It’s understandable to feel anxious about energy costs at this time of year. Remember that help is available if you’re struggling to afford your bills or you’ve fallen behind on payments. 

The first step if you’re concerned about covering your energy costs is to contact your energy supplier. They’re responsible for helping you find solutions, like affordable repayment plans if you have energy debts. Each supplier offers different support, so get in touch to explain your circumstances, and see how they can help you. 

Next, check you’re receiving accurate bills or if they’re based on estimated energy usage by looking for the word “estimated” or the letter “E” next to the readings. You might get estimated bills if your smart meter has stopped automatically sending readings, or if you have a non-smart meter and haven’t sent a reading for a while. To get bills based on the energy you’re actually using, submit regular meter readings. A smart meter should do this for you, so if you have one and think it isn’t working or if you’re interested in getting one installed, speak to your supplier. 

You might also be able to reduce your costs by changing how you pay – it’s often cheaper to pay by monthly direct debit. If you’re already paying this way, you can talk to your supplier if you think your direct debit is too high – or request a refund if you’ve got a lot of credit in your account. You may want to build up your credit over the summer for when you’re using more energy in the colder months. If you’re thinking about changing your tariff or supplier, check on one of the accredited comparison websites recommended by Ofgem and be aware of any charges for leaving your current plan.  

If you fall behind on payments, the support you can get depends on different factors including how you pay for energy, the type of energy you use, and whether you receive benefits. Contact us for advice as soon as you can using the details at the end of the article and we’ll help you to understand what you’re entitled to. You might be able to get a national or local grant to help pay off energy debt, but you’ll need to get debt advice from an organisation like Citizens Advice before you can apply. 

You may also be able to access additional support with energy bills from our new Reset Energy Advice project with Citizens Advice South Hams. Visit https://resetenergyadvice.org.uk/ to check if you’re eligible, and call 0800 995 6890 for practical energy advice like help understanding your bills, energy saving tips and more. To find out about other local support with energy costs, visit the council’s website: www.plymouth.gov.uk/help-energy-costs. 

Remember that if you’re entitled to government support through the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment, or Cold Weather Payments, you should receive these automatically. Be on the lookout for scammers contacting you and saying you need to provide personal or financial information to receive any of these payments. If you think you’re missing a payment, contact your energy supplier to check. 

If you’re on a prepayment meter and struggling to pay, you might be able to get temporary or ‘friendly credit’ to carry you over in the short-term. Your energy supplier should be able to give you a limited amount of temporary credit if you can’t top up for financial or other reasons. ‘Friendly credit’ allows you to keep using electricity if you run out of credit during certain times, like weekends or overnight. Contact your supplier for more information. Just bear in mind you’ll still have to pay back any temporary credit on top of your ongoing costs, so it’s a good idea to contact us to explore other options. You can also check if your supplier offers smart prepayment meters. If they do and a smart meter is the right choice for you, you’ll have the option to top up remotely, receive low balance alerts and track usage. 

Those with young children that need extra non-financial help can apply to the Priority Services Register. As well as getting additional support, being on the register means you shouldn’t be disconnected if you fall behind on payments: https://www.thepsr.co.uk/.  

Remember, you don’t have to face this alone. Give Reset Energy Advice a call on 0800 995 6890 and make sure you’re getting all the support you’re entitled to, or find out how our other energy projects can help.