British Gas hands £2,000 to state pensioners this winter | Personal Finance | Finance

British Gas is offering £2,000 to state pensioners in need this winter. It’s freezing cold, energy bills have gone up again on January 1 – a whopping 5.1% for electricity-only users – and the cost of living continues to bite, even years after the crisis first began.

For many, despite the reintroduction of the universal Winter Fuel Payment, the increase in the national living wage set to kick in from April and boosts to Universal Credit, it’s still tough to make ends meet. That’s one of the reasons British Gas offers its British Gas Energy Support Fund, which offers up to £2,000 to households, including state pension households, to claim if they are struggling with energy debts. The firm’s Energy Support Fund is open to applications from British Gas customers with credit or pre-payment meter accounts.

To get up to £2,000 from British Gas, you must live in England, Scotland or Wales, and not have received a grant from the Trust in the past 12 months.

You must be seeking a grant in order to clear an outstanding debt on a current or open gas, electricity or dual fuel account in your name, or be a member of the household, and the account must be for your main residence.

You must have a minimum of £50 debt on a pre-payment meter or £250 as a credit account customer, and a maximum of £2,000 debt for your gas or electricity, and British Gas says “You must be in or facing fuel poverty.”

There is also the Individual and Families Fund, which is very similar and offers grants of up to £1,700 for energy debts.

The Trust added: “Please note that the British Gas Energy Trust is interested in funding applications where the applicant can show a sustainable position moving forward. We believe that it is rarely in the person’s best interest to seek a debt write-off, without dealing with the underlying problem of a deficit budget, due to this deficit budgets will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, there is some allowance for marginal exceptions.

“Please note where client’s would be eligible for a Bankruptcy or DRO, we expect this to have been explained to the client. Clients who are eligible for a DRO may not be successful in their application, as there is an alternative route to managing their debt.

“The Trust expects that the money advice service who has supported the applicant has ensured that all advice given and action taken by their agents or appointed representatives a) has regard to the best interests of the applicant b) is appropriate to the individual circumstances of the applicant c) is based on a sufficiently full assessment of the financial circumstances of the applicant.”

To apply, go here.