Partnership with Lightning Reach helping British Gas Energy Trust reach more households with energy debt grants

The British Gas Energy Trust reopened its Individuals and Families Fund to credit account customers last week.

The Individuals and Families Fund is now open to both British Gas and non-British Gas customers across England, Scotland and Wales with up to £1,700 of debt on a credit or pre-payment meter account.

Through its partnership with Lightning Reach, a financial support portal that provides clients with access to over 2,500 support schemes, the Trust hopes to be able to reach more people with this support. 

Jessica Taplin, Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, said:

“The need for energy debt support is growing and will continue to do so as we head towards the winter months. With the energy price cap increasing in October, more people might find themselves struggling with their bills, and even having to make the impossible choice between heating and eating. Our partnership with Lightning Reach will help us reach more households in need across Britain, spreading the support further than we have been able to before.”

In 2023-24, the Trust supported over 5,300 households with more than £7.8m in energy debt grants.

In the last eight months, over 17,000 people received an alert through Lightning Reach to apply for a Trust grant, with more than 650 people visiting the financial support portal directly through the Trusts website.

Ren Yi Hooi, Founder of Lightning Reach, said:

“With over 130,000 people seeking support through the Lightning Reach portal, we are delighted to be working with British Gas Energy Trust to help struggling households with their energy costs. As the need for financial assistance increases this winter, we aim to join forces across sectors with our new Winter Warmth Network set up to enable people to find and apply for a wide range of vital support, including the fantastic grants from the Trust.”

To see what grants are available from the Trust, please click here.

To access the Lightning Reach support portal, please click here.