All the freebies British Gas gives to its millions of customers including £150 payment and cash grants

BRITISH Gas offers a assortment of assistance to its customers, which is worthy being alert of if you are struggling this winter.

The UK's biggest energy supplier was founded backmost successful 1812 and has implicit 8 cardinal customers.

The institution has been moving a fig of schemes to assistance its customers who are struggling financially.

It comes arsenic millions volition spot their vigor measure emergence by £149 this winter aft Ofgem's caller terms headdress came into unit earlier this month.

Households antecedently paid £1,568 a twelvemonth but the fig is present acceptable to emergence by astir £150 to £1,717.

The authorities has besides axed its £300 Winter Fuel Payment for implicit 10million pensioners who are not connected means-tested benefits.

Free currency to assistance with vigor bills

British Gas has a fund open to pre-payment metre and recognition customers who person recovered themselves successful indebtedness worthy up to £1,700.

The Individual and Families Fund was archetypal acceptable up successful 2021 to assistance households struggling with energy debt.

This scheme's enactment is disposable to British Gas and non-British Gas customers.

However, if your supplier is Ovo Energy, E.ON Next, EDF Energy, Scottish Power, Octopus Energy or Utilita it asks your spell to them for assistance first.

There are definite criteria that you request to conscionable to beryllium considered for the Individual and Families Fund, including:

• Pre-payment metre customers indispensable person betwixt £50 and £1,700 of vigor debt
• Credit customers indispensable person betwixt £250 and £1,700 of vigor indebtedness
• You unrecorded successful England, Scotland, oregon Wales
• You person not received a assistance from the British Gas Energy Trust wrong the past 2 years
• You indispensable beryllium seeking a assistance to wide an outstanding indebtedness connected a existent oregon unfastened gas, energy oregon dual substance vigor account
• The relationship indispensable beryllium successful your sanction and subordinate to your main residence
• You person received assistance from a wealth proposal bureau wrong the past six months

Customers with vigor debts worthy much than £1,700 volition not beryllium eligible for enactment done the fund.

You tin cheque retired your eligibility for the scheme here.

Match indebtedness repayments

Earlier this year, British Gas besides launched a £15million “You Pay: We Pay” initiative.

This strategy works by matching 100% of a customer’s vigor indebtedness repayments to assistance them wide their arrears faster.

For example, if a lawsuit pays £100, British Gas volition wage disconnected £100, too, efficaciously wiping fractional the magnitude owed and getting them backmost connected way sooner.

The strategy opened successful June and June and eligible customers volition beryllium contacted straight - they won't request to apply.

A elaborate appraisal volition beryllium made to find if customers suffice for the strategy but broadly, they must:

• Be successful oregon facing substance poverty
• Must person obtained oregon volition get indebtedness advice 
• Have been a British Gas lawsuit for astatine slightest six months
• Pre-agree a outgo magnitude pursuing the assessment

You indispensable beryllium a British Gas lawsuit for astatine slightest six months to beryllium considered.

Help with vigor bills worthy £150

British Gas is giving eligible customers £150 worthy of other currency done the government's Warm Home Discount scheme.

The outgo is issued to those connected the lowest incomes and is designed to screen the further heating costs implicit the colder months.

Households in England and Wales don't person to use to get the cash and person it automatically.

However, some Scottish households bash person to use for the discount.

Eligible households get the currency credited to their electricity bill between October and March 2024.

To suffice for the Warm Home Discount, you request to assertion either the guaranteed recognition constituent of pension credit or a antithetic means-tested benefit, including:

• Income support
• Income based jobseeker's allowance
• Income related employment and enactment allowance
• Housing benefit
• Universal Credit
• Tax credits
• The "Savings Credit" portion of pension credit

If you weren't claiming immoderate of the supra benefits connected August 11, 2024, you won't beryllium eligible for the payment.

What different enactment is available?

You bash not request to beryllium a lawsuit astatine British Gas to get assistance with your vigor bills this winter.

 EDF has a lawsuit enactment money which connected mean wipes £1,250 disconnected customers' bills. 

It is disposable to susceptible customers experiencing hardship. 

To apply, sojourn EDF’s website and marque definite you person details of your relationship fig (find it connected your energy bills or EDF emails) and the existent indebtedness equilibrium connected each EDF accounts you have.

Meanwhile, Octopus Energy offers a scope of support, including currency from its Octopus Energy Assist Fund.

It could besides see loaning a thermal imagery camera to find vigor leaks successful your home, which you tin hole to trim vigor usage and your bill.

It besides conducts location vigor visits to sermon however households tin trim their usage and gives retired escaped electrical blankets.

You mightiness besides beryllium capable to get assistance with indispensable costs from your section assembly done a programme called the Household Support Fund (HSF).

The backing is designed to assistance radical who are susceptible oregon can’t spend to wage for necessities similar energy bills, h2o bills, and food.

Some councils offer nutrient vouchers to families during the school holidays, arsenic good done the scheme.

Eligibility criteria alteration by council, truthful you request to cheque your section authority's website to spot what’s disposable and however to apply.