People on advantages together with Universal Credit can get FREE power devices to chop payments – test for those who qualify in 5 minutes

BENEFITS claimants can get free devices fitted of their properties to assist them minimize their power payments.

Octopus Energy is providing to put in photo voltaic panels and warmth pumps in as much as 1,000 properties fully totally free.

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Under the Government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, power suppliers should assist struggling and susceptible households to warmth their properties.

This contains serving to prospects cut back their power utilization, for instance by putting in insulation or upgrading their heating system.

It comes as hundreds of thousands of households will see their power payments hiked by 2% to £1,755 this autumn.

The new value cap, confirmed by regulator Ofgem right this moment, is available in from October 1.

It means a family utilizing a typical quantity of power pays £35.14 extra per yr.

Octopus says that by switching to its warmth pump, a typical dwelling with medium utilization may save £369 a yr.

Homes with excessive utilization may save an enormous £496 a yr.

But whereas the financial savings might be large, it often prices about £4,400 to get a warmth pump.

It means many poorer households are unable to stump up the upfront price.

Solar panels may knock between £190 to £350 off your payments, in keeping with Energy Saving Trust estimates.

But they price a mean of £6,100, so once more the preliminary price might be an excessive amount of for a lot of households.

If you had each a warmth pump and photo voltaic panels put in totally free, you’d save your self £10,500 on the upfront price alone.

Plus you’d then have the additional financial savings of as much as £846 a yr.

You may qualify for the assistance from Octopus for those who:

• Receive authorities help comparable to Universal Credit or Pension Credit
• Live in a house constructed between 1980–2022
• Have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) score of E or beneath

You do not should be an Octopus buyer to qualify.

What different help does Octopus supply?

The power provider can be delivering £1million price of help to prospects each month by its Octo Assist Fund.

This contains giving struggling households:

• Energy invoice credit – direct monetary help for households in disaster, usually inside 48 hours
• Standing cost holidays – as much as six months with no standing costs for susceptible prospects
• Debt reduction and debt matching schemes
• Free instruments like warmth loss cameras and electrical blankets
• Energy flexibility schemes like Free Electricity and Saving Sessions – with £10.5million paid out thus far

People scuffling with payments are urged to succeed in out now through https://octopus.power/weblog/octo-assist/.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, stated: “We know this winter will be tough, with bills stubbornly high.

“Octopus are boosting our personal help and urging folks to assist family and friends benefit from dwelling upgrades beneath the ECO scheme – we’re committing to improve 1,000 properties, fully totally free.”

More assist with power payments

If you might be struggling together with your power payments, there are a number of methods you may get help.

For instance, the Winter Fuel Allowance provides £300 to pensioners to assist cowl the price of their heating throughout colder months.

Around 75% of pensioners are anticipated to obtain the help this yr, after Labour’s U-turn on the tighter eligibility standards it introduced final winter.

Plus, struggling households can get entry to cash for his or her power payments by the Household Support Fund (HSF).

Each council in England has been allotted a share of the £742million fund and might distribute it to residents in want.

Exactly how a lot you may get and the way the cash might be paid is determined by your council and scenario.

Meanwhile, 1000’s of households will obtain the £150 Warm Home Discount.

The money grant is means examined and is given to households on a low earnings or claiming sure advantages, comparable to Universal Credit.

If you might be falling behind in your power invoice then may additionally be capable to get assist out of your power provider.

British Gas has a £140million help bundle to assist prospects going through monetary hardship.

This contains free power grants, tailor-made help for households and small enterprise prospects and funding for recommendation centres and charities.

It has additionally launched You Pay: We Pay, which supplies households the chance to have their funds matched by British Gas for a interval of six months.