Managing The Energy Bill

With the rise in Energy Bills, there has arisen a movement of people of are urging customers not to pay. However, experts are urging people to continue to pay their bills. There are several reasons for that advice:

· Customers will face non-payment fees (of around E10) or missed payment fees (of around E5) and potentially interest (at 3% above the Base Rate)

· You might be barred from using Direct Debit due to your direct debit not being honoured

· Direct Debit is usually the cheapest method of payment (as it usually comes with a discount), so not having Direct Debit will raise future payments

· You may be forced onto a prepayment meter (which are generally more expensive). They have a lot of good points but they are usually more expensive

· Your credit score will be affected – it will be harder and more expensive to get credit

What help is there available?

You might be eligible for cold weather payments – this is an automatic payment

People on pension can get winter fuel payments worth up to E600

Maximise your benefits – services like Citizens Information can identify if you are missing any benefits and your local Advice Centre can help you make your application

Martin Lewis of Moneysavingexpert also suggests the following:

Talk to your energy supplier as early as possible to request:

· A full payment plan review

· An affordable debt repayment plan

· A payment breaks

· Payment reductions

· More time to pay

· Access to Hardship Funds

Support Credit For Top Up Meters

If you can't afford to top up and you're facing self-disconnection through being unable to keep enough money on the meter, you may be able to get additional support credit (or extra support credit). What you can get, how this works and if you're eligible will depend on your supplier, so speak to it as soon as possible. In general, additional support credit is usually for those in vulnerable situations (such as those of state pension age, or with a disability or long-term medical condition). It's also up to the supplier to assess how much additional credit you'll get and to work with you to come up with a repayment plan, based on your ability to pay.