UK households urged to apply for new £500 cost of living payment
The help is being issued by energy advice charity Act on Energy as gas and electricity bills are set to rise again this winter
Households that are struggling with their energy bills are being urged to check if they are eligible for cost of living help worth up to £500.
The help is being issued by energy advice charity Act on Energy to households living in Stratford-on-Avon. You may also be eligible for support if you need to repair, replace, or improve your heating system.
In order to apply for help, you must have a gross household income of less than £31,000, plus you must have someone who is considered to be vulnerable living in your home.
This can include someone with unmanageable debt, someone with a long-term health condition, someone who is disabled, someone who is in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, someone who is pregnant or young children under the age of five.
Act on Energy said other vulnerabilities may also be accepted. If you're unsure whether you qualify, you should get in touch with Act on Energy to see if you are eligible for the support.
If you are applying for an energy payment, then you must have any household savings. The maximum payment for families with children under the age of 18 is £500, while single people and couples could get £300.
The money is paid straight to your energy supplier, or in the form of a voucher if you are a prepayment customer.
If you are applying for "Physical Intervention" then the savings limit is up to £6,000 (including funeral plans) in aggregate for each adult in receipt of state pension.
You can apply online now through the Act on Energy website or by calling 0800 988 2881. It comes as energy bills are set to rise again this winter.
The price cap is going up by 2% from this October. This means for every £100 you spend on gas and electricity, your bill will rise to £102. Ofgem says the average dual fuel household paying by direct debit will see their annual energy bill rise from £1,720 to £1,755.
The price cap for someone paying by pre-payment meter is increasing from £1,672 a year to £1,707, and the yearly charge for someone who pays on receipt of bill is going up from £1,855 a year to £1,890.
But there is no actual cap on how much you can pay for energy. The price cap limits how much you can be charged for unit rates of gas and electricity, as well as the standing charges.
You pay standing charges no matter how much energy you use - they are daily fees for you to be connected to the network. The price cap changes every three months, in January, April, July and October.
