Worried about the cost of heating your home or paying your utility bills? You are not alone, and support is available.
Many people are eligible for support and do not realise it, so it is worth checking what is available. Whether you need short-term help, advice to reduce your energy use, or support to stay warm and well, explore the options below to see what assistance you may be able to get.
You can get one to one support from Mid Suffolk Citizens Advice energy advisor. They can give you accredited energy advice, liaise with your energy supplier and check if you are able to get any energy grants (money you do not have to pay back). If you are in crisis and at risk of your energy supply being disconnected (or self-disconnection due to lack of funds) they can also help you find emergency heating support.
Citizens Advice can also help you with:
A grant for people struggling to afford the cost of essentials like food, heating, fuel, clothing and household bills. (This was previously known as the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme).
Find out more and apply on the Suffolk County Council website
If you are struggling with the cost of heating oil, you may be eligible for a heating oil payment through the Crisis and Resilience Fund. If you meet the eligibility criteria you can apply for a heating oil payment of up to £350, to help with part of the cost of an oil delivery. (You should only apply when you are ready to purchase oil within the next 30 days.)
Find out more about heating oil payments on the Suffolk County Council website
You may find it helpful to join a collective buying scheme that brings together local residents to bulk buy oil to secure a better price for households.
The Eastern Savings and Loan Credit Union (ESLCU) have interest free 'Green Loans' to help spread the cost of buying oil. (Subject to affordability, credit check, and a membership fee.)
Find out more about Green Loans from ESLCU
If you are struggling to afford your energy costs or have energy debt, contact your energy supplier and ask about payment options or grants. You can also ask your local Citizens Advice for help to budget and negotiate with your supplier.
If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, you may be eligible for additional support. The links below contain further advice about the grants and discounts currently available to households:
Improving the energy efficiency of your home can help you reduce how much energy you use.
Grants for eligible private tenants or homeowners, for wall and loft insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps, to make homes warmer and cheaper to run.
Check your eligibility on Warm Homes Suffolk
An energy efficiency initiative for homeowners, private tenants and landlords with less than five properties in Mid Suffolk.
Check what support you can get through Cosy Homes
Get free, trusted advice on saving energy, improving home comfort, reducing heating costs, and accessing grants and support through Mid Suffolk District Councils’ REACH service.
If you own your home, or are a private landlord, you can use the government tool to learn about longer term investments that improve the energy efficiency of your home. The tool also provides information on installations, as well as grants:
Find energy improvements on Gov.UK
Check whether you and your property are eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides grants towards the cost of installing low-carbon heating systems such as heat pumps and biomass boilers.
Apply for the boiler upgrade scheme
Switch Together Suffolk is a scheme that helps people in Suffolk install solar panels and battery storage for their homes. It is supported by local councils and works by bringing lots of households together to get a better deal from trusted installers.
Check what support you can get from Switch Together Suffolk
Find out about the latest schemes to support residents with heating their homes
Suffolk's Warm Homes Healthy People is a project designed to help vulnerable people and families make their homes cheaper to heat.
Anglian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water offer reduced tariffs to eligible households on a low income.
Anglian Water's LITE and Extra LITE tariffs
Essex & Suffolk Low Income Discount
You may be able to reduce your phone and broadband bill(s) by switching to a social tariff.
Explore social tariffs on Ofcom.org.uk
If you are on a low income and you're struggling to get online, you may be able to access free data from the National Databank.
Learn more about the National Databank
You can also access the internet for free at an Online Centre.
Find an Online Centre near you via The Good Things Foundation’s
If you are struggling to pay for your TV, phone or internet bill(s), you can get more advice from the Citizens Advice website, or contact your local branch.
There are lots of warm spaces across Suffolk where people can get together to socialise in a warm and welcoming environment.
Libraries: All libraries in Suffolk have warm spaces for anyone to come and use.
Community Groups: We have provided grant funding to community groups, to help them provide free or affordable activities, and support their local communities through the winter months.
Find your nearest Live Well in Winter group
The Rural Coffee Caravan: the charity runs or supports a variety of social events in rural communities across Suffolk. They have a map of all their sessions (including warm spaces) online.