British Gas customer struggling with energy bills? Check if you can get a grant of up to £1,500

British Gas's charity, the British Gas Energy Trust, operates two very similar schemes: one available to both customers and non-customers that opened on 1 July 2022, and one for British Gas customers only, which closed on 8 July 2022 but has now reopened. Both are only for those living in England, Scotland or Wales, and both are designed to reduce existing fuel debts of £250+.

The eligibility criteria for the grant opening today has also changed, and you can now also have more than £1,000 in savings and still be eligible.

We have more information below, but for further help with your bills, see our full What to do if you're struggling to pay for energy guide.

To qualify for the newly-opened scheme, you must be a British Gas customer and in £250+ of energy debt

In order to qualify for the support, you'll need to show you meet the list of criteria set out below. 

The Individuals and Families Fund, which is open to all households and not just British Gas customers, remains open. However, you can only apply if you've already received help from a debt adviser, such as the charities Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange (see our Debt help guide for more on how these services work).

If you're a British Gas customer, you can only apply for one of the grants at any one time, so check the eligibility to see which best suits your needs, as both schemes pay the same. Whichever scheme you apply to, you'll need to provide full evidence of your household income, expenditure and debt.

Help is also available for prepayment customers

Prepayment customers who are repaying debts of £250+ after switching from a credit meter can also apply for one of the above grants.

If you're a British Gas prepayment customer who is struggling to top-up, but you aren't in debt on your meter, you can contact British Gas or the British Gas Energy Trust to enquire about other help available, such as fuel vouchers. British Gas can be reached on 0330 100 0056, while the British Gas Energy Trust can be accessed via regional trust-funded advice centres (though support may be limited to those living near these centres).  

Other big energy firms have similar schemes – but only for their customers

British Gas isn't the only firm offering grants to its customers to help them clear their energy debts. Similar help is also available from certain other providers. With these schemes, you need to be a customer of the firm to apply, and the exact eligibility criteria varies by firm.

See our Energy grants MSE News story for a supplier-by-suppler round-up. You can also ask charities to help with the application process.