We can help you find support and advice about money
We’ve been busy compiling all the ways to save money on fuel bills.
Energy-saving tips
The website of the consumer champion, Which?, has an excellent article offering 10 ways to save on energy bills.
An article from the Energy Saving Trust provides some good quality, useful information on 10 different methods to save energy at home.
Octopus Energy highlight some helpful ideas to practice at your home to save energy and money. They even reveal the amount of money that can be roughly saved just by making some small changes.
The article on saving money and energy on the British Gas website reveals some good, minimal tips to get started on immediately and other big changes that can be made in your home to save energy.
Shell Energy provide 6 winter energy saving tips for the winter so you can make your house warmer and reduce excess money spent.
An article from Metro clears some misunderstanding on energy saving techniques and reveals practical ways to prepare for the cold weather whilst reducing energy usage.
Compare The Market reveals 12 useful tips to save energy including some easy daily habits that can carried out instantly. There is useful information highlighting the impact of working from home and lockdowns has had on energy bills and how to help this issue.
TEAM energy, which is one of UK’s leading energy consultancy organisations provides Top 10 Energy Saving Tips for the Winter on their blog.
Consumer champion Which? describe 10 ways to save on energy bills and provide information on around how much money you can save. For example, they suggest using electric heaters especially if you live alone so less energy and money is used heating the whole house.
The NHS website provides some tips on keeping the house warm and other approaches to take during the winter to keep the family warm and healthy.
National schemes and grants
- Disabled Facilities Grant – A government scheme to help with the cost of making adaptations to an individual’s home depending on the situation, including financial circumstances. Someone with a disability can ask their council for this grant to make needed changes to their house.
Community scheme running across Bedfordshire
- Good Neighbours Schemes – Village care schemes set up and run by residents who offer help and support to fellow residents of their town or village. There are many running in Central Bedfordshire and a PDF document is available on the website which lists all the various locations and schemes along with the contact details.
Winter money-saving government schemes
Warm Home Discount Scheme – A government scheme that can take £140 off your electricity bill for winter 2021 to 2022. The money is not paid directly to the person but it is a one-off discount on their electricity bill, between October and March. They can get a discount on their gas bill instead if their supplier provides them with both gas and electricity.
There are 2 ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme:
You get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit – known as the ‘core group’
You’re on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme – known as the ‘broader group’
Winter Fuel Payment – If you were born on or before 26 September 1955 you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’. You will get your Winter Fuel Payment automatically (you do not need to claim) if you’re eligible and either; get the State Pension or get another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit)
Some more money-saving schemes
- Help to Save – It is a type of savings account that allows certain people entitled to Working Tax Credit or receiving Universal Credit to get a bonus of 50p for every £1 they save over 4 years
- Cold Weather Payment – It is a payment of £25 made to eligible people if the average temperature drops below zero for seven days in a row. £25 will be paid for each seven day period of cold weather between 1st November and 31st March. It is only available in certain areas and depends on an eligibility criterion
Local and national financial support
Find out what’s available and how to apply with our list of links to useful websites and services:
The Disability Resource Centre – Benefits Advice provides confidential, independent and free advice and support. The up-to-date information and advice provided is available to people of any age and with any disability, older people, their families, carers, friends and associated professionals throughout Bedfordshire and Luton.
You can also make appointments with the expert benefits advisors who can give more specific advice such as benefit checks and help with form filling.
Links to online tools & useful websites:
Advice Guide Benefits Info– Compiled by the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Benefits Calculator– Find out what benefits you are entitled to.
Benefits for the over 50s – Find out about benefits in older age.
Benefits for those with disabilities – Info from the GOV.UK website about benefits if you have a disability.
Providing information about welfare benefits and tax credits and how you can work out which ones you might be entitled to.
Information from a government website providing information on tax credits, child benefit, income tax, national insurance, self-assessment, coming to the UK, pensioners and information for the self-employed.
HM Government – The government announced schemes with repayable discounts, rebates and discretionary funding that you may qualify for.
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