Struggling with energy debt?
If you’re struggling with debt its difficult to know where to turn. The British Gas Energy Trust would encourage you to contact your local Money Advice Agency for help before applying for a grant. If you get advice, this will help your chances of a successful grant application.
Click here to find your local advice centre or find online debt and money information at www.turn2us.org.uk, www.StepChange.org and on the Citizens Advice national website.
Our Grants
The Individual and Families Fund
The fund is available to British Gas and non-British Gas customers with credit or pre-payment meter accounts.
Criteria that must be met:
- Pre-payment meter customers must have between £50 and £1,700 of energy debt
- Credit customers must have between £250 and £1,700 of energy debt
- You live in England, Scotland, or Wales
- You have not received a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust within the last 2 years
- You must be seeking a grant to clear an outstanding debt on a current or open gas, electricity or dual fuel energy account. The account must be in your name and relate to your main residence
- The trust does not consider awarding grants to closed accounts (e.g., if you have moved home)
- If your application is successful, your energy account will be credited with the grant. Please note the British Gas Energy Trust does not award cash payments
- You must be in or facing fuel poverty
- You have received help from a money advice agency or used our trusted partner’s self help Benefit Calculator tool within the last 6 months
We want to ensure that grants go to people who cannot access energy debt help from their own provider. Several suppliers have their own support fund which is restricted to their customers only. These are: OVO, Boost, Eon, Eon Next, EDF, Scottish Power, Octopus, Shell Energy, SSE and Utilita. If you are a customer of one of these companies, please apply to them directly.
Please do not apply for our grants if you do not have energy debt, as your application will be rejected. If you are struggling financially, please visit the drop down menu from ‘money and energy advice’ for resources such as the Bounce back Checklist, Better Off Calculator or the Lightning Reach Financial Support Portal. Alternatively, check Money and Energy Advice to find a Trust funded project local to you.
If you meet all the above criteria you may be eligible for a Trust grant, click here to apply for a grant.
British Gas Energy Support Fund
The Energy Support Fund is currently open to applications from British Gas customers with credit or pre-payment meter accounts.
Criteria that must be met:
- You are a British Gas credit or pre-payment meter customer living in England, Scotland, or Wales
- You have not received a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust within the last 12 months
- You must be seeking a grant to clear an outstanding debt on a current or open gas, electricity or dual fuel energy account in your name or be a member of that household, the energy account must relate to your main residence
- You must have a minimum debt of £50 as a pre-payment meter customer, or £250 as a credit account customer
- Have a maximum £2,000 gas and/or electricity debt
- You must be in or facing Fuel Poverty
- You have received help from a money advice agency or used our trusted partner’s self help Benefit Calculator tool within the last 6 months.
If you meet all the above criteria you may be eligible for a Trust grant, click here to apply for a grant.
Please note, we are an Independent Charity and cannot respond to complaints regarding gas or electricity accounts held with British Gas.
- The Trust cannot make part payments towards an energy debt
- You must provide evidence of receiving money guidance/advice: this includes: a letter confirming that advice or guidance has been provided, and that the applicant has completed either a standard financial statement and/or Personal Action Plan, or equivalent evidence of an income and expenditure budget exercise. This must have been received in the last six months, at the time of applying
- Applications take up to four weeks to be assessed, you will be notified via the portal by logging in, or by text/email, if you have been successful
- If successful, the payment to your energy provider can take up to two weeks to show on your energy account. Please note the British Gas Energy Trust does not award cash payments
- Application updates – please regularly login to the application portal to check for application updates. If you have problems logging in, please contact office@bget.org.uk who will respond to your email within five days
- Support with your application – if you are unable to access the online application, please email office@bget.org.uk . Please supply a contact number for our team to get in touch. You should receive a response within five days
- If you are unsuccessful in your application, our money and energy advice page may provide potential sources of assistance and support
- If you have a complaint about the British Gas Energy Trust, please go to: https://britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/complaints-policy/ . Please note we do not enter into correspondence around grant decisions, a grant decision is final
- If you meet the application criteria, The British Gas Energy Trust will only consider clearing arrears in full, partial payments will not be considered
- The British Gas Energy Trust reserves the right to close the application portal with little or no notice once funds have been expended
- We cannot accept applications for closed accounts, (i.e., if you have moved home or changed energy supplier) or accounts where you have paid off the debt with a credit card, or loan from family or friends
- Applicants with energy arrears over £1,700 for the Individuals and Families Fund, or £2,000 for the Energy Support Fund, will not be eligible to apply. If you are able to reduce your arrears, please do reapply
Fuel and Money Advice
The Trust funds advice-giving organisations across England, Wales and Scotland which give free support and help people avoid the burden of energy debt, make informed choices and improve their money management skills. Find an advice centre local to you.
Guidance for Money Advice services applying on behalf of, or supporting an application.
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 budget’s 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.1
1 8.3.2 Consumer Credit Sourcebook, Financial Conduct Authority
