Fewer UK households at the moment are eligible for the federal government’s £200-300 Winter Gasoline Fee this 12 months. And we all know many shoppers trusted this assist.
That’s why we’re stepping as much as assist deliver this help again to clients who want it most: providing our personal £50, £100 and £200 ‘Winter Gasoline Funds’ to hundreds of Octopus clients who’ll not be eligible with the latest adjustments.
What’s the Winter Gasoline Fee and what’s altering?
The Winter Gasoline Fee is a yearly fee (of both £200 or £300) to assist pension-age households cowl their payments within the winter.
Up till lately, the fee went to all UK households with somebody over state pension age. Beginning this winter, it’ll solely go to households who additionally obtain Pension Credit score or one other certainly one of these advantages.
This implies the variety of households who’ll obtain the fee will go from round 11 million to simply over 1 million. Means-testing the fee helps be certain help goes to clients who want it most – a few of the lowest-income households. However no focusing on is ideal and we all know it may go away some pensioners who’re simply above the affordability line with extra prices to cowl.
What are we doing?
We’re extending our £30m Octopus Help fund in order that hundreds of shoppers lacking out on the Winter Gasoline Fee and scuffling with payments can now declare discretionary credit of £50, £100 and £200 from the fund.
How do I apply for assist by Octopus Help?
We’ll ask you to share some details about your well being, any vulnerabilities, revenue and month-to-month prices so we will work out the perfect methods we may help you. Making use of is fast and easy, and you are able to do it on-line, over the cellphone, or by mail.
We’ll additionally verify in case you’re entitled to some other authorities help or advantages (which for some clients, add as much as £10,000 a 12 months) and may help you apply. Extra on that beneath.
How does our Octopus Help fund assist folks?
We created the fund to help clients scuffling with payments in the price of dwelling disaster.
In three years, we’ve added £30 million in funding and helped 80,000 clients by bespoke help together with fee breaks, standing cost holidays and clearing power invoice debt. In addition to different initiatives, like:
- Electrical blankets: Free electrical blankets for purchasers, leading to a mean winter saving of £150 per family, with 60,000 distributed to this point.
- Thermal imaging cameras: Loaning thermal imaging cameras to assist clients in leaky properties spot and repair draughts so save on heating payments
- Vitality Helpers: Pleasant specialists visited over 300,000 clients to present tailor-made in-person energy-saving recommendation and account assist
- Saving Classes: Helps clients get monetary savings through the use of much less power throughout peak intervals, with over 2 million individuals and £10 million in financial savings paid out to this point.
Total, we have spent nicely over £150 million to help clients for the reason that starting of the disaster, between serving to essentially the most weak by the Help fund and absorbing a few of the highest power prices off everybody’s payments.
Learn extra about this work and the way we have fought for fairer costs for all.
Serving to clients entry essential authorities help
850,000 UK clients haven’t claimed pension credit score but – lacking out on help of £2,677 a 12 months on common. Our Octopus Help software will inform you in case you’re eligible for any help and we may help clients apply for these.
Our staff are working with 60+ native authorities to ensure clients of their communities know the way to entry help (from Octopus Help and authorities schemes like pension credit score) to cowl their payments and preserve heat.
