became more expensive this month, and those who are struggling can claimcredit to help with the rising costs.
price cap for the average dual fuel household paying by direct debit increased from £1,717 a year to £1,738 on January 1. This marked a 1.2% rise and equates to an extra £21 a year. The price cap for those on prepay meters also rose to £1,690. The rise is yet another blow to households who are struggling with the - particularly for those on prepay meters. This is because you have to pay for your energy usage upfront before being able to use it, meaning if you do not have the funds to keep it running, you go without.
For homeowners in this position, there is help out there and several energy suppliers offer free bill credit to assist those who are struggling. We've rounded up the companies who are offering free credit to hard-up customers and how you can claim it.
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British Gas - £250British Gas customers have to chance to claim up to £250 in free energy credit for their prepayment meter. The scheme is available to customers on prepay meters struggling to cover their energy costs.
It is a discretionary payment, which means British Gas decides who gets the help. Not everyone on a prepayment meter will be eligible. Previously, the energy provider said those who are identified as being "vulnerable" would get the credit, along with those on "low incomes."
The majority of eligible customers will get £250, but some will get £100, depending on their level of income and vulnerability. Customers don't need to contact the company to apply for the help. Instead, those eligible will be identified and contracted directly by British Gas. If you are on a smart pre-pay meter, then you will get it automatically added to your energy account. If you are on a traditional prepay meter, you will be sent a voucher to redeem.
Octopus energy - £30Octopus Energy offers £10 emergency credit on electricity and £20 on gas for pre-payment customers. If you have a smart prepayment meter, the emergency credit can be activated on the home display. If you have a traditional prepay meter, you can get the help if you are down to your last £1 of electricity or £2 of gas. You will need to insert your electricity key or gas card to activate the emergency credit. However, it's important to note that any emergency credit will then be taken off the balance the next time the customer goes to top up.
Scottish Power - £30Scottish Power offers an emergency credit option for prepayment meter customers. The energy supplier has £10 worth of electricity credit built into energy meters to help keep your energy supply on until you're able to top up. For gas customers, this emergency credit rises to £30 in the winter.
As the credit is built into your meter, meaning you do not need to apply for the service. However, you have to pay back the credit if you happen to use it. If you go through the emergency credit, then your energy supply will be "temporarily" switched off.
OVO - £15Last year, OVO Energy raised its emergency credit rate from £5 to £15, and the firm confirmed that it would keep it at this rate for the foreseeable future. If you have an electricity meter, your energy meter will offer you emergency credit when your balance falls below £1. If you have a gas meter, then you will be given the option when the balance falls below £2. Like other schemes, you will need to repay the credit when you next top up. If your energy credit runs out and you can't afford to top up, you will need to contact OVO Energy.
Utilita- £100Utilita customers could get up to £60 of gas and £40 of electricity emergency credit through its Power Up support scheme. To be eligible, you must have less than £2 credit in your account, a meter that communicates correctly, and below £20 in debt on the energy supply you need to top up.
You cannot get the credit if:
To apply, you will need to download the My Utilita app, and you can apply for Power Up from the Home or Payments screen in the app. However, with most energy credit, you do have to pay the money back. You can also get £15 of emergency credit if you are struggling and aren't eligible for the Power Up Scheme. If you need to use it, you'll need to press the E-Credit button when your balance reaches £0, and the Low Credit Alert is displayed on your In-Home Display. Again, you have to repay this emergency credit.
EDF - £20EDF customers can get £20 worth of emergency credit when they are running low - £10 on electricity and £10 on gas. For those on smart prepay meters, you will need to activate the emergency credit if you want to use it, and you can do this when your balance drops below £1 - but before your credit runs out.
You'll see 'Emergency credit selected' as soon as it's activated and then 'Emergency credit in use' once you start using it. For those with traditional prepay meters, you can use the emergency credit when your balance drops below 50p for electricity and below £0 for gas. When this happens, your meter will give a warning beep, and you will see a flashing "e" on the screen. To start using your emergency credit, just take your key out of the meter, then put it back in.
EDF warns customers that emergency credit is only there to give you a bit of time to top up and your meter will disconnect when your £10 of emergency credit runs out. EDF will automatically take a payment for any emergency credit you've used when you next top up.
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