One of the most expensive monthly expenditures is rent or your mortgage, but coupled with this is the council tax, home insurances and energy costs. The energy costs for gas and electricity can be difficult to pay when you live on a low income, but there is help available.
You can call Debt Support Trust for specific help for you, or if you are struggling with debt you can get help on 0800 085 0226.
British Gas Customers
The energy giants want to help people on low incomes with discounts. British Gas has their own deal which started in 1st May 2014, known as the Warm Home Discount.
This offer helps people get £140 off their electricity bills throughout the winter of 2014/15. You can call British Gas on 0800 294 8604 if you have a prepayment meter or 0800 072 8625 if you have a credit account, to discuss whether you are eligible.
If you are in receipt of pension credit then you automatically get the discount. However, you could also receive the discount if you have a number of other benefits, including income support, jobseekers allowance, income support or universal credit.
Should your family income be £16,010 gross per annum and you spend 10% of your money on energy bills, or you have somebody living in your house with a mental or physical disability (or an illness) then you would be suitable for the discount too. If you earn £16,010 gross in your household per year and you have a child under 5, a person of pensionable age or somebody with a vulnerability then the discount would be applied.
There are various offers at other energy suppliers too.
The discounts are not automatically applied and you must phone the energy supplier, spend 10 minutes going through your financial situation and then the discount can be applied for. It can help during the difficult winter months.
Available to Everybody
There is help and support available for everybody, not just British Gas customers. You can get free loft and cavity wall insulation to help keep the heat in your property. This is a project to help reduce the carbon footprint and can reduce your energy bills.
You can get free loft and cavity wall insulation from most energy suppliers and British Gas is offering this service to everybody, even if you are not a customer with them.