Government Help With Bills: Schemes You Might Qualify For

The government runs various schemes to help with household costs. Some are straightforward, others are buried so deep in bureaucracy that most people never find them. Here’s what’s actually available and who qualifies.

Energy Bill Support

Warm Home Discount

This is a one-off £150 discount that gets applied straight to your electricity bill.

You qualify if you’re receiving Pension Credit (which usually happens automatically), or if you’re on a low income with high energy costs (though you’ll need to apply for this bit). The exact eligibility criteria shift year to year, so it’s worth checking.

If you get Pension Credit, the discount usually just happens without you doing anything. Otherwise, contact your energy supplier to ask about their application process - it typically opens in autumn or winter. The thing to remember is that funding is limited, so if you do qualify, apply early rather than leaving it till spring.

Cold Weather Payments

You get £25 per week when the weather gets genuinely cold.

This applies if you’re on certain benefits - Pension Credit, Income Support, JSA, ESA, or Universal Credit (with certain conditions attached). The system’s automatic if you qualify, so you don’t have to apply. Payments trigger when the local temperature dips to 0°C or below for seven days straight, and you’ll get the money within 14 days of the cold spell hitting. Check your benefits payment history to see if you’ve already received these.

Winter Fuel Payment

This is a payment to help with heating, ranging from £200 to £300 depending on your situation (it’s higher if you’re over 80).

You qualify if you were born before a specific date (which is linked to state pension age, so check GOV.UK for where you actually stand). It’s usually automatic if you’re already getting State Pension or other benefits, but if you don’t receive any benefits at all you might need to claim it yourself.

Fair warning: this scheme is being reformed and the rules have changed, so check the current criteria before assuming you’ll get it.

Free Home Improvements

ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation)

This scheme gives you free or heavily subsidised insulation and heating upgrades.

You can access it if you’re on qualifying benefits (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, etc.), or if you live in a low-income area with inefficient housing. It works for both private tenants and homeowners (landlords can apply for their properties too). What can you get? Loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation, heating upgrades, boiler replacements.

To apply, contact your energy supplier or find an ECO installer in your area. They’ll assess whether your property qualifies. There’s genuinely millions of pounds sitting in this scheme that never gets claimed. If your home is cold and poorly insulated, it’s absolutely worth checking eligibility.

Great British Insulation Scheme

This is similar to ECO but opens up to more people.

If your property’s in council tax bands A-D (in England) or A-E (Scotland/Wales), and you’ve not already got all the energy efficiency improvements installed, you might qualify. Apply through energy suppliers or approved installers - they’ll do a property assessment to confirm.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

You can get grants towards heat pump installation.

This is for homeowners in England and Wales installing either air source heat pumps (£7,500 grant) or ground source heat pumps (£7,500 grant). Your property needs to meet certain efficiency standards. Apply through an MCS-certified installer - they’ll handle the voucher application for you and the grant gets deducted straight from your installation costs.

Council Tax Help

Council Tax Reduction

This can reduce your council tax by up to 100%, depending on your circumstances.

You might qualify if you’re on a low income or receiving certain benefits. The catch is each council runs its own scheme, so criteria vary. Apply through your local council with your income and benefit details.

Single Person Discount

If you’re the only adult living in your home, you get 25% off council tax. “Adult” is the key word here - students, carers, and some other people don’t count as occupants for this purpose.

Contact your council to apply (most have online forms these days). This discount is theoretically automatic but often isn’t processed unless you ask for it. If you’re living alone and paying full council tax, you’re quite possibly overpaying.

Water Bill Help

WaterSure

This caps your water bills if you qualify.

You need a water meter installed, you need to be receiving qualifying benefits, and you need either a medical condition that requires extra water or three or more children under 19 in the house. Contact your water company and provide evidence of your benefits and circumstances.

Water Company Social Tariffs

Most water companies offer reduced bills for low-income households, though who qualifies varies depending on which company you’re with. They’ll usually want proof of low household income or benefits. Get in touch with your water company - each one has different schemes with different names, so you’ll need to ask what they offer.

Finding What You’re Entitled To

Use a benefits calculator to work out what you might qualify for. Turn2us, Entitledto, and Policy in Practice all work the same way - you answer questions about your circumstances and they show you what you might be entitled to. It takes about 10-15 minutes and could unlock real money.

For help actually applying, Citizens Advice offers free advice and will help with forms, Age UK is particularly good if you’re older, and local council welfare teams can point you towards schemes specific to your area.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: millions of pounds in support goes unclaimed every year because people don’t know these schemes exist, or they think the process is too difficult, or they feel awkward asking for help. If you’re struggling with bills, spending 15 minutes checking eligibility could literally save you hundreds of pounds.

What’s Not Automatic

Here’s the key thing: most of these schemes don’t just happen to you. You need to know they exist, check if you qualify, actually apply (sometimes multiple times), and provide evidence. The government doesn’t proactively track down people who are missing out. That’s on you to find and pursue.

Set a reminder to check eligibility once a year. Circumstances change, schemes change, and what you didn’t qualify for last year might be available now.