Dealing with large bills

If you are having difficulty with paying your fuel bills, and you fear you might be disconnected, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.

• Contact your fuel supplier to let them know of your concerns, and tell them about anyone in your household who is vulnerable because of age or poor health. There may be a possibility of changing your payment method or transferring to a different tariff. Gas and electricity suppliers have obligations to protect vulnerable customers, for example, due to age, disability, or long term ill health.
  
  
• All major suppliers have a Priority Service Register.  This is a special service for elderly or disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions that includes bills in easy-to-read larger text or in Braille, as well as security passwords and a free annual gas safety check. The Home Heating Helpline will be able to tell you more about the Priority Service Register which suppliers keep, so that you can ensure you receive priority treatment.
  
  
• All major suppliers also have flexible payment options for vulnerable customers in fuel debt. Some suppliers also offer special discounted tariffs for vulnerable customers.
  
  
• The Energy Retail Association is an association of the main gas and electricity suppliers.  It has a safety net scheme to ensure that vulnerable customers are not disconnected. More information can be found on the The Energy Retail Association website.
  
  
• The EDF Energy Trust can give grants towards helping EDF customers struggling with the cost of energy bills or other domestic bills.  The British Gas Energy Trust (incorporating the Scottish Gas Energy Trust) can give similar grants to customers of British Gas and Scottish Gas. For more information about these trusts, as well as trusts run by some of the water companies, call 01733 421050. You can also visit the websites for the EDF Energy Trust website or the British Gas Energy Trust.  The British Gas Energy Trust website provides details of all the trusts.
  
  
• If you are in receipt of Income Support, Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, and you are unable to pay your fuel bill, the "fuel direct" system can help to avoid disconnection by allowing deductions to be made from your benefit and paid directly to the fuel supplier.  It covers your current fuel use and also pays off a certain amount of your unpaid bill each week. Contact your local Jobcentre Plus office if you want to set this up.
  
  
• If disconnection has taken place you may be able to apply for a Crisis Loan from the Social Fund to pay for reconnection. A Crisis Loan may also be paid if you need a fuel powercard or token which includes an amount to make up for having used emergency supplies of fuel, and an amount to cover forward/future consumption. A Crisis Loan is available in an emergency if you are without sufficient resources to meet the immediate short term needs of yourself and/or your family. For a Crisis Loan application form visit the Jobcentre Plus website.  You will need to send your form to your local Jobcentre Plus office.  You can find your local Jobcentre Plus office on the Jobcentre Plus website.
  
  
• You or someone else in your home may be entitled to a Winter fuel payment and/or a Cold weather payment.
  
  
• You should also check to see if you or the person you are looking after are entitled to any benefits to increase your income.

Note for Northern Ireland. The information on this page does not apply to Northern Ireland.  Please see Dealing with large bills on the Northern Ireland website.