £1.50 for food, transport and other expenses!!

help - i really don't know what to do.

My advice would be to look at why you are using so much energy! Is your house well insulated, do you pop a sweater on instead of the heating, do you turn the shower off while soaping up, have you accidentally left the immersion on 24/7?

shopaholic1373

found this hope it helps
http://www.homeheathelpline.org.uk/

wil keep looking

markharding557

get prepayment meters if you run out then you go cold ,just the way it is.
how much is your internet connection,this could go on energy.
if you are a smoker quit immediatly this will pay one of your utility bills

kippen_noedel

the answer is already posted on the forum in the last couple of days, just have a red through similar questions.