Does a large share of your money go on heating? Or can you often not afford to warm the home enough? That may mean fuel poverty. Here is the help on offer
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Does a large share of your money go on heating? Or can you often not afford to warm the home enough? That may mean fuel poverty. Here is the help on offer when energy bills bite. It covers grants, schemes, and ways to bring bills down.
Key facts
- The 2024 to 2025 English Housing Survey found about 2% of homes in England had excess cold as a category 1 (most serious) hazard, rising to 3% of privately rented homes. English Housing Survey 2024-25, GOV.UK
- The same survey found about 9% of homes in England, around 2.3 million, had a category 1 (most serious) hazard under the HHSRS. In the private rented sector the figure was 10%. English Housing Survey 2024-25, GOV.UK
What is fuel poverty?
England holds an official meaning of fuel poverty. Your energy costs sit above the middle level. And paying them would push the household below the poverty line. Put simply: people who cannot afford to keep their homes warm. Poor insulation, high prices, or low income usually drive it.
It runs most common among:
- Tenants in older, badly insulated homes
- Tenants on low incomes or benefits
- Older people living alone
- Families with young children
- People whose health needs a warmer home
Help directly from your energy supplier
Priority Services Register
Every energy supplier must run a Priority Services Register, a PSR. It serves vulnerable customers. Age, disability, or long-term health conditions all count. Being on it can bring:
- Advance notice of planned power cuts
- Priority reconnection in an emergency
- Meter reading help
- Bills in accessible formats: large print, braille, audio
- Password protection to verify callers
Contact your supplier and ask to be added to the PSR.
Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off yearly payment, currently £150. It gets added to qualifying customers' bills. Qualifying means the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit. In some cases broader rules apply instead. Many who qualify get it automatically. Some must apply. Ask your supplier.
Emergency credit and prepayment meters
Has a prepayment meter run out of credit? Most suppliers offer emergency credit to stop a cut-off. Some add "friendly hours" credit over weekends, or in cold weather. Struggling? Call your supplier.
Government and council help
Household Support Fund
Councils get government money to help residents in crisis. Energy costs count. The Household Support Fund, or a similar scheme, can give one-off grants or vouchers. Ask your council directly what is on offer. Who qualifies varies council to council.
ECO Scheme (Energy Company Obligation)
The ECO scheme pays for insulation and heating upgrades in homes with low energy ratings. It aims at low-income households. Private renters can apply. The scheme pays for the work. The landlord must allow any physical work to the home.
To check whether it fits you, contact your supplier. The government website carries ECO advice too. Local advice services can help.
Cold Weather Payment
Cold Weather Payments arrive automatically for qualifying households. They come when an area's temperature sits at or below 0°C for seven days running. Each qualifying week can bring £25. Qualifying rests on certain benefits. Pension Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit with set conditions all count.
Charity and third-sector support
Several charities help people in fuel poverty:
- National Energy Action: advice and campaigning for fuel-poor households. Their helpline points to local support
- Citizens Advice: energy debt advice, benefit claim help, local scheme pointers
- Turn2us: a charity helping people reach benefits, grants, and other money support. Their grant search covers your area
- Age UK and Age Cymru: help for older tenants with energy costs. Benefit checks and advice count
If your home is cold because of disrepair
Is the home cold all the time through disrepair? A broken boiler, no central heating, insulation ruined by structural failure? That is not simply a fuel poverty issue. It is a housing disrepair issue.
The landlord carries a legal duty to maintain the heating. They must keep the home fit to live in. Extra energy spent because broken heating left the home leaky counts as a special damage. A claim may bring it back.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
High energy costs tied to heating disrepair the landlord never fixed? Call us on 0800 030 4669.
No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Sources
Related articles
- Warm Home Discount and fuel poverty rights
- My home is too cold, excess cold
- How long can a landlord leave you without heating?
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
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