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Major energy supplier giving hard-up households up to £2,000 bill grant – are you one of thousands missing out?
Scroll down to find out about other help you can get if you don't qualify
A MAJOR energy supplier is giving hard-up households up to £2,000 grants to cover bills - as new data reveals thousands are missing out.
The help comes via the British Gas Energy Trust (BGET) - and you can apply even if you're not a British Gas customer.
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Households in England, Wales and Scotland can sign up, if they're in energy debt or struggling financially.
You can get up to £2,000 worth of energy debt wiped, depending on your circumstances.
But new data from British Gas has revealed applications for the grants have almost halved compared to last winter.
The BGET received 3,518 applications between November 2023 and January 2024, but only 1,574 between last November and January 20.
Read more on Energy Bills
The latest round of funding is understood to be staying open until the start of summer so there's still time to apply.
British Gas said it is sending 100,000 letters to households across the UK from Thursday reminding them they could be eligible for help.
The extra support could come in handy as well, with energy bills having risen for millions under the Ofgem price cap.
The average household with typical usage has seen their bills rise from £1,717 a year to £1,738 a year, or 1.2%.
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HOW THE GRANTS WORK
The British Gas Energy Trust consists of two funds - the British Gas Energy Support Fund (ESF) and The Individual and Families Fund (IFF).
The major difference between the two is that the former is for British Gas customers only while the latter is also open to non-British Gas customers.
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Households applying to the British Gas Energy Support Fund can get up to £2,000 energy debt wiped while The Individual and Families Fund offers grants worth up to £1,700.
Both funds are open to households in England, Wales and Scotland paying for their energy through prepayment meter or via direct debit.
You'll also need to prove you are facing fuel poverty, classed by the government as when you have to spend a high proportion of your income on keeping your home warm.
Prepayment meter customers must have between £50 and £1,700 of energy debt to get a grant through the IFF while those with paying via direct debit must be in £250 to £1,700 of debt.
Meanwhile, you qualify for the ESF if you are on a prepayment meter and have energy debt of at least £50 or a direct debit customer and are in £250 or more of debt.
To get help through either fund, you also must have had help from a money advice or guidance agency like Citizens Advice in the last six months.
You can apply for the grants and find out more via: www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/who-can-apply.
If you are eligible, any money you receive is paid as a credit to your account and not in cash.
Get help with your energy bills
If you're not eligible for a grant from BGET, you might be able to get help through the Household Support Fund.
The latest round of funding is worth £421million and has been shared between councils in England.
A further £79million has been shared between local authorities in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Each council has been given a unique share of the fund and can set its own eligibility criteria so what you get varies based on where you live.
However, in most cases you'll be in line for help if you're on a low income or benefits and could get free cash of vouchers to put towards energy bills or shopping.
It's also worth checking if you're eligible for benefits if you haven't already - billions of pounds' worth is going unclaimed, according to Policy in Practice.
There are three free calculators you can use to see what you might be entitled to:
Beyond that, some energy firms are distributing devices and gadgets that could help slash your bills.
Octopus Energy and EDF have been handing out free air fryers and electric blankets this winter.
Plenty of energy firms offer their own energy debt-wiping grants as well.
This includes OVO, E.On, EDF, Scottish Power, Octopus Energy, SSE and Utilita.
If you are with any of these, get in touch if you've fallen into energy debt.
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For example, Octopus Energy customers who missed out on the Winter Fuel Payment can get discretionary credits of up to £200 through the firms' Octo Assist fund.
Meanwhile, EDF's customer support fund wipes on average £1,250 off households' bills.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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