Get help with your energy bills

If you're struggling to pay your energy bills, it's worth talking to your energy supplier about setting up a payment plan that works for you. On this page, you'll find some other advice and support you can use to help with energy bills.

Southampton Healthy Homes

Southampton Healthy Homes is the city’s affordable warmth programme. Managed by Southampton City Council and delivered by a team of experienced energy advisors at the Environment Centre (tEC), Southampton Healthy Homes offers support and advice to residents who are finding it difficult to pay their energy bills. Southampton Healthy Homes can help people reduce their bills, get in touch with their supplier, apply for energy and water bill discounts and access funding for home energy upgrades such as heating improvements, insulation and draught proofing. Please contact tEC on their Freephone number, 0800 804 8601 or visit the Environment Centre for more information.

GOV.UK support

There is various types of support you can learn more about on GOV.UK, including:

• The Warm Home Discount Scheme, which could get you £150 off of your electricity bill
• Cold Weather Payments, which are paid for extremely low temperatures
• The Winter Fuel Payment, which is available to anyone claiming a state pension

Further support

• British Gas Energy Trust provides grants for customers in utility bill arrears, irrespective of energy company
• The Environment Centre website has lots of advice on how to cut your energy costs and make your home warmer
• National Energy Action (NEA) offers free advice and support on household energy bills
• There is also advice on how to get support with energy bills from Ofgem

Pre-payment vouchers for non-smart meters

Do you top up a traditional (non-smart) pre-payment meter to pay for your energy?

• You should have received at least three government energy support vouchers - two for £66 and another for £67
• Vouchers will have been sent by post, text message or email. They must be redeemed within three months
• To use a pre-payment voucher, take it to your local Post Office or PayPoint shop and add the credit to your gas or electricity top-up card or key
• Haven't received your vouchers or having trouble using them? Money Saving Expert explains what to do

Saving money on your energy bills

Advice in Southampton have produced a series of YouTube videos which offer advice about reducing your energy use.

You can view the full series here. There is also a page with advice about how to be energy efficient.

Keeping warm

If you have concerns about keeping warm, the Southampton Healthy Homes programme, in partnership with the Environment Centre may also be able to help.

Additional Fuel Payment (AFP)

If you live in a park, mobile or care home, or off the electricity grid, apply for £400 energy discount before 31 May 2023

Most households in England, Scotland and Wales automatically get a £400 discount on their energy bills but in the cases below the discount is not automatically applied and needs to be actively claimed.

• A residential park home
• On a boat on a permanent residential mooring
• On a permanent Gypsy and Traveller site
• Part of a heat network without an electricity meter
• In social or private rented accommodation which has a business energy connection or a communal electricity supply
• Off the mains electricity or gas grid
• In a care home or assisted living facility and you pay for some or all of your care (directly or through loss of pension or other benefits)
• In a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)

If you fit into any of the categories above, please apply for your £400 discount before the 31 May 2023. Visit Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically - GOV.UK to apply.

If you use alternative fuels for heating apply for £200 discount before the 31 May 2023

You can claim £200 if both the following are true:

• Your household is not connected to the main gas grid
• You use alternative fuels as your main form of heating

OR if the main way the home is heated is by:

• Tank or bottled gas
• Liquid petroleum
• Oil
• Wood
• Solid fuel

Most homes that are eligible for this payment will get it automatically as a credit on their electricity bills from February 2023, however, you may not get the payment automatically if your home is either:

• in an area which is mainly connected to the gas grid
• not connected to either the gas or the electricity grid

If you do not get this payment automatically because, for example, you do not have a contract with an electricity supplier, you will have to apply for this payment through the AFP Alternative Fund at Apply for alternative fuel bill support if you do not get it automatically - GOV.UK