As most of you will know by now Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) is due to end 31st March you can find out more about how this will affect your bills going forward ๐ here ๐. Although the EBSS payments are stopping the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will remain in place you can find out more ๐ here ๐.
There's lots of other support out there to help with the cost of living, we also have support in place to help with your energy bills. Read on to find out what's available...
Warm Home Discount
This is a one off payment for certain customers on a low income to help support with their energy bills. Eligible customers will get a one-off payment of ยฃ150.- Credit customers - This will be a discount on your electricity bill
- Prepayment customers - This will be a post office voucher, when you redeem it will be added directly to your prepayment key
- Smart pay as you go customers - This will be added direct to the meter
It's only available at certain times of the year. If you live in England and Wales and are eligible you will receive this automatically you don't need to apply, however, if you live in Scotland you will need to apply. You can find out more ๐ here ๐
E.ON Next Energy Fund
We can help if you're struggling with your household energy debts by providing a one-off grant to help clear some or in some cases all of your energy debt. We can even help replace your broken or damaged essential appliances such as a fridge, cooker or washing machine etc. This is so important as old appliances might be running the energy a lot quicker than new ones, which means you can end up saving so much energy without even realising it. There is some criteria that you need to meet to apply for the fund, you can find out more about it ๐ here ๐Payment Plans
If you are struggling to pay your balance or keep up with payments, you can complete an income and expenditure form online through Paylink and we can help support you with a payment plan that suits your needs.Priority Service Register (PSR)
This is there for customers that might need some additional support this could be for many reasons such as illness, disability, temporary injury, being very elderly or having very young children or other vulnerabilities that mean you need extra help.It also means that you can receive extra support to manage your account, if there are any planned or unplanned power outages then you will be treated as a priority to ensure that your supply is back up and running. We can also add a chosen password to your account for extra security. Anyone attending your property will use this so you know they are genuine.
If you are on the PSR you may even be eligible for a free gas safety check. You can find out more about the this service ๐ here ๐
Prepayment & SPAYG support
If you are a prepayment or SPAYG customer your electricity meter will have friendly hours, this means that after a certain time in the evening/weekend until the next morning you won't go off supply if you run out of credit out of hours. You will have to pay back anything that you have used in this time and this will be taken from your top up. There are different friendly hours for different prepayment meters so you should contact our energy specialists if you you are unsure of your non disconnection times.If you are at risk of going off supply as you are unable to top up or you are already off supply and unable to top up (self disconnection), please contact an energy specialist straight away as we can help, there is support available. You should not be left off supply.
Other Support
Money Health Checks - Stepchange offer a free money health check to offer financial support and guidance and help you work out your next steps.Debt Advice - You can get free independent debt advice accredited by the Financial Conduct authority through Money Advice Trust
Emergency Fuel Support - If you have a prepayment meter but are struggling to pay you could get debt advice and emergency support from the Fuel Bank Foundation to help you get back on your feet.
Home Mobility Aids - Improve your mobility and wellbeing at home with free home mobility aids for eligible customers from Homes for Living
Fuel Poverty - Get help fighting fuel poverty with free resources and advice from National Energy Action.
Your Local Authority may also be able to provide you with further support or advice if you are facing financial difficulties. You can also contact Citizens Advice for a range of things from benefits checks, debt advice to housing advice and referrals. If you need help with food essentials then there are foodbanks to help support with basic essentials. Contact your local Trussel Trust for more information, your Local Authority or Citizens Advice can also support you with this. Turn2us can help you find any grants that may be available to you.
Our customers' well-being is at the top of our priority list and this is why we partnered with a charity called Mind who can support you with the struggles of mental health based on financial situations. Almost 18% of people in the UK suffer with mental health based on financial reasons and we are here to help to break the stigma behind this and support you.
Government Support
It's been announced that the government will be providing extra support to households on certain benefits: - A ยฃ900 payment will be made to more than eight million low-income households who receive Universal Credit, tax credits, pension credit and other means-tested benefits. This is an increase from ยฃ650 for the last year. The first payment of ยฃ301 will be made in the spring, ยฃ300 in the autumn and a final ยฃ299 in the spring of 2024.
- 6 million households with disabilities will receive a ยฃ150 cost of living payment in the summer (same as 2022).
- 8 million pensioner households will receive ยฃ300 (same as 2022) during the winter of 2023-24.
Cold Weather Payment - You may get a Cold Weather Payment if youโre getting certain benefits or support for mortgage interest. Youโll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days. Youโll get ยฃ25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2022 and 31 March 2023. There is a different scheme in place in Scotland you can find out more ๐ here ๐
Child Winter Heating Assistance (Scotland Only)
This is a one off annual payment to help heat the homes of families with Children and young people with disabilities where the child or young person is in receipt of certain benefits. This is an automatic payment and does not need to be applied for you can find out more about this ๐ here ๐
Last edited by DebF_EONNext; 03-07-23 at 18:53.
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