Support for energy bills

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Overview

We understand how difficult things have been for many households. Energy prices are still much higher than they used to be, and despite some relief in prices since their peak, we know there are still millions of people struggling to keep up.

How we got here

If you’re facing challenges with paying your energy bill, remember that you’re not alone. The energy crisis has been affecting UK households for more than two years now, and as of 1 April 2025, National Energy Action estimates six  million UK households are living in fuel poverty. This means many people are facing the impossible choice between keeping warm and meeting other essential needs.

The pandemic, along with global events such as the war in Ukraine, triggered a sharp rise in gas prices that sent energy bills soaring for everyone, with the most vulnerable affected the hardest. The energy industry understands that energy isn’t just another bill—it’s what keeps your home warm, safe, and secure, and plays a crucial role in your mental and physical wellbeing. That’s why we’re committed to supporting you during these difficult times, helping to ease the burden and prevent further financial strain.

The challenges we’re facing together

Energy costs: For many, the cost of heating their homes remains out of reach with energy bills still significantly higher than they were at pre-pandemic levels.

Debt levels: Higher energy bills have resulted in the growth of energy debt. Household energy debt is now more than £4 billion and doesn’t just affect individual households; it’s shared across suppliers and eventually gets passed back to all customers, making energy more expensive for everyone.

What is the price cap?

The price cap is set by Ofgem, the energy regulator, and limits the amount suppliers can charge per unit of energy to protect customers from excessively high prices. Changes to the price cap affect how much people on standard variable and prepayment tariffs pay for their electricity and gas.

Why has the price increased?

Ofgem reviews the price cap every three months to reflect changes in wholesale energy costs to ensure it remains fair for both customers and suppliers. While prices aren’t as high as their recent peak, ongoing global factors mean they’re still unstable – and have been slowly increasing by about 15% since July.

While suppliers can’t control these costs, building more domestic low-carbon energy sources can reduce our reliance on gas, and shield us from global price fluctuations over time.

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What support is available?

If you’re struggling to pay your gas or electricity bills, you should contact your energy supplier directly. They should be your first point of contact and are best placed to offer support and advice.

Contacting your supplier

Suppliers offer a range of support, such as repayment plans, and can help signpost customers to the best sources of independent advice.

How to find your supplier

In the UK, you can choose which company supplies your electricity and which company supplies your gas. These can be different companies, or the same for both (known as a dual-fuel contract), often with a discount. Your supplier will be named on your energy bills but if you’re not sure, you can use the links below to find out.

Finding your electricity supplier

If you’re not sure who your electricity supplier is, your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) should be able to tell you. You can find which DNO to contact by typing your postcode into the Energy Networks Association’s  website.

Finding your gas supplier

Contact the Meter Point Administration Service to find out who your gas supplier is. You can either enter your postcode in their Find My Supplier search tool or call 0870 608 1524. Calls to this number are charged at 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge.

Additional support from suppliers

Energy suppliers are committed to helping customers during these difficult times. Despite rising costs, they continue to increase the support they provide – which includes additional funding for customers in fuel poverty. All major retail suppliers’ funds are independently managed by fund administrators or in partnership with consumer bodies such as Citizens Advice.

UK suppliers deliver more than £2 billion in bill support schemes every year. These include the funding for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Warm Home  Discount (WHD), which reopened in October 2025.

If you’re unsure what you might be eligible for, check the Citizens Advice  webpage, which provides clear information on a variety of grants and benefits to help you with your energy bills.

Suppliers continue to commit to a range of support for customers, including:

• Payment holidays.
• Restructured payment plans.
• Credit advances to customers on prepayment meters.
• Reducing or waiving the standing charges over winter for certain customers.

Many suppliers have increased customer service resources, from hiring more front-line advisors to setting up dedicated affordability support teams. Read about additional support offered by individual energy suppliers.

Check eligibility for the Priority Services Register

There is additional support available for disabled people, people with electrical medical devices, customers in recovery, pregnant, extra communication needs and other eligibility factors not listed here. Customers can add friends or family to their accounts to act on their behalf.

The Priority Services Register (PSR) informs energy suppliers and distribution network operators about people who might need additional support. It’s free to sign up to and with permission, information is shared between network operators and suppliers – so you should only need to sign up once. Get more information on the PSR.

Make your home more energy efficient

If you’re struggling to pay your bills right now, investing in energy efficiency measures might feel out of reach. However, in the future, there are ‘pay to save’ options that could help reduce your energy usage and lower your bills in the long run. In the meantime, there are many low- or no-cost ways to save energy, and many of them are simple and quick to implement. Additionally, some energy suppliers provide targeted financial support for home improvements like insulation, which can make a real difference.

There are several government schemes that assist you with home energy-saving improvements, including:

• The Energy Company Obligation if you are on benefits or live in social housing;
• The Great British Insulation Scheme if your property is within a certain energy rating and council tax band;
• The Warm Homes: Local Grant if you meet certain eligibility criteria.

Get a smart meter

A smart meter comes with a wide range of benefits that allow households to manage energy use and save money on energy bills. These include automatic sharing of meter readings, meaning bills reflect the exact amount of energy used, and real-time insights provided by a smart meter’s in-home display that can help users spot ways to reduce energy waste. Additionally, they can unlock tariffs that offer cheaper electricity at certain time periods. Learn more about smart meters, how they work and their benefits in both this Energy UK explainer, and the Government webpage.

If you already have a smart meter and need help using it, contact your supplier. Or use the smart meter checker tool to find out what type you have in your  home and if it’s working in smart mode.

Prepayment meters and customer protections

Prepayment meters help customers manage and budget their energy usage, paying for energy as they go, similar to how they would with a pay-as-you-go mobile plan. This can prevent debt from building up.

Since April 2023, energy suppliers have followed a mandatory Code of Practice for the involuntary instalation of prepayment meters offering stronger protections for customers. Ofgem monitors suppliers to ensure these protections are met. If you feel your protections aren’t being met, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or use their online webchat.

Energy UK, working with its membership and with Citizens Advice, introduced the Winter 2023 Voluntary Debt Commitment to provide extra support beyond regulatory requirements.

Key measures include:

• Further credit available for prepayment customers who might otherwise be at risk of coming off supply.
• Suppliers undertake extra steps to assess customers facing financial difficulty, including communications to PPM customers to check if this remains the most suitable option for their needs, and monitoring for self-disconnection.

Look out for fraud

There’s been a recent rise in energy scams with criminals impersonating an energy supplier on a home visit – or calling, emailing, or texting, claiming to be from the Government, Ofgem or an energy supplier. If you’re in any doubt, contact your energy supplier directly and report any scams to Action Fraud. You can also explore Energy UK’s full resource on fraud prevention.

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Additional support

Getting independent debt advice

For help and advice from Citizens Advice, call 0808 223 1133 or get in touch  by webchat. For textphone, dial 18001 followed by the helpline number. If you’re in a vulnerable situation, their Extra Help Unit could take on your case.

If you’re just seeking further information, check the Citizens Advice webpage on how to get help if you’re behind with your energy bills.

If you’re in Scotland, contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, by webchat or by e-mail.

If you’re struggling with debt, you can also get free debt advice from National Debtline over the phone on 0808 808 4000 or via webchat (Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm and Sat, 9:30am-1pm. This is the fastest way to speak to a specialist adviser).

Alternatively, you can use StepChange’s debt advice tool at any time, or you can call their free helpline on 0800 138 1111 (Mon-Friday, 8am-8pm; Sat 8am-4pm).

Guidance for people with disabilities

For disability-specific advice, you can contact the charity Scope on its free helpline on 0808 800 3333 (Mon-Friday, 9am-6pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-6pm).

Guidance for elderly customers

Pensioners can also contact the charity Age UK for support on its free advice line on 0808 678 1602 (365 days a year, 8am-7pm).

Getting help with your energy bills

The Government lists different ways to get help paying your energy bills online, including help with energy-saving improvements and home energy support payments, and the Warm Home Discount Scheme. This opens each autumn and offers a one-off £150 discount on electricity bills to those eligible. Eligibility requirements vary depending on whether recipients live in England and Wales or in Scotland. Find out more on the Government’s website. 

Citizens Advice has a web page on the assistance available to people who need support with energy bills, including information on how your supplier can help you with making a payment. It also has a web page with a full list of grants and  benefits you may be eligible for to help with energy bills

Contacting your MP

Your Member of Parliament (MP) can provide support and advice to you on a range of issues. If you are still unsure about what support you might be entitled to, write to your MP. You can enter your postcode online to find out who they are (and get their email address). 

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Energy UK’s Vulnerability Commitment

Suppliers are going above and beyond to help vulnerable customers. Energy  UK’s Vulnerability Commitment is a set of principles and commitments from energy suppliers to support customers in vulnerable circumstances, over and above existing industry regulations.

The Vulnerability Commitment is open to all energy suppliers and promotes continuous improvement in support for vulnerable customers based on three key principles: Accessibility, Collaboration and Innovation.

Energy UK also maintains an up-to-date information page for customers, where you can find the latest information on subjects including switching suppliers, fraud prevention and making a complaint.