British Gas reopens energy support scheme giving struggling households £1,500
British Gas has reopened its support scheme which gives struggling households grants up to £1,500 to help with their energy bill debts.
The support scheme - called the Individuals and Families Fund - is delivered by the British Gas Energy Trust charity which is solely funded by the energy supplier. The help can be accessed by all energy customers living in England, Scotland and Wales - including Brits who are not with British Gas. The scheme reopened for new applications on December 4 and will be running until March next year.
To access the support, you will need to have energy debt of up to £1,500 - or up to £2,000 in exceptional circumstances - on a credit energy account or pre-payment meter. You also must have not received a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust within the last two years. The grants will go to people who are looking to clear an outstanding debt on their current energy account. Alongside this, you must have also received money advice and guidance within the last three months - you will need to provide proof of this in your application.
If you are a British Gas customer you will also need to provide an up-to-date meter reading. If not, then you will need to provide an energy bill based on actual readings dated within four weeks of your application. This should show your name, account number and supply address. If you don't have this, you can provide an email from your energy supplier dated within four weeks that confirms your name, account number, supply address, outstanding balance and confirmation the balance is based on actual readings.
The energy supplier's charity says you must have these documents to apply and those who do not have them will automatically be declined. You can make an application for energy support through the British Gas Energy Trust website here.
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The supplier says the support is in place to help those whose supplier does not have their own support scheme in place. This means customers who are excluded from getting help from the Individuals and Families Fund include: Boost, Eon, Eon Next, EDF, Scottish Power, Ovo, Octopus, SSE and Utilita.
Commenting on the reopening, Jessica Taplin, British Gas Energy Trust chief executive, said: “You are not alone. For almost 20 years, the British Gas Energy Trust has been helping people across Britain avoid the detrimental impact of poverty by focusing on eliminating fuel poverty. Our support includes energy debt grants, small emergency energy grants, and we fund 45 money and energy advice charities, that offer in person confidential support in England, Scotland and Wales to help people maximise their household budget.
"Debt and money stresses are debilitating, which is why we are delighted to be offering British Gas Energy Trust funded money and energy advisers in Post Offices across the country to help people access independent holistic support, so they feel more confident to manage their personal circumstances moving forward.”
The reopening of the support fund comes as the energy charity rolls out its next phase of the British Gas Post Office Pop-Ups. These pop ups projects provide free, confidential money and energy advice from British Gas representatives to people who may be struggling with their energy payments. Brits can also access energy grants through the pop up sites.
The next pop will be the Post Office in Manchester's Spring Gardens and this will be open from 11am until 2pm on December 4 and 5. After this, another British Gas pop up will open in Oxford in the Post Office on St Aldates. Again this will open from 11am until 2pm on December 11 and 12.
Nick Read, Post Office chief executive said: “Post Offices have been a lifeline to their communities during the cost-of-living crisis. It’s where people come to top up their pre-payment meter, collect energy bill support grants and manage their household bills. We’re proud to continue our long-standing partnership with British Gas to deliver these important pop-ups across Britain and reach into communities as the nation continues to face the rising cost of living.”
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