Your energy, our support

Outside of Orbit

Outside of our services are several additional options which we have listed below:

Energy companies

Many energy companies offer schemes or grants to help with home heating and energy costs. Some are open to anyone, and you don’t always need to be a customer.

• If you're in debt with an energy company, you may be eligible for the Energy Trust Charitable Grant from British Gas (British Gas customers only).
• Contact your existing supplier to find out what they offer.

Here is a list of companies who offer grants specifically for their customers:

• nPower Energy Fund
• Scottish Power Hardship Fund
• Ovo Debt and energy assistance
• E.ON Energy Fund
• EDF Energy Customer Support Fund
• Bulb Energy Fund

• Octopus launched a support fund £2.5 million for customers struggling to pay bills. The Octo Assist Fund means that customers can apply for between £50 and £500 using a simple online tool which asks a series of questions about your financial situation. It's not only monetary support either, they are able to loan a thermal imagery camera to find heat leaks.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

You could get £140 off your electricity bill for winter 2021 to 2022 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme which opened on the 18 October 2021.

Cold Weather Payment

If the average temperature in an area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days you may be eligible for the Cold Weather Payment

Winter Fuel Payment

If you were born on or before 26 September 1955 you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills from a Winter Fuel Payment.

Winter Hardship Fund

­­­­You may have heard that the government is offering a Winter Hardship Fund. This will be administered by the Local Authority Revenue and Benefits Teams and will replace the Local Support Grant (formally known as the Winter Support Grant).  We will add more information about this as we get it.

Council Tax Rebate

The government, as part of their support for people facing financial hardship as a result of the energy increases have announced a £150 council tax rebate and £200 energy payment. Homes in council tax bands A-D - will get a £150 rebate in April. The move is designed to help support households as energy bills are set to rocket by a massive £693 a year for millions on the back of a new price cap announcement.

The council tax discount will automatically be applied to bills from April.

Discount on your electricity

The £200 discount on energy bills is for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. This will be paid back automatically over the next 5 years.

Details for both can be found on the government website.

Support from water companies

Water companies are stepping up to support customers with schemes such as the Big Difference Scheme from Severn Trent, and LITE from Anglian Water etc so people can save money on water and put this towards rising costs of living. This map shows which companies cover where.

To check which supplier covers your area – you can find out here.

Once you have found your regional supplier – find out what they are offering as support by clicking on your relevant supplier in the list below:

Midlands

South Staffordshire

Severn Trent

Anglian Water

Affinity Water

South

Southern Water

Southeast Water

Thames Water

Affinity Water

East

Anglian Water

Essex and Suffolk Water

Cambridge Water

Affinity Water

Northumbrian Water

It doesn’t end with the water companies – the government have also put in support for other areas of our lives including childcare, Healthy Start vouchers, National breakfast club, Money and Pensions service, railcards and Pension Credit

Additional measures in place:

• Doubled free childcare, providing working parents with up to 30 hours, worth up to £5,000 per child every year. The Government has also introduced tax-free childcare, providing working parents with up to £2,000 of childcare support a year. Under Universal Credit, parents can claim back up to 85% of eligible childcare costs, compared to 70% under the old system.
• Increased the value of Healthy Start vouchers by over a third to help those in need with young children, supporting them to buy fresh fruit and vegetables to boost the long-term health of their children.
• Put a further £24 million into the National Breakfast Club programme, with the aim of providing healthy breakfasts in up to 2500 schools in disadvantaged areas.
• Established the Money and Pensions Service in 2019, who provide free pensions and money guidance, as well as debt advice in England.
• Introduced the 26-30 railcard, the Veteran’s Railcard, and the 16-17 rail Saver enabling more people to benefit from discounts on rail travel.
• Pension Credit provides extra money to help with living costs for those over State Pension age and on a low income. Claiming it also opens up further support like Housing Benefit and Council Tax reduction schemes.