British Gas is giving people £2,000 in free energy help after increasing fund
British Gas has increased the energy grants it can offer to struggling households, with anyone eligible now able to claim up to £2,000 - and you don’t need to be a customer to access the help.
The grants used to be worth up to £1,500. The support is designed to help people clear their energy debt and is delivered through the Individuals and Families Fund, which is a scheme run by the British Gas Energy Trust.
The British Gas Energy Trust is an independent charity, funded by British Gas. To access the help, you need to have energy debt of up to £2,000 and you must have previously received help from a money advice agency in the past three months.
The grants will go to people who are looking to clear an outstanding debt on their current energy account, but cannot get help from their own energy supplier. Suppliers that run their own support fund include: Boost, Eon, Eon Next, EDF, Scottish Power, Ovo, Octopus, SSE and Utilita.
You won't be eligible if you have already received a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust within the last two years. If you're a British Gas customer, your balance will be verified with British Gas as part of the application process.
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It comes as British Gas confirmed it will donate a further £20million to the British Gas Energy Trust. In the last 12 months, the Trust has issued £20.5million in grants to help those struggling with energy costs.
Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica, said: “We know that many people across the UK are still struggling with the cost of living and need support with their energy bills, and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help. That’s why we have a £100 million support package in place and have committed £20 million to enable the Trust to continue to support people in financial hardship - through grants, energy and advice services.
“The work of the British Gas Energy Trust for the last twenty years is something I’m especially proud of and it has helped us reach those who need it most during the energy crisis. We’ve also been able to introduce new initiatives like our Post Office Pop Ups to provide face to face support to all consumers. Even when living costs ease, there will always be people that need this help, and we will continue to work with the Trust.”
Jessica Taplin, CEO of the British Gas Energy Trust, said: “Since the Trust was founded 20 years ago, it has made significant difference to the lives of the most financially vulnerable people in communities across Britain. The ongoing cost of living crisis will continue to hit the poorest people the hardest and, as an organisation, our ambition is to deliver the help and support needed to break the cycle of energy deprivation and help people avoid the burden of energy debt.
“We are forever grateful for the support we receive from British Gas as their funding makes all of our work possible. The £20 million donation will allow us to continue to help people in financial hardship meet their energy needs and improve their money management skills.”
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