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Struggling with energy bills? Help you might be missing

If bills are a stretch, there’s more help out there than most people claim — and a lot of it goes unclaimed simply because people don’t know it exists. Here’s the main stuff worth checking, with the official routes.

• Warm Home Discount. A one-off amount knocked off the bill for eligible households (often those on certain benefits or low incomes). Check whether you qualify with your supplier or on GOV.UK — the amount and rules are set there, not by us.
• Cold-weather and winter payments. Extra help triggered by cold spells or paid to certain groups over winter. Eligibility is government-set; worth a two-minute check on GOV.UK.
• Supplier hardship funds + Priority Services Register. Most suppliers have grants or breathing space for people behind on bills, and a free register that gives extra support (priority in a power cut, advance notice, help reading the meter). Ask your supplier directly.
• Efficiency grants. Schemes for insulation and heating upgrades exist for eligible homes — these change often, so check the current ones on GOV.UK or with your council.
• And check the bill itself is right. Before assuming you just owe more, make sure you’re not over-paying via the direct debit. Are you owed money? →

We point you to the official sources for the schemes (the amounts and rules are theirs) — and Joulely makes sure you’re not also quietly overpaying for what you use, free and impartial.