hardship account

biglottie

Hi there,

I have heard people who earn less than 12k per year may be entitled to a change to their gas/electric accounts and are sometimes given extra discounts on their accounts.

Im not sure how true this is. Does anybody know ?
Thanks very much.

undaunted

Some suppliers operate what they call a social tarrif which is not necessarily well advertised but may assist some of those in difficulties. You will need to check your suppliers website for what they offer & eligibility criteria.

Some suppliers also operate a grant fund in addition to the social tarrifs, eg see http://www.charisgrants.com/

spiro

Social tariffs that suppliers offer are as already said aimed on people on benefits and also fuel poverty (percentage of income used on fuel). When they calculate the percentage of income used on fuel they include all 'income' this includes all benefits including housing benefits and council tax discounts.

Before going down the social tariff route you need to bear in mind that whilst they are cheaper than the standard tariff they are not necessarily cheaper than the online DD tariffs.

cing0

For those without kids, disabled or ill, only southern electric's social tariff would be applicable but you would have to spend £2,400 a year on energy to be eligible (assuming your £12k is take home income) for Energy Plus Care. The other is EDF Energy assist but (8% of gross income to be eligible) the discount is practically none-existent.