Struggling Households Need More Help with Bills

Higher energy bills this winter mean the government should step in to provide more help for households most in need, the body representing energy firms in the UK has said.

Stubbornly high prices over the last few years have left some people needing 'emergency support' over and above the existing £150 Warm Home Discount, Energy UK said.

The current support for households most in need does not go far enough, according to industry body Energy UK. The energy price cap for October onwards is expected to hit a three-year high.

Higher energy bills this winter mean the government should step in to provide more help for households most in need, the body representing energy firms in the UK has said. Stubbornly high prices over the last few years have left some people needing 'emergency support' over and above the existing £150 Warm Home Discount, Energy UK said.

The current support for households most in need does not go far enough, according to industry body Energy UK. The energy price cap for October onwards is expected to hit a three-year high.

Currently, people receiving means-tested benefits are entitled to the one-off £150 Warm Home Discount over the winter, something administered by the energy suppliers themselves. The rebate is paid for by a levy on all energy users that is collected and redistributed via bills.

Energy UK said the Warm Home Discount reached six million customers, but there were another 2.5 million who needed help because a medical condition or draughty home meant they consumed more energy. If the government would allow the combining of information about customers' income, health and energy consumption, a discount scheme could offer targeted and adjustable support, and respond to changing needs and price levels.

The last time the price cap reached a similar level was in July 2023, Cornwall Insight said, which was still below the peaks reached the previous year in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During that energy price spike the Conservative government committed a total of around £40bn , externalof government spending to support households with energy bills.

Energy UK suggested the new support scheme could continue to be part-funded through bills or shifted entirely onto the taxpayer, via government funding. The challenge of combining sources of personal data, including income and health, and the proposal to find more taxpayer money to fund such a scheme are likely to raise questions.

However, Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, said this was the sort of approach his charity was calling for, especially as the Warm Home Discount has risen by only £10 over the last decade. We desperately need a new approach,

Higher energy bills this winter mean the government should step in to provide more help for households most in need, the body representing energy firms in the UK has said. Stubbornly high prices over the last few years have left some people needing 'emergency support' over and above the existing £150 Warm Home Discount, Energy UK said.

The current support for households most in need does not go far enough, according to industry body Energy UK. The energy price cap for October onwards is expected to hit a three-year high.

Currently, people receiving means-tested benefits are entitled to the one-off £150 Warm Home Discount over the winter, something administered by the energy suppliers themselves. The rebate is paid for by a levy on all energy users that is collected and redistributed via bills.

Energy UK said the Warm Home Discount reached six million customers, but there were another 2.5 million who needed help because a medical condition or draughty home meant they consumed more energy. If the government would allow the combining of information about customers' income, health and energy consumption, a discount scheme could offer targeted and adjustable support, and respond to changing needs and price levels.

The last time the price cap reached a similar level was in July 2023, Cornwall Insight said, which was still below the peaks reached the previous year in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During that energy price spike the Conservative government committed a total of around £40bn , externalof government spending to support households with energy bills.

Energy UK suggested the new support scheme could continue to be part-funded through bills or shifted entirely onto the taxpayer, via government funding. The challenge of combining sources of personal data, including income and health, and the proposal to find more taxpayer money to fund such a scheme are likely to raise questions.

However, Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, said this was the sort of approach his charity was calling for, especially as the Warm Home Discount has risen by only £10 over the last decade. We desperately need a new approach,