Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert says you could get a free £1,700 from British Gas to pay for energy bills. You don’t have to be a customer of British Gas to claim the cash to help pay for your energy bills, either, the BBC Sounds star’s team says.
Known as the Individuals and Families Fund, this grant is offered to anyone in or facing fuel poverty. It says: “The Individual and Families Fund is open to credit and pre-payment meter customers. You do not need to be a British Gas customer to apply for this fund – you can be a British Gas Customer, or a customer from another supplier with arrears of up to £1,700.
“However, we want to ensure that grants go to people who cannot access energy debt help from their own provider. The following suppliers – OVO, Boost, Eon, Eon Next, EDF, Scottish Power, Octopus, Shell Energy, SSE and Utilita have their own funds to support their customers. If you are a customer of one of these energy providers, please apply to them directly. The British Gas Energy Trust cannot consider any applications from these suppliers, even if you do not meet your energy companies’ eligibility criteria.
“For British Gas customers, your balance will be verified with British Gas as part of the application process and if it exceeds the arrears threshold of £1,700, your application will be declined.” MSE explained: “Big energy firms have charitable trusts and funds that can help if you’re in debt and struggling to repay.
“With these providers you’ll usually need to be a customer of the firm to apply, but British Gas offers help to non-customers as well.” MSE continued: “The application process for this help is fairly rigorous (see charities that can help with the process).
“You usually need to have spoken to a debt adviser before applying, complete a full income and expenditure budget sheet, provide proof of your income, give details on how your arrears have built up, and say how the grant will help you.
“Exact eligibility requirements vary – some say you need to be in receipt of certain benefits, for example – but those with the greatest need are prioritised on a case-by-case basis. It can take several weeks to process your claim and funds are limited, so act now.”
