Help with gas bills on a low income

Gas is what heats most British homes and their hot water, so a gas bill you cannot pay quickly becomes a cold, unhealthy home. People on a low income often face a double squeeze: higher usage in winter and arrears that grow as standing charges keep running. Those on a prepayment meter can be cut off in practice the moment the credit runs out, even though no formal disconnection takes place.

This guide explains UK rules and help for gas bills specifically: what your supplier must do, which payments and grants you can claim, how to handle prepayment meters, and why borrowing is the last step.

What your gas supplier must do

Ofgem, the energy regulator, requires suppliers to treat customers in payment difficulty fairly. If you are behind, you can ask for:

• a repayment plan based on what you can afford, taking your income and essential costs into account;
• a payment break or reduced payments for a period;
• help to pay arrears directly from benefits through the Fuel Direct scheme, if you receive certain benefits;
• a review of your tariff, your direct debit and whether your meter readings are accurate.

Rules on forcing households onto prepayment meters have been tightened, and suppliers must not do this for some vulnerable customers. If you think a meter was installed or switched wrongly, complain to the supplier and then to the Energy Ombudsman.

Prepayment meters: avoid self-disconnection

If you pay for gas in advance, ask your supplier about emergency credit and "friendly hours" when the supply will not cut off. Suppliers can also give additional support credit to people who cannot top up. If you have no money at all, a fuel voucher may be available through a food bank or charity working with the Fuel Bank Foundation, or through your council's crisis fund.

Join the Priority Services Register if you are of pension age, disabled, have a long-term illness, have young children or need extra help. It is free and gives access to services such as advance notice of interruptions and, in some cases, a free gas safety check.

Payments and grants that reduce the bill

• Warm Home Discount: an annual rebate for eligible low-income households, credited to your electricity account (some suppliers can apply it to a dual fuel account). It still helps you afford gas.
• Cold Weather Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, paid automatically to people on certain benefits during very cold spells; Scotland has its own winter heating payment.
• Winter fuel payments for pensioners.
• Supplier hardship funds: several suppliers run trusts or funds that can clear energy debts for struggling customers, sometimes even if you are not their customer.
• Local welfare support from your council, the Scottish Welfare Fund, Wales's Discretionary Assistance Fund or Northern Ireland's Discretionary Support.

Our page on energy bill support describes these schemes, and help with electricity bills covers the other half of a dual fuel account.

Use less gas without going cold

• Turn the boiler's flow temperature down on a combination boiler; many systems run hotter than they need to.
• Heat the rooms you use, close doors and draw curtains at dusk.
• Bleed radiators and keep furniture away from them.
• Ask about free or subsidised insulation and boiler schemes for low-income households.

Keeping warm matters for health, especially for babies, older people and those with heart or lung conditions. Do not cut heating to dangerous levels: ask for help instead.

If you rent or share a meter

Tenants have the right to choose their own energy supplier if they pay the bill directly, unless the tenancy agreement says otherwise; the landlord should not refuse unreasonably. Landlords must arrange an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give you a copy of the record. If the boiler is broken or inefficient, report it in writing, because repairs are normally the landlord's responsibility.

If your landlord pays the gas and recharges you, they can only pass on the cost they actually pay and cannot add a profit. Where the bill is included in your rent or service charge, ask how it is calculated. If a previous occupant left debts on the meter, tell the supplier the date you moved in: you are not responsible for someone else's arrears.

Gas bill checklist

• Take a meter reading and compare it with your bill.
• Call or write to your supplier and ask for an affordable plan.
• Register for the Priority Services Register.
• Check your eligibility for the Warm Home Discount and cold weather support.
• Apply to a supplier hardship fund if arrears are large.
• Ask your council about crisis support or fuel vouchers.
• Get a free benefits check and, if you have several debts, free debt advice.
• Have a carbon monoxide alarm near the boiler and never block vents.

Borrowing only as a last resort

Energy debt is a priority debt, but it is usually far better to agree a plan with the supplier than to replace it with a loan. Suppliers must consider your ability to pay, while a lender simply expects repayments. If you still need a short-term bridge, a Universal Credit Budgeting Advance is interest-free, and a credit union loan is capped in Great Britain at 42.6% APR. Our guide to dealing with urgent debt repayments explains how to prioritise. Compare the APR and the total repayable, and avoid payday loans to cover recurring bills. In England and Wales, a debt adviser can request Breathing Space to pause most interest and enforcement.

Scam warning signs

• Calls, texts or emails promising an "energy rebate" and asking for bank details.
• People at the door claiming to be from your supplier without ID: call the supplier on its official number.
• Loan or grant offers requiring an upfront fee.

For a broader picture of heating support, see our guide to help with heating bills.