Millions of households will get a £300 Government cost of living payment from today – but if you don’t qualify, there is other help available too.
Households who get qualifying means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, will have the £300 tax-free payment automatically paid into their bank accounts between October 31 and November 19.
But many Britons that are not eligible for the £300 payment are still struggling with the high cost of living.
Silver savings: Pensioners are the group with the most potential energy bill help this winter
The average home currently pays energy bills of £1,834 a year, as well as facing extortionate costs for groceries, fuel and other essentials.
But there are other schemes available to help hard-up households struggling with the high cost of living.
The other cost of living help available this year
Up to £600 for pensioners
Millions of pensioners could soon get a total of £600 in government energy bill support payments, with both the elderly and those on benefits standing to gain.
The first scheme, Winter Fuel Payment, is worth from £100 to £300, and many people receiving this will also get the pensioner cost of living payment, worth an additional £150 to £300.
These payments are worth £100 to £300 a year, and are made to those born before 25 September 1957.
How much you get varies depending on factors such as when you were born and which benefits you claim.
The payments are usually made in November or December, with eligible households getting confirmation letters in October or November.
The money is meant to help pay energy bills, which tend to be higher for the elderly as they require warmer homes and may have plug-in medical equipment.
Anyone who gets the Winter Fuel Payment should get the pensioner cost of living payment automatically.
Those who are eligible should be paid in November or December.
£150 to heat homes
The Warm Home Discount is a £150 payment towards the cost of energy.
It goes out to two groups: those who get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit and those on certain means-tested benefits.
Households with a standard meter get the £150 as a rebate on their bills, while those with pre-payment meters get a voucher.
Payments will be made between October 2023 and March 2024.
Cash or vouchers from Household Support Fund
Households struggling with the cost of living can apply for cash and vouchers from the Household Support Fund.
That is a pot of Government cash that is handed out by local councils to people in their region.
The scheme was topped up with £842million in April of this year, and will run until April 2024.
The scheme is a postcode lottery, as each council decides how to hand out the money – and to whom.
Some councils will give out vouchers, and others cash, for example.
Local authorities have paid money and vouchers worth up to several hundred pounds per home.
Anyone can apply, but they may need to meet eligibility rules, such as having a low income.
Grants from energy firms
Customers struggling with high energy bills can get help from energy firms including grants of up to £1,500, free electrical goods and better insulation.
For example, British Gas has grants of up to £1,500, for both its own customers and those signed up to any other energy firm.
Other energy firms such as Octopus Energy and EDF have their own schemes too.
However, most will require successful claimants to be low incomes or otherwise unable to afford energy bills, and may have other criteria too.
