There is a range of grants and funding schemes available to Amber Valley residents that help reduce fuel bills and assist in the delivery of energy-saving measures that help improve the quality of life of many local people. The main schemes are detailed below, however, they can all be discussed in further detail with both the warmer Derby and Derbyshire service and the citizens advice energy team.
You may get a cold weather payment if you’re getting certain benefits or support for mortgage interest. You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days.
You’ll get £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. You do not need to apply. If you’re eligible to get a cold weather payment, you’ll be paid it automatically. For more information visit www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment.
The Derbyshire Discretionary Fund (DDF) can provide grants or emergency cash payments if you are in urgent need of financial help following a crisis or disaster. You can apply by phone on 01629 533399.
There are 2 types of awards potentially available from the Derbyshire Discretionary fund, called:
The team will take some personal information during the call and then an assessor will phone back to discuss the application in more detail. The assessor will need to know:
For both types of payments, the assessor will ask about what money and savings might be available.
For more information visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/social-health/adult-care-and-wellbeing/benefits-debt-and-legal-matters/derbyshire-discretionary-fund/derbyshire-discretionary-fund-ddf.
An exceptional pressure grant may help people who are receiving certain benefits who have particular difficulties because they need help to:
Typical items that are awarded are household items (cookers, fridge-freezer, washing machine, beds, sofa) but we can also make awards for rent in advance, removal costs, house clearances, clothing etc. You can apply by phone on 01629 533399.
Unfortunately, we can not help to pay off bills or arrears. EPG applications are triaged according to urgency. If an application is urgent please mention this when making the application or email ddf@derbyshire.gov.uk with any further information that needs to be considered.
An emergency cash payment may help people when they cannot pay for food, heating or emergency travel which could lead to an immediate and serious risk to the health and safety of the person or their family. This could be because of a disaster or crisis.
We cannot make more than 3 awards for emergency cash payments to the same person within a 12-month period.
Applications for both types of funding are by phone on 01629 533399.
To discuss an existing application, the office number is 01629 531918 or the team can be contacted by email on ddf@derbyshire.gov.uk.
Rural Action Derbyshire is operating an oil buying scheme to help reduce the heating costs of people who rely on kerosene to heat their homes.
There are communities across the whole of Derbyshire which are off the gas grid and the majority will use kerosene to heat their homes. The cost of kerosene is very volatile and has been rising steeply over the past few years and contributing to rising fuel poverty particularly (but not exclusively) in rural areas. The oil buying scheme uses the power of collective purchasing to achieve lower prices for everyone.
The oil buying scheme is open to anyone in Derby and Derbyshire, to domestic users, community groups and businesses. For more information visit www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/oil.
Households facing financial hardship can apply for a grant to help with their food, energy bills, and essential living costs. Households can access a maximum of two payments in the period between April and 30 September 2022.
Payments are worth £64 per household plus an extra £20 will be provided for each partner or spouse and each dependent child aged under 19. Payments are in addition to any support received from the existing Derbyshire Discretionary Fund, which allows eligible residents to receive up to three emergency cash payments (ECP) over 12 months.
This means that an eligible household who has already received the maximum of three payments from the ECP scheme and is facing hardship can apply to the household support fund for additional financial support. Any household support fund grants previously awarded to a household as part of the first HSF period (October 2021 to March 2022) do not count towards the maximum two payments available between April and 30 September 2022.
You can apply to receive support from the household support fund by telephone. Please telephone 01629 533399.
Energy suppliers are obliged to offer a range of free services, known as the priority services register, to their most vulnerable customers. These services are free to join and are available from all mains gas and electricity suppliers. The scheme is available to all household gas and electricity consumers who:
For more information visit www.consumerfocus.org.uk/get-advice/energy/households/help-for-vulnerable-consumers.
The Big Difference Scheme can offer a reduction of water bills to any Severn Trent customer with a household income below £16,480. You could get up to 90% off the average Severn Trent bill.
The Big Difference Scheme will assess your household income when you apply. That assessment determines how big a reduction you're able to get. The scheme runs for 12 months at a time and you'll have to apply again at the end of each year-long period. For more information visit www.stwater.co.uk/my-account/help-when-you-need-it/help-with-paying-your-bill/big-difference-scheme.
Each year the main energy suppliers in England offer a rebate of £140 off the electricity bills of households that receive guaranteed pension credit. You may also be eligible if you are on a low income and claim a means-tested benefit. For more information visit www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme.
Check with your supplier directly to see if you are eligible. The rebate is paid by the end of March each year; the number of discounts a supplier can give is limited so contact them as early as possible.
If you live in a park home you need to apply through an organisation called Charis. A new scheme opens each autumn. For more information visit www.parkhomeswhd.com.
The winter fuel payment is a yearly payment of between £100 and £300 to help people of pensionable age with the costs of keeping warm. The amount you will get depends on your circumstances. Most eligible households receive payments automatically between November and December. If you are eligible but don’t get paid automatically you need to make a claim.
For more information, call the Winter Fuel Payment helpline on 0845 915 1515, or 0845 601 5613 for minicom users. You can also visit www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment.
Contact the team directly on 01773 841335 or email eh-housing@ambervalley.gov.uk
