Everyone deserves to live in a warm home. If you are on a low income and struggling to pay for your energy bills, there is help available. We have compiled some resources to help you stay warm this winter in three sections below:
The Help Paying for Energy Bills section includes discounts available to help pay for increased costs of energy with details on how to check if you are eligible.
The Improving Your Home’s Energy Efficiency section includes available schemes that help pay for improvements to your home, to make your home easier to heat.
The Energy Saving Advice section includes some helpful tips which can help you reduce your energy use to save money on your bills.
If you have questions or need help to apply for any of these schemes, contact our welfare team on welfare@citizensrightsproject.org.
Help Paying for Energy Bills
Warm Homes Discount
This is a one-off discount of £150 off your electricity bill. The payment is made directly to your energy supplier.
You may be eligible if you:
- Receive the Guarantee Element of Pension Credit
- Are on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria
Payment is usually automatic, and you should get a letter to confirm this.
If you think you qualify but have not received a letter by early January 2026, you should contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme Helpline on 0800 030 9322.
A list of energy suppliers offering a discount is available here.
The number of available discounts is limited, so you should contact your energy supplier as soon as possible to apply.
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
The Scottish Government now has its own social security system, Social Security Scotland. This means certain Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits have been replaced with new benefits in Scotland.
Social Security Scotland will send the payment to the same account as your State Pension, or any Social Security Scotland benefits you get.
This is a tax-free payment paid once per year and replaced Winter Fuel Payment for people in Scotland.
A small number of people will need to apply: Check whether you need to apply.
Most eligible people should receive the payment automatically and do not need to apply. You’ll get a letter to confirm your payment. Letters are being sent at the end of the year to confirm how much you will get, and how you will be paid.
You may be eligible if you meet all of the criteria below:
- You were born before 23rd September 1959
- You live in Scotland, or an eligible country abroad
- You are eligible for certain benefits during the qualifying week (for winter 2025-26, the qualifying week is 15th Sept – 21 Sept 2025).
Qualifying benefits include:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
If you think you qualify but have not received a letter by 27th January 2026, you should contact the DWP on 0800 731 0160.
Child Winter Heating Payment
This is an annual payment to help disabled children; young people and their families pay for increased energy costs in winter.
The amount for winter 2025-26 is £255.80. Most payments were made automatically from October 2025. You can read more about it at Child Winter Heating Payment – mygov.scot
You may be eligible if:
- You are under the age of 19
- You are eligible for certain benefits during the qualifying week (15th Sept – 21st Sept 2025).
Qualifying benefits include:
- Child Disability Payment (highest rate)
- Disability Living Allowance for children (highest rate)
- Personal Independence Payment (enhanced daily living component)
- Adult Disability Payment (enhanced daily living component)
If you qualify, you should have received a letter from Social Security Scotland before the payment was made. If you think you qualify but have not received a letter, you should contact Social Security Scotland for a re-determination or an appeal on 0800 182 2222 or use the Social Security webchat.
Scottish Welfare Fund’s Crisis Grant
The Scottish Government have a Welfare Fund that includes two types of grants.
The Crisis Grant is available for emergencies, such as an inability to pay for your energy bills.
You may be eligible if you are:
- 16 or older
- on a low income or getting certain benefits
You can read more about the crisis grant, as well as how to find your local council’s Welfare Fund page with information on how to apply here: Scottish Welfare Fund – help with living costs – mygov.scot
Improving Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP)
LEAP is a free advice service that enables an energy adviser to come to your home to assess energy usage and identify ways you can reduce your bills and improve warmth.
You may be eligible if:
- You are in receipt of some form of social security (child benefits do not count) and/or
- You have a monthly income (including pension, wages and benefits) of under £2580
This will be established on the call with a LEAP booking agent and then, depending on whether they have staff working in your local authority, they will organise an at-home visit or a call. You can contact LEAP for an initial over-the-phone assessment by calling 08000607567 or check out their website here.
Warmer Homes Scotland
This is a Scottish Government funded programme offering up to £10,000 for home improvements like heating and insulation to make your home warmer and easier to heat.
This programme is available for homeowners and private tenants, who live in a property with a poor energy performance rating (if you rent your home, you will need your landlord’s permission before you apply).
For more information, and to check if you qualify, visit Home Energy Scotland’s website. They have a helpful self-assessment tool which allows you to enter your property’s details to check if you qualify.
Great British Insulation Scheme
This scheme offers free or discounted insulation to reduce your energy bills.
It is available for homeowners, private landlords and private tenants (if you are a private tenant, you will need your landlord’s permission before you apply).
You may qualify for this scheme if your home:
- Has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G – check your EPC
- Is in Council Tax bands A-E – check your council tax band
This scheme closes in March 2026. Some energy suppliers are no longer accepting applications. Contact your energy supplier directly to find out if they are still open to new applications and how to proceed.
ECO and ECO Flex Schemes
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme is for households in fuel poverty who require upgrades to their home to help them heat their home more efficiently.
Medium and large energy suppliers have a legal obligation to promote measures that improve the ability of low-income and fuel-poor households to heat their homes.
The level of funding will depend on the measures required to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Depending on the levels of funding available from different companies or installers, you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of improvements.
A retrofit assessment will determine what type of improvements are most appropriate for your home. These could include heating system upgrades and insulation.
The scheme is available for homeowners and tenants (including private and social tenants). If you rent your home, you will need permission from your landlord.
Eligibility depends on your household’s circumstances, including your income, whether anyone in your household claims benefits, and the energy performance rating of your home.
To check eligibility
- You can check the official government website.
- You can contact any of these energy suppliers, even if they are not your energy provider.
- You can contact your local authority to find out if they are taking part in the ECO scheme. Local authorities may refer eligible households to relevant energy suppliers.
Please note that this scheme closes in March 2026. Some energy suppliers are no longer accepting applications.
Contact your local authority and energy suppliers to find out if they are still taking new applications and how to proceed.
Energy Saving Advice
Making small changes in how you use energy at home can help to lower your bills, here are our quick tips:
Check your bill to make sure you aren’t paying too much, and that you are on the cheapest available tariff:
- Watch this video made by Home Energy Scotland about understanding your bill.
Save electricity on appliances
- You can save energy and money by switching off appliances (like TVs, computers and game consoles) at the wall when you’re not using them.
- Turn off lights when you don’t need them, and switch to LED lights so they use less energy.
- Avoid over filling the kettle. Kettles are very energy inefficient. If you are making tea or coffee, fill the kettle with only what you need to save energy.
- Only use your dishwasher when it’s full to reduce the number of times it’s running. You can also use an ECO setting to reduce the temperature down to about 40 degrees Celsius.
Save money on washing your clothes
- Most modern washing machines can be reduced to 30 degrees Celsius and still remove stains. Reducing the temperature on your washing machine saves electricity and lowers your bill.
- Dryers are one of the most energy consuming home appliances. If you can, dry your clothes outside or on a drying rack in a well-ventilated room.
Draught proof your windows, doors, chimneys and floors
- Draughts are gaps in your home’s structure which allow warm air to escape and cold air to come into your home. They can make your home harder and more expensive to heat.
- There are lots of ways to close these gaps and make your home warmer. Energy Saving Trust’s website has some tips on how to do this yourself easily and without spending lots of money.
The support outlined above provides you with expert advice and resources to reduce your energy bills and keep your home warm. If you are still unsure which schemes apply to you, or need direct help with applications, our welfare team is here to support you.
Contact us at welfare@citizensrightsproject.org.
Blog last updated in January 2026.
