As the cold season takes hold, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the range of grants and extra support available to you to help manage your energy and water bills this winter.

From Warm Homes Discount to Winter Fuel Payment, WaterHelp to WaterSure, Debt Free Support to Priority Services Register - you can read the full list, find out eligibility and how to apply here.

Energy News and Updates

Energy Price Cap will rise by 0.2% in January

On Friday the 21st of November, the energy regulator Ofgem announced a 0.2% rise of the energy price cap covering the period of January to March 2026.

This change amounts to a small increase of around 28p a month for the average dual fuel household.

See this breakdown borrowed from MoneySavingExpert:

Scams on Winter Fuel Payment

Pensioners are being warned to look out for Winter Fuel Payment text message scams following a surge of 150% in scams, particularly with this month and next month’s payment.

Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically, and the DWP will never ask for bank details by text.

Anyone who receives a text message inviting them to apply for a payment should not engage with it and instead forward it to 7726.

Ofgem appoints British Gas to take on Customers of Tomato Energy

The energy regulator Ofgem has appointed British Gas to take on the customers of Tomato Energy, which has gone bust.

Customers of Tomato Energy will be contacted over the coming days about the changes. This switch may already have happened.

If customers wish to switch to another supplier, they can do so, but it’s advised to wait until the transfer has been completed. Customers will not be charged exit fees if they decide to switch to another supplier.  

People on Benefits Could Have Energy Debts Cancelled

Ofgem has also announced that people on means-tested benefits, who built up energy debt of more than £100 between April 2022 and March 2024, will be eligible for help to write off their energy debt.

Suppliers would identify these customers and contact them.

To receive this support, customers need to be making some effort to be paying off the debt or covering the cost of their current and ongoing energy use.

If they are unable to pay, they would need to accept help from a debt charity to help manage their finances.

Please note that the launch of this process is expected for early 2026, and the exact starting date has not been confirmed as yet.

Reminder to Check For Money Left in Closed Energy Accounts

Ofgem has further announced that it may be worth people checking old accounts if they have moved energy supplier in the last 5 years.

Your supplier will usually contact you if there is money in your account when it closes. And this money is usually paid back to you or the account holder.

However, sometimes it can be hard to find who an account belongs to once it is closed. The account holder may have moved, changed contact details or passed away.

Therefore they cannot return the closed money, so if you moved supplier recently, handle an energy account for someone else (via a death, or power of attorney), or cancelled a direct debit before a final bill came in, it may be worth checking if you have money left over.