Ask Grace: Help with winter fuel bills

If you’re struggling to pay your fuel bills this winter, you may be eligible for help: 

Winter Fuel Payment

If you’re of State Pension age, you can usually get a Winter Fuel Payment. This is an annual one-off payment to help you pay for heating during the winter.

You should start getting this automatically once you reach the State Pension age.

You can check if you’re eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment on the UK government website.

Cold Weather Payment

If you get certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest, you might get a Cold Weather Payment when it’s very cold.

The payments of £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather are applied between 1 November 2023 and 31 March 2024.

You can check whether you're eligible for a Cold Weather Payment on the UK government website.

Warm Home Discount

If you get certain benefits you might be able to get £150 off your electricity bill for winter 2023/24. This is a one-off payment applied directly to your electricity bill between early October 2023 and 31 March 2024.

You can check if your benefits might make you eligible for the Warm Home Discount on the UK government website.

Your local authority support fund

If you get certain benefits you can apply for help with the cost of living.

You can check your eligibility on the UK government website.

Priority Services Register

Check if you can sign up to the Priority Services Register to get extra help if you are:

• of State Pension age
• disabled or have a long-term health condition
• considered ‘vulnerable’*

*This could mean you have children under five years old or are pregnant, you have no sense of smell and would struggle to smell gas, or you don’t speak or read English well. 

Pound advice

Our Pound Advice service is open to all L&Q residents – it's here to help you with money worries, for example, if you’re struggling to pay your rent or service charge, and benefit claims.

To get in touch, email pound@we-are-digital.co.uk or call 0203 475 2221.

Shine

If you receive certain benefits and have an income below £16,480, they can offer affordable options to help households reduce utility bills, tackle energy debt and stay well and warm.

To find out more, visit the Shine website.