Top energy advice tips

Worried about your family’s energy bills this autumn? Children First is here to help, as Sinead Haddow, Service Manager, Financial Wellbeing - Debt, Energy & Welfare Rights explains.

Our financial wellbeing team can provide expert support to help families struggling with the cost of their gas and electricity bills. If you’re facing an uncertain winter, here at Children First we want you to know that you are not alone.

This week it was reported households will see their energy bills increase by around 10% under the new Ofgem price cap. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, nearly six in 10 families experiencing in-work poverty heated their home less than needed and one in four had skipped or reduced the size of a meal last year.

And with the longer nights and colder weather already making an impact, we understand many families are anxious about the cost of their household energy bills this winter.

We’re here to help and in the last year alone we supported 259 families to secure a total of £289,000 in extra income through a range of grants and benefits.

Our friendly team can help you to apply for support to pay your energy bills and tell your supplier if you need extra help.

And if you are on a prepayment meter and can’t afford to top it up or you want to stop your energy supplier moving you on to prepayment, we can help with that too.

Support to apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme

Chloe, our dedicated energy advisor, can help you apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme which is now open for the winter ahead. It gives qualifying homes in Scotland a £150 discount on their winter fuel bills or a £150 meter credit.

Your electricity supplier decides who can get the discount - check with your supplier as early as possible to see if you're eligible and how to apply. The number of discounts suppliers can give are limited. If you’re successful, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31 March 2025.

You can still qualify for the discount if you use a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter.

Your electricity supplier can tell you how you'll get the discount if you're eligible, for example a voucher you can use to top up your meter.

How you apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme depends on how you qualify for the discount. You can find out more here or contact one of our team who can help.

Wider support
Our financial wellbeing team can advise on other support on offer to help manage energy costs, including energy saving improvements, Child Winter Heating Assistance and Winter Fuel Payments.

Energy saving tips
Families can start saving by making changes at home such as encouraging the whole family to turn the lights off when they are not needed.
You can also save money on your energy bills by:

- Only filling your kettle with as much water as you need

- Washing clothes at 30 degrees

- Switching off your appliances at the mains

- Reducing the temperature of your thermostat

- Swapping baths for showers.

If you want to chat to one of the team, you can contact us via Children First support line for non-judgemental, practical advice on 08000 28 22 33 or by webchat on www.childrenfirst.org.uk/get-support/support-line 

We’re here to help so get in touch for advice on your energy bills today.