Also, some schemes offer financial help by giving you money to put towards your energy bills.
Many of these schemes depend on your income or whether you’re claiming certain benefits.
Regardless of your situation, you should be able to get access to energy advice. It’s also worth contacting your local authority to ask about what local schemes are available.
Financial support and energy advice in England
There may be regional energy efficiency support depending on where in England you live:
This isn’t a fund you can apply for directly. If you live in social housing and your EPC rating is D to G, speak to your local authority to see if they’re part of these scheme.
This scheme is available to local authorities to bring their social housing stock up to EPC rating C.
You can get help with funding energy efficient home improvements through specific energy suppliers. You can apply through one of these suppliers even if you’re not a customer of theirs.
You can get fully funded or part-funded home insulation to reduce heat loss and keep your home warm for longer. This was formerly known as the ECO+ scheme.
To qualify, your home must:
have an EPC rating of D to G
be in council tax bands A to D in England, or A to E in Scotland and Wales
The UK Government recently changed the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment. One of the main ways to get it is to claim Pension Credit, and it’s thought that thousands of eligible pensioners aren’t yet claiming this benefit.
It’s worth checking if you’re eligible for Pension Credit now, which unlocks the Winter Fuel Payment for you. You may also be able to have your claim backdated by up to three months. This means that the latest date you can apply and still qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment this year is Saturday 21 December 2024.
You can get £200 or £300 to put towards your heating bills over winter. If you’re eligible, you should get this payment automatically.
To qualify you must have been born before 23 September 1958 and be claiming one of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Universal Credit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025, you can get £25 for every seven-day period where the average temperature is below freezing. If you’re eligible, you should get this automatically.
To qualify, you need to claim one of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest
You may be eligible for Pension Credit if you’re not already claiming it. If you can successfully apply for Pension Credit, you’ll also get the Winter Fuel Payment. Visit GOV.UK to see if you’re eligible.
You can get a grant of up to £7,500 towards the total cost of energy efficiency home improvements like insulation. You can also get an interest-free loan of up to £7,500 to fund these home improvements.
This support is available to homeowners in Scotland.
You can get a single payment of £58.75, paid from December 2024, to help towards heating costs.
This support is available if you’re claiming certain benefits between 4 and 10 November 2024. If you’re eligible, you should get this payment automatically.
You can get help with funding energy efficient home improvements through specific energy suppliers. You can apply through one of these suppliers even if you’re not a customer of theirs.
You can get fully funded or part-funded home insulation to reduce heat loss and keep your home warm for longer. This was formerly known as the ECO+ scheme.
To qualify, your home must:
have an EPC rating of D to G
be in council tax bands A to D in England, or A to E in Scotland and Wales
You can get an interest-free loan from £1,000 to £25,000 to fund energy efficiency home improvements. You might also be able to access grant funding.
The scheme is for homeowners in Wales, subject to affordability and credit checks.
Green Homes Wales launches in autumn 2024. In the meantime, you can register your interest.
You can get help with funding energy efficient home improvements through specific energy suppliers. You can apply through one of these suppliers even if you’re not a customer of theirs.
You can get fully funded or part-funded home insulation to reduce heat loss and keep your home warm for longer. This was formerly known as the ECO+ scheme.
To qualify, your home must:
have an EPC rating of D to G
be in council tax bands A to D in England, or A to E in Scotland and Wales
Between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025, you can get £25 for every seven-day period where the average temperature is below freezing. If you’re eligible, you should get this automatically.
To qualify, you need to claim one of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest
You may be eligible for Pension Credit if you’re not already claiming it. If you can successfully apply for Pension Credit, you’ll also get the Winter Fuel Payment. Visit GOV.UK to see if you’re eligible.
The UK Government recently changed the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment. One of the main ways to get it is to claim Pension Credit, and it’s thought that thousands of eligible pensioners aren’t yet claiming this benefit.
It’s worth checking if you’re eligible for Pension Credit now, which unlocks the Winter Fuel Payment for you. You may also be able to have your claim backdated by up to three months. This means that the latest date you can apply and still qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment this year is Saturday 21 December 2024.
You can get £200 or £300 to put towards your heating bills over winter. If you’re eligible, you should get this payment automatically.
To qualify you must have been born before 23 September 1958 and be claiming one of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Universal Credit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You can get up to £7,500 towards energy efficiency home improvements, or up to £10,000 for solid wall insulation.
This scheme is available for homeowners and private renters whose total household income is less than £23,000 a year.
For more information contact the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 4455.
You can buy oil stamps for £5 per stamp and add them to a savings card. When the card is full, you can use it to pay towards an oil order, letting you save up for a bigger order that costs less per litre.
If your area has an oil stamp scheme, you can buy stamps from shops and council buildings.
Check your local council’s website to see if they have an oil stamp scheme.
You can save between £10 and £30 on 200 litres of heating oil by joining the Oil Savings Network.
The network buys heating oil in bulk based on how much oil its members request each week. The scheme negotiates a better price for the larger order and passes the savings onto its members.
All homeowners and renters can join the scheme. For more information, visit the Oil Savings Network guide.
Consumer Council have energy price comparison tools that let you see whether you could save money by switching energy suppliers.
The tool helps you decide whether you’re on the best tariff, or if there’s a better method of payment for you.
Between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025, you can get £25 for every seven-day period where the average temperature is below freezing. If you’re eligible, you should get this automatically.
To qualify, you need to claim one of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest
You may be eligible for Pension Credit if you’re not already claiming it. If you can successfully apply for Pension Credit, you’ll also get the Winter Fuel Payment. Visit GOV.UK to see if you’re eligible.