
Housing & energy grants
Find free cash for your home
There's free cash available to help increase your home's energy efficiency or pay your energy bills – hundreds of millions of pounds of it. The key is knowing where to look.
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The main energy grants & freebies
Energy is one of the main grant-giving areas, as substantial Government funding is available to reduce our impact on the environment. The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities all provide grants to help you save energy.
It's worth everyone checking if they're eligible. Here's some inspiration...
I have been lucky enough to qualify for a brand new boiler. I didn't think I'd meet the criteria but I did, so check and see if you qualify too.
The end result of these grants is an increase in your home's value, warmth and economy. Of course, big savings are available by cutting costs or insuring your boiler against breakdown. Check out our Cheap gas & electricity and Boiler cover guides.
Households in England, Wales and Scotland are to get up to £350 of Government support to soften the blow of rocketing energy prices, after Ofgem announced a massive 54% increase to the energy price cap. This includes:
- A £200 rebate loan in October to all households. You'll get an automatic £200 discount on your bills, regardless of what tariff you're on. And from April 2023, you'll have a £40/year levy added to bills to effectively repay the discount. For full info, see Martin's video explainer.
- A £150 council tax rebate from April to all households in England, Scotland and Wales in bands A to D. How it works exactly depends on where you live – see our news stories for full info on the schemes in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland will receive a total of £100 million in funding to be able to put its own scheme in place, but we don't yet know exactly what it'll do with it though.
- A £144 million discretionary fund for councils aimed at those on low incomes who don't qualify for help due to their council tax band. This is to help those on low incomes who don't qualify for the £150 support above because, for example, they're exempt from council tax. See discretionary fund info.
We've full info on all the new measures in our Chancellor unveils £350 in support for households MSE News story for more.

The Warm Home Discount scheme requires suppliers with more than 50,000 customers to help vulnerable people in the UK pay for their energy. The money isn't paid to you – it's a £150 rebate applied to your electricity or gas bill between October and March. If you're on a prepay meter, you'll usually be sent a top-up voucher.
Following a recent shake-up, the money is paid automatically – previously, some had to apply to get it. You should get it if you qualify under the following criteria:
- If you get pension credit, you should get it automatically. If you or your partner receive the 'guarantee credit' element of pension credit, and your name (or your partner's) is on your energy bill, you should be eligible for the discount under what's known as 'core group 1'.
Provided your energy supplier is part of the scheme (see the full list below), you should receive a letter (usually sent between October and December) confirming when the £150 will be deducted from your electricity bill. The letter may also ask you to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline to confirm your details. The helpline can also be used if you need assistance, or if you've not received your letter. Call 0800 731 0214.
- On certain benefits? You should get the discount automatically – if you're deemed to have 'high energy costs'. If you don't qualify for the above, you may still get the discount automatically if you're in receipt of certain benefits (such as universal credit and income support) and your home has 'high energy costs' (see full eligibility criteria below), under what's known as 'core group 2'.
If you're eligible, and providing your supplier is part of the scheme, you should receive a letter confirming when the £150 will deducted from your bill. The Government has also said it is looking into providing an online tool to allow people to check their eligibility.
Warm home discount FAQs

Free insulation and boiler grants
There are wads of freebies and grants on offer from energy providers, from new boilers to loft and cavity wall insulation. It's all part of their efficiency obligations to people in certain groups. It's mainly for those receiving certain benefits, such as universal credit, tax credits, pension credit or income-based benefits. The full Free Insulation & Boilers guide has more, but below's a taster of what you can get:
- Boiler replacement or repair. Heating accounts for around 60% of what you spend in a year on energy bills. Depending on your boiler's age, a shiny new efficient one could save you up to £315/year.
- Cavity wall insulation. Most homes built between 1920 and 1990 have a gap between internal and external walls. Filling the cavity with insulating mineral wool and foam means cold air's kept out, and warm air stays in, which can save an average three-bedroom home up to £280/yr. It's not for everyone, so make sure it's appropriate for your home first.
- Loft insulation. Up to a quarter of your home's heat escapes via the roof, but you can solve this by laying mineral wool under the rafters, saving up to £250/yr.
Can you get up to £300 with the winter fuel payment?
Every household with someone born on or before 26 September 1955 is entitled to help towards their winter energy costs. Under the Government's winter fuel payment scheme, provided you live in the UK for at lease one day between 20 and 26 September 2021, then regardless of income, you can grab a one-off, tax-free winter fuel payment of between £100 and £300.
You'll receive a letter from the Government telling you how much you will get, based on the following criteria.
Winter fuel payments – how much could you get in 2021/22?
BETWEEN 20-26 SEPTEMBER 2021 YOU: | BORN BETWEEN 27 SEP 1941 AND 26 SEP 1955 | BORN ON OR BEFORE 26 SEP 1941 |
Lived alone (or none of the people you lived qualify). | £200 | £300 |
Lived with someone under 80 who also qualifies. | £100 | £200 |
Lived with someone 80 or over who also qualifies. | £100 |
£150 |
Lived in a care home but didn't receive pension credit, income support, jobseeker's allowance or income-related employment and support allowance. | £100 | £150 |
Cold weather payments of £25 for each sub-zero week
The cold weather payment is a separate grant paid by the Government to older people and those on certain benefits, to help cover costs when temperatures hit zero and below in your area.
It applies if the average temperature is – or is forecast to be – 0°C or below for seven days in a row between 1 November and 31 March. You get £25 for each seven-day period. See our full Cold Weather Payment guide for more info.

There's help available if you're struggling to pay your bill
Some utility companies also offer help if you have large arrears on your gas, electricity or water bills. Please let us know if you have success with any of these schemes. See our What to do if you're struggling to pay your energy bills guide for information on the help you can get.
Help with your energy bill
As a result of the pandemic, energy suppliers have agreed to a number of ongoing measures to help customers that are struggling. Most importantly, your supply won't be cut off – disconnections of standard credit meters have been suspended, while prepayment customers can get emergency or additional credit to ensure the lights stay on.
There are also a range of options suppliers can offer if you are struggling, including full payment plan reviews, affordable debt repayment plans, payment breaks or reductions, allowing you more time to pay and access to hardship funds. This is all done on a case-by-case basis, so contact your supplier as soon as you can if you do start to struggle. For a full rundown of what's available, see Ofgem's website.
You can also talk to the charity National Energy Action for advice and support if you're struggling to heat your home – you can contact it on its helpline by calling 0800 304 7159 or by going online. Due to the current energy crisis, the charity is very busy, which is why MSE founder Martin Lewis has announced he will fund £100,000 for it to set up a webchat service to help more people.
Energy supplier grants if you're in arrears
To apply for help with energy arrears, you'll need to be an account holder and complete a full income and expenditure budget sheet. You'll also need to provide proof of your income, plus give details on how your arrears have built up, for example, due to illness or redundancy, and say how the grant will help you. It can take several weeks to process your claim.
Exact requirements vary – some say you need to be in receipt of certain benefits for example – but those with the greatest need are prioritised on a case-by-case basis.

If you're having trouble paying your water bill and have fallen into debt, contact your water company to see what help it can offer. All companies offer some kind of help – this can be anything from providing repayment plans, discounts or even a cap on how much you pay.
What's available varies from company to company. Don't worry if you're unsure which scheme is best for you. Call your provider and it will assess your circumstances and decide which one will save you the most money. For more, including a full company-by-company breakdown, see Get help if you're struggling to pay your bills
The Turn2us website also has info on all the water company schemes.
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The top home help schemes and grants
There's more home help available depending on your circumstances. Here are five more schemes and grants.

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