How to get some expert help with your energy bills

Many senior citizens are worried at the loss of the winter fuel payment (Picture: Adobe)

Energy bills are back in the news, as bills are due to rise on average by ten per cent to £1,717 a year from October – with further rises predicted in 2025. I’ve also been flooded with enquiries from pensioners worried about their bills now the winter fuel payment is only available to those on certain benefits.

Things might look grim, particularly if you are still paying off last year’s excessively high bills. But there is help available. Here is my guide on your rights if you can’t pay your energy bills.

How to get help

If you receive benefits then there’s a wide range of support available to help you if you’re struggling to pay your bills. But in this article I’m going to focus on people who are in financial difficulties but don’t receive help from the state.

First things first; regulator Ofgem has a page on their website that helpfully lists your options, grants and other schemes. You can also find a wide selection of energy advice on the websites of consumer organisations like Citizens Advice and Which?

Most importantly, you don’t have to be on the verge of going into the red to get help from energy companies (or any business you owe money to).

If the money you have coming in to your bank account is less than what’s going out, you’re in significant financial difficulties. In fact, if the money you have left after paying out your main bills is limited, or not enough to cover an emergency, you could also meet this definition and can ask the business to help you out.

What help can I expect if I'm struggling financially?

Before you contact the energy firm, you’ll need to put together a brief overview of your finances. This doesn’t need to be exhaustive and you should be able to do this in around 15 minutes.

Write down the money you have coming in and what you pay out – and the amount of cash you are left over with. The energy firm is allowed to ask you for this so they can figure out the best solution to your situation. Make sure you note down if you are worried about losing your job, or a source of money. 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 needs or could be considered vulnerable or older.

If you aren’t sure how to get started, the fabulous and free debt charity StepChange has a budget planner and template on its website (and can help you get control of your finances if you are in debt too).

According to Ofgem’s regulations, the energy firm should come up with a tailored plan to meet your needs. Ofgem says the energy company should consider 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 businesses offer energy or heating grants for their customers. 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.

If you feel that the business is not listening or helping – or they are making things worse – then you can take your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman for free. Make it clear to the business that you expect them to take no action against you while the matter is looked in to by the ombudsman.

Don’t forget, you can type “help with your energy bills gov.uk” into a search drive to see if you do qualify for any support from the government.

Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio presenter and journalist, visit his website here.