Thousands of British Gas customers can get half price electricity TODAY – who is eligible?
THOUSANDS of British Gas customers can get 50% off their electricity bill today.
The UK’s biggest energy firm is running its “PeakSave” scheme every Sunday between now and September 8.
The scheme first launched in December 2022 but has been extended multiple times since.
It offers qualifying customers half price electricity between 11am and 4pm each Sunday.
British Gas said it has paid over £11million to more than 600,000 customers who have so far taken part in the scheme.
If you haven’t already, you can sign up to the money-saving scheme on British Gas‘ website by entering your full name, email address and customer reference number.
The firm will then be in touch with you if your application is successful.
Once you’ve signed up, any discounted electricity is credited back to your account after you take part every week.
The credit appears as “PeakSave Credit” on your bill or online statement.
Crucially, you can only sign up to the scheme if you have a smart meter that can send half-hourly meter readings.
Smart meters come with a display that shows your gas and electricity use in pounds and pence in real-time.
Their major advantage is that they let you more accurately track how your household habits affect your energy usage.
British Gas says if you don’t have a smart meter, it will install one for free in your home.
Other help to pay for energy bills
If you’re not with British Gas, Ovo Energy has a similar scheme which rewards customers for reducing their energy consumption during peak times.
Power Move offers customers up to £10 a month if they cut their usage between 6-9pm, Monday to Friday.
For example, by using the dishwasher in the morning or waiting until after 9pm in the evening to catch up on TV.
You might be able to get free home insulation or have other energy-saving measures installed in your property through the Energy Company Obligation.
The scheme is designed to help low-income households on certain benefits such as Universal Credit, Child Benefit and Housing Benefit.
The Government previously told The Sun households eligible for the scheme save around £600 to £700 on their bills each year after having energy-saving measures put in place.
You can find out more on the scheme via the Government’s website.
You might also be able to get help via the Household Support Fund which has been extended by six months until the end of September.
The fund has been shared between councils in England who then allocate their portion to those in need.
That means what you can get depends on where you live and can be a bit of a postcode lottery.
However, the help is usually dished out to those on a low income or benefits.
You should contact your local council to see what help is available.
You can find your nearest council by using the Government’s council locator tool.
Households in Leicestershire are being paid up to £500 in July to cover the cost of living.
Meanwhile, in Shropshire, £400 payments will be made to roughly 3,000 households on low incomes.
Check if you’re eligible for benefits too as they can help you cover the cost of energy bills on an ongoing basis.
They often open up other added discounts and freebies as well including free NHS prescriptions and TV licences.
Some energy firms will offer you grants if you’re struggling to pay for energy bills as well.
For example, Scottish Power’s Hardship Fund offers some households up to £750 if they can’t make payments.
British Gas also runs a hardship fund paying grants out worth up to £2,000.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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