Utilities

Households on certain benefits living in England and Wales can get £150 off their energy bills this winter under the Warm Home Discount after the scheme reopened this week. However, unlike previous years, you won't be able to apply for it as you should get it automatically - here's how to check if you're eligible.

Two of the largest energy firms in Britain, British Gas and Ovo, are still unable to confirm they'll let smart prepay customers use their £400 energy support payments on both electricity AND gas – despite gas being crucial for many people's heating this winter. As the second Government payment of £66 starts hitting meters, MoneySavingExpert.com is once again calling on these firms to let their customers decide how best to use it.

MoneySavingExpert.com is calling on some of the biggest energy firms to make it possible for prepay customers with smart meters to use their £400 energy support payments on both electricity AND gas, as it's the gas meter that's crucial for many people's heating this winter. It is unfair – and potentially unsafe – not to let smart prepay users decide how to use the payment. See our round-up of what each company allows below.

TalkTalk is hiking the price of its TV service from £4 to £5 a month for all new and existing customers from 1 November 2022. But it's an optional add-on, so you can cancel at any time penalty-free. Here's what you need to know.

The energy price guarantee, which was introduced on 1 October to protect households from a hideous 80% increase in energy bills, will now only last until April 2023, rather than for the next two years as originally planned. Here's what we know so far, and how the shake-up could impact your future bills.  

Shell Energy will pay an extra £150 to over 150,000 of its customers who get the Government's Warm Home Discount this winter – meaning those eligible will get £300 in total from both payments.

Eleven water companies across England and Wales will be forced to cut customer bills by a collective £150 million from April 2023 after they missed targets on issues including pollution, sewerage flooding in homes, and water supply interruptions. It follows a backlash against water firms over practices including discharging raw sewerage into local waterways and coastlines. 

More than 400,000 low-income households in Wales can get a non-repayable £200 cash grant to put towards their energy bills this winter, as applications are now open for the Welsh Government's fuel support scheme. Below we explain who can get the £200 payment and how to apply.

Energy bills will be capped at £2,500 a year for a typical household from 1 October 2022 for the next two winters, Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced. A £400 energy rebate will also continue to be paid as planned from October. Here's MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis' round-up.

Ovo Energy has announced a new support package for its customers, which will kick in this winter. Crucially, it plans to introduce a payment holiday for prepayment customers in debt from 1 October. Other measures include increasing the amount of emergency credit prepay users can get, offering free energy saving products and boiler services, plus additional funding for its grants scheme.