Worried about your energy bills? How to find the right support if you are in debt or experiencing financial hardship

If you’re worried about paying your energy bills, you’re not alone. Energy Ombudsman regularly hears from people who are struggling to pay their bills or are worried that they won’t be able to pay them in the future.

There are a range of options available for people struggling with their finances. You don’t always need to be receiving benefits or deeply in debt to qualify for this help either.

In this guide we’ll explain how to find the support you need if you’re worried about not being able to afford your bills.

In this guide we explain:

• What counts as financial difficulty
• How to speak to your energy supplier
• What help and support may be available
• Where to get independent advice if you need it

You may be experiencing financial difficulties if:

• Your monthly income is less than your essential spending
• You’re struggling to keep up with bills
• You have little or no money left after paying for essentials
• You would struggle to cover an unexpected expense

In circumstances like this you can speak to free debt charities, who can come up with an affordable payment plan to reduce your debts. They may be able to help you:

• Review your finances
• Create an affordable payment plan
• Speak to creditors on your behalf.

Getting advice early can make it easier to manage your situation and prevent debts from increasing. We’ve listed some charities that may be able to help you at the bottom of this page.

If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills, you should contact your supplier as soon as possible. Ofgem’s rules state that they must work with you to agree on a payment plan that you can afford.

Before you contact your energy supplier to seek help, you’ll need to put together a simple budget. This doesn’t need to be perfect; in fact, you should be able to do this in around 15 minutes.

Start by listing:

• Your income (this includes your wages, benefits and pensions) noting down the money you have coming in
• Essential spending (food, travel, rent or mortgage)
• Household bills
• Any debts or repayments

The energy firm is allowed to ask you questions about this so they can figure out the best solution to your individual situation. Not sure how to get started? Stepchange has a guide online to help you create your budget.

You may also want to make some notes about your circumstances. This might mean if you’re worried about losing your job or a key source of money in the coming months. Have a think about your home situation too. It can help to explain about the needs of your family, who the wage earners are and if anyone has specific disabilities or could be considered to be vulnerable or older.

The energy regulator Ofgem lists the main energy bills support schemes available to consumers on its website, including grants and other schemes. You can also find energy advice and support on the websites of consumer organisations like Citizens Advice and MoneySavingExpert. The help available includes:

• Help from your energy supplier
• Annual payments from the government for those on certain benefits, paid each winter
• The Priority Services Register
• Energy supplier schemes and grants
• Help and support from charities
• Vouchers for people on prepayment meters
• Energy saving advice

According to Ofgem’s regulations, your energy supplier must work with you to agree on a payment plan you can afford. This could include some or all of the following options:

• A review of your payments and debt repayments
• Payment breaks or reductions
• More time to pay
• Access to hardship funds
• Advice on how to use less energy
• The option to go on the Priority Services Register – a free support service for a wide range of people struggling or who need support

Most of the energy suppliers offer energy or heating grants for their consumers. As with help for people in financial difficulties, you’ll need to have the details of your budget and financial situation to apply. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can talk to organisations like Citizens Advice to get some help and advice.

The Priority Services Register is a free service for consumers who may need extra support, including people who:

• Are elderly
• Have a disability or long-term health condition
• Have young children
• Need extra help during power cuts

Many energy suppliers also offer grants or hardship schemes to help consumers clear energy debt.

If you feel that the supplier isn’t listening or helping, or they are making things worse, then you can take your complaint to Energy Ombudsman for free. You must raise a complaint with your supplier in the first instance. If the issue isn’t resolved after eight weeks, or you receive a deadlock letter, you can use Energy Ombudsman for free.

Don’t forget you can type ‘help with your energy bills gov.uk’ in to a search engine to see if you do qualify for any support from the government.