Help with fuel costs
Last updated: 01/10/2025
It’s not easy balancing the cost of living alongside fuel prices reaching an all-time high. We have compiled some useful information here to try and help you deal with your fuel costs.
Winter Fuel Payment
Despite the similar name, the Winter Fuel Payment is not the same as the Winter Heating Payment. To get the Winter Fuel Payment you must live in England or Wales.
This payment is not available to Scottish residents.
More information about the Winter Fuel Payment.
Apply for the Warm Home Discount
You may be eligible for the Warm Home Discount. This is a one-off payment of £150 which goes towards your electricity bill.
The discount won’t affect any other payments or benefits like Winter Heating Payment or Winter Fuel Payment.
As of the 8th September 2025, the following applications are open:
Don’t delay applying, as the scheme can close at short notice or once a certain amount of applications have been received.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the information, or want to talk it through, we’re here to talk. Contact our Helpline on 0808 801 0323 for support, or if you prefer to you can message our Webchat between 9:30 and 4pm Monday to Friday.
Do I automatically qualify for the Warm Home Discount?
If all of the following applied on 11 August 2024, you will automatically qualify for the Warm Home Discount:
- your energy supplier is part of the scheme
- your name is on the household electricity bill
- you are getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you also get Savings Credit)
You will not be paid the money directly, but you will be contacted and the discount will automatically be taken off your bill by your energy supplier.
If you have received the discount automatically in the past you should check to see if you will need to re-apply. Most of the energy companies will contact you to let you know that you don’t need to re-apply.
What if I don't automatically qualify?
You may still be eligible for the discount if you are on a low income and have high energy costs, even if you don’t qualify for the automatic eligibility. You will need to apply by getting in touch with your energy supplier.
Apply as soon as you can as application windows are very short and are on a first-come first-served basis.
Some suppliers do not offer the discount, and the window that you can apply in is different for each supplier, so contact your supplier to find out more.
Apply for the Winter Heating Payment
The Cold Weather Payment has now become the Winter Heating Payment in Scotland.
Winter Heating Payment is a one-off, yearly payment to help people with fuel costs who already receive certain benefits. If you are eligible you will receive your payment between December 2025 until January 2026. The amount will be £59.75.
How to apply
If you are eligible for the payment, you won’t need to apply. It will be paid to you automatically.
The Winter Heating Payment is paid once a year. There is a “qualifying week” each year, where your situation is assessed by Social Security Scotland. They figure out if you are eligible by considering which benefits you get in this particular week.
The previous qualifying week was 4th November to 10th November 2024, and the qualifying week for 2025 has not been announced yet.
You can check what your situation will need to look like in that week in order to be eligible.
To be eligible for the Winter Heating Payment, you will need to already receive certain benefits such as:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest
What if support falls through?
The Winter Heating Payment is an automatic payment based on Social Security Scotland’s records of your benefits so it should be sent through correctly.
If you’re concerned that you have missed a Winter Heating Payment, you can contact Social Security Scotland to request a payment.
If you need more urgent help with paying your fuel costs, the Scottish Welfare Fund can help you with emergency costs in 2 ways:
You can only apply to these through your local council. You won’t be able to apply to these through the Scottish Government or Social Security Scotland.
Energy Price Cap change
The Energy Price Cap increased by 2% on 1 October 2025.
Ofgem reviews and updates the price cap every three months.
What is the Energy Price Cap?
The energy price cap is the highest amount of money that energy suppliers can charge you for each unit of energy and the standing charge (if you’re on a standard variable tariff).
In other words, there’s actually no cap on how much you pay. The cap is on the standing charges and the unit rates for gas and electricity. This means if you use more energy, you’ll pay more.
How will this affect my bills?
The amount you pay will depend on actual household usage and where you live, as well as your meter and payment type.
If you would like to find out how much you will be paying in energy bills, The Money Saving Expert website has a useful Energy Price Cap Calculator.
How can I manage the increase in energy prices?
The cost-of-living crisis is affecting families everywhere. When the extra cost of fuel is added to the mix, you might feel like you don’t know where to start.
We have a couple of options here which might be of use:
- useful page for considering how you will want to budget generally
- support and advice for dealing with credit card and Klarna debt
- collection of FAQs and resources which come from previously asked questions from other single parents
We understand that opening up might feel a bit embarrassing or frightening. Our forum is full of likeminded individuals with similar worries and stresses. It is a safe place for you to vent if you need to. Other parents often respond with shared experiences and solutions and our advisors monitor messages daily, responding to as many queries as possible.
Useful links
More info on the Warm Home Discount
- More information about the Warm Home Discount
- Find out which energy suppliers are part of the scheme
- Home Energy Scotland offer free advice on heating your home for less
More info on the Winter Heating Payment
- More information about the Winter Heating Payment
More info on the Energy Price Cap
- More information about the Energy Price Cap
Support with fuel costs
- Advice and information on reducing your living costs, including help with your fuel costs
- Link to our page about the Scottish Welfare Fund, which provides help to those in urgent need of money to pay for food, fuel or essential household items
- The Money Talk Team can help you understand your bills and make sure that you’re not paying too much for gas or electricity. You can also phone them direct on 0800 028 1456
- Find your local Citizens Advice Bureau who can talk you through support options in person or over the phone.
- Most housing associations have their own Energy Advisors, but it might be useful to get in touch with Energy Action Scotland
- Money Advice Scotland provide information on all things money and debt related, including fuel costs
- Check with your local council to see if you could be granted help with insulating your home. Find your local council’s website
- Ofgem have a useful page which breaks down energy bills
- If you are unsure about what benefits you can claim, Turn2Us has a useful benefits calculator here which can help you to find out what you are entitled to. You can also contact our Helpline and we can run a credit check for you.
- Contact OPFS on our Helpline at 0808 801 0323, or use our Webchat between 9:30 and 4pm Monday to Friday
Grants search
Check if you may be eligible for extra money by using Turn 2 Us’s Grant search tool.