If you’re falling behind with your energy bills and find yourself struggling to pay, the best thing to do is contact your supplier as soon as possible. Under rules from regulator Ofgem, your supplier has to help you, usually by negotiating a payment plan that you can afford.
There are a range of options suppliers could offer you if you’re struggling.
Prepayment meters:
- Emergency credit
- Friendly credit (protects you from running out of credit when the shops are closed)
- Additional support credit
Direct debit:
- A full payment plan review
- Affordable debt repayment plans
- Payment breaks (though this won’t be right for everyone)
- Payment reductions
- More time to pay
Don’t forget, big energy firms have charitable trusts and funds that can help if you’re in debt and struggling to repay. To learn more about hardship grants and how to apply, please click here.
White Goods
Turn2us is a national charity that could help you when times get tough. They provide financial support and benefit advice to help people get back on track.
At Cobalt, we support the Turn2us #LivingWithout campaign, which highlights the scale of appliance poverty and aims to get a fridge, freezer, washing machine and cooker into every home.
To learn more about Turn2us and to use their grant search tool, please click here.
We also work with Energy Projects Plus to support our tenants with white goods. For more information, please call our welfare benefits team on 0330 303 2222 (option 7).
Other useful links
- If you were born on or before 25 September 1956 you could get a Winter Fuel Payment to help you pay your heating bills.
- You may get a Cold Weather Payment if you’re getting certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest.
- You could get £150 off your electricity bill for winter 2022 to 2023 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
How we can help
If you are struggling, please contact our welfare benefits team today on 0330 303 2222. They can offer emergency support, assess what grants you may be eligible for and support you with your application. To find out more, please visit our welfare benefits homepage.
