What’s available to help me cope with my energy costs?

Households in England, Wales and Scotland will receive a one-off £400 grant from October for their energy bills. This won’t need to be paid back. The previous £200 government loan has been scrapped.

The £400 payment should be debited to your energy account if you pay by credit or direct debit. If you have a prepayment meter you should have the money applied to your meter or you should receive a voucher. You should receive the payment over a six month period.

If you’re renting and the energy account is in your name, the rebate should be debited to your energy account or to your prepaid meter over a six month period. If your landlord deals with your energy bills, it’s worth speaking to them about what happens when they receive the rebate.

You could also receive benefits such as:

• A £650 payment if you’re on means tested benefits
• A one-off £300 pensioner cost of living payment
• A £150 disability cost of living payment

Find out more about cost of living support at GOV.UK.

What can I do to save energy?

You can still save on energy, here are some tips* and how much you could save:

• Taking 4-minute showers could save £70 a year
• Switching devices off standby could save £55 a year
• Running one load of washing less a week at 30 degrees could save £28 a year
• Air drying your clothes could save £60 a year
• Not overfilling the kettle could save £36 a year
• Turning off lights could save £20 a year
• Running one less dishwasher load per week could save £14 a year

It’s also worth taking regular meter readings to make sure your bill is accurate.

How fast are energy bills rising?

The price cap rose from £1,277 to £1,971 in April this year. For prepayment customers, it increased from £1,309 to £2,017. This isn’t the maximum you could be charged for energy though, you could be charged more than this if you’re a high energy user.

It’s thought that the price cap could rise even more over the colder months. Ofgem is likely to confirm this later in the year.

Find out more about the energy price cap

Why are energy prices rising so quickly?

The sharp increase in energy prices is partly due to higher demand for gas after restrictions for the Covid-19 pandemic eased. The war in Ukraine has also threatened supplies from Russia.

When might energy prices stop rising?

It’s difficult to say when the energy prices will level out. But Ofgem wants to announce the price cap every three months, instead of every six months. Because the wholesale prices of energy are rising and falling constantly, a quarterly price cap could help people benefit from falling wholesale energy prices more quickly.