Home Heat Helpline: £310m help for those struggling with energy bills

Household money

Updated on 29 October 2014 | 1 Comment

Low-income households can get support with energy bills from Home Heat Helpline.

Energy UK's Home Heat Helpline has now launched for the winter, with £310 million available to help vulnerable households with their energy bills.

The Home Heat Helpline is an independent helpline, which offers free and confidential advice. Advisors are able to put callers in touch with other services like supplier trust funds and schemes that offer financial support towards a new boiler and better home insulation.

This year, £310 million has been made available through the Warm Home Discount for eligible households. On average, one in seven households is eligible to get help and support from energy companies. 

The helpline has a new number for mobile callers to contact on 0333 300 33 66 or you can ring 0800 33 66 99 if you’re on a landline. Calls are charged at local landline rates.

A webchat service is available for those who don’t want to use the phone. Head to the helpline’s website and click on the ‘Live Chat’ button. General information is available elsewhere on the site through a series of factsheets.

Lines are open between 9am and 6pm Monday-Friday.  

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Get in touch with your energy provider

If you're struggling with energy bills, it's a good idea to contact your energy provider. They’ll have information on their websites telling you what they can do to help. They may be able to alter your payment plan, freeze accumulated debt for a period of time and outline any benefits that you could be eligible for.

Each provider will have a different set of rules on what they can offer, so it’s a good idea to speak to them directly.

Check out our guide on where to get help with paying your energy bills for more advice.

Consider switching

Shopping around before winter hits is often worth the effort. See if you can switch to a cheaper tariff or bag a brilliant winter deal.

Have a look at the latest offers with the lovemoney.com energy comparison engine. 

Are you prepared for the winter chill? Let us know in the comments section below.

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More on energy:

We’re paying more for energy but using less

SSE is the first FTSE 100 Company to gain fair tax mark

Green Deal Home Improvement Fund gets extra £100 million funding

Millions not planning to shop around for cheaper energy this winter

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