Households in England, Scotland and Wales could get up to £1,700 towards energy arrears thanks to the British Gas Energy Trust
The British Gas Energy Trust has reopened its Individuals and Families Fund, offering grants to clear energy debts for people across England, Scotland and Wales.
And you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply! The fund is open to anyone whose supplier doesn’t already have its own hardship scheme.*
It’s come at the right time too. Energy debts have hit record highs, with UK households now owing more than £4 billion. For many of us struggling to keep up, this could be the chance to catch up and breathe a little easier.
What’s on offer
The grant can help wipe out up to £1,700 of energy debt. Instead of sending the money to us, the Trust pays it straight to our energy supplier. That means our bills go down, not up.
The idea is to give people a fresh start and help them get back on top of payments.
Who can apply
To get the grant, we must:
- Live in England, Scotland or Wales
- Have an active gas or electricity account, including prepayment meters
- Be in or at risk of fuel debt, finding it hard to keep up with bills
- Prepayment customers must owe between £50 – £1,700 in energy debt
- Credit account customers must owe between £250 – £1,700 in energy debt
- Have not received a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust within the last 2 years
- Are seeking a grant to clear outstanding debt on a current energy account in your name and place of residence
- Have already had money or energy advice, from a local advice centre or online budgeting service or used this Better Off Calculator
- Be applying for our main home, not a business or second property
If our total energy debt is higher than £1,700, we’ll need to bring it down before applying.
How we apply
It’s easy to apply online here. Scroll down to the supporting evidence section and find which documents are needed to apply.
Once we’ve sent everything off, the Trust checks our details. If we’re successful, they pay our supplier directly. It can take a couple of weeks for the credit to show on our account.
The fund stays open until the money runs out, so it’s best to get in early.
More help available
The British Gas Energy Trust also funds local advice projects across the UK, offering free support with budgeting, energy use and debt. On the website, there’s also a tool to find other grants and local hardship funds that could help us.
If we’re actually with British Gas, there’s also a separate Energy Support Fund with similar help for customers. Scroll down below the ‘Individual and Families Fund’ to find ‘Energy Support Fund’ information.
*The following suppliers have their own energy support funds and we should apply for support directly through them: Customers of OVO, Boost, Eon, Eon Next, EDF, Scottish Power, Octopus, Shell Energy, SSE, Utilita and Utility Warehouse.
Image: Irene Miller/ Shutterstock
