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Reduce your bills

It’s normal to feel pressured into paying the bills which seem the most urgent. But some bills are more important than others. Bills such as council tax, rent, gas, electricity, TV licence and court fines must be paid first.

All the companies which send out bills are expected to deal sympathetically with customers – they can sometimes restructure your payments or hold off chasing payments for 30 days while you talk to an Advice Centre.

On this page

Take Action

Talk To Your Suppliers

If they don’t help you, go to an Advice Centre. An Advisor can speak to these companies on your behalf to help agree an affordable plan. Please visit our Where to find money help and advice webpage for contact details for advice centres and to find local support services.

Budgeting Advance

You might be able to get a loan as part of your Universal Credit if you need to cover a specific expense - this is called a 'budgeting advance'. Find more information on the citizens advice website (opens in new tab) .

Claim The Benefits You Are entitled To

Now more than ever it's important that you are making sure you are getting any benefits you are entitled to, to boost your income! Visit the Your Notts Directory benefits page for more information.

Energy Debt and Energy Efficiency Advice

Need help with:

  • Debt advice including support with debt relief orders
  • Benefit checks, help with applications and challenges to the DWP
  • Reducing bills, desktop energy efficiency survey

An Advisor can speak to these companies on your behalf to help agree an affordable plan. Please visit our Where to find money help and advice webpage for contact details for advice centres and to find local support services.

Energy Or Water Bills Gone Up? Helpful Tips to Bring Costs Down

With a big rise in energy costs expected for millions - it is important to research what support is available to help keep energy costs down.

Green Rewards - For City and County Residents

The Green Rewards App has various activities suggested that can support environmentally sustainable changes. By reporting these activities in the app, users earn points and enter a monthly prize draw to win various vouchers. Visit the Notts Green Rewards website for more information

Nottingham Energy Partnership

The Nottingham Energy Partnership (opens in new tab)  has a lot of useful advice about switching your energy supplier, help with insulation and boiler schemes.

The Warm Homes Local Grant helps lower your energy costs with energy-saving upgrades (often referred to as ‘measures’) ranging from loft insulation, solid or cavity wall insulation, or renewable energy systems such as solar PV panels, batteries and air source heat pumps.

Energy Savings Trust / NEA

The Energy Savings Trust and NEA also provides a lot of other useful information.

Reduce Water Bills By Reducing Usage

Visit the Save Water Save Money (opens in new tab)  website to order free and reduced cost water saving devices for your kitchen, toilet, bathroom and garden.

GoCompare Interactive Energy Cost Calculator Tool

Ever wondered whether it’s cheaper to run a gas or electric oven? Or how about an electric blanket for 3 hours versus turning the heating on for 30 minutes? Well now you can find out.

GoCompare have developed an interactive energy cost calculator tool to find out how much something costs to run. Use the calculator to pick the appliances you want to compare and select how long they’ll be in use for. Visit GoCompare Energy Calculator.

Government Support Payments

Further support can also be accessed via government support payments below:

SupportEligibility
Energy Bill Support (opens in new tab) Please visit Help with your energy bills Gov.uk (opens in new tab) for more information.
Winter Fuel PaymentNational annual payment for senior citizens.
Warm Homes DiscountThe Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill. The money is not paid to you.
Cost of Living payment (opens in new tab) You may have been entitled to payments to help with the cost of living if you were getting certain benefits or tax credits.
Household Support VouchersNew supermarket and energy vouchers for the most financially vulnerable people in Nottingham & Nottinghamshire.

Worried About Debt? Gas, Electric & Water Provider Schemes

With the cost of living set to rise significantly over the coming months due to increases in food and energy prices, the withdrawal of the Universal Credit uplift and the rise in National Insurance levels later this year, it is likely to be a financially challenging time for many households.

There is some support available to help with the rising costs of energy bills. Most suppliers have funds available that can help pay off debt and sometimes help with your ongoing bills. They'll want details about your circumstances and finances. If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, check your supplier’s website or give them a call.

Some of the available schemes are linked below -

Household Support Fund Vouchers

The Household Support Fund provides support to vulnerable residents in the following ways:

  • Free School Meal Vouchers
  • Supermarket Vouchers
  • Energy Vouchers
  • Food Bank Support
  • Social Eating Projects Support
  • Care Leaver Support
  • Asylum / Refugee Support
  • Mobile Food Supermarket Support

Further information on the support that is available and how to apply please visit the Household Support Fund Information page.

Council Tax Rebates, Discounts and Reductions

Find out about the types of council tax discounts Nottingham City & Nottinghamshire County offer to support our residents. To find out the discounts and exemptions available please visit:

For Nottingham City Residents visit the Nottingham City Council Tax Discounts and Exemptions Webpage

For Nottinghamshire County Residents visit your local council website for further information:

If you are unsure of which council you are part of, please use the following link to Find your local council

Warm Spaces

Warm Spaces Community Venues

These welcoming spaces at the heart of our communities, offer somewhere for residents to go to keep warm, meet other people, or even an alternative place to work other than their own home. Some of the spaces may also offer refreshments and activities, as well as information on how to reduce bills and access support.

Visit the Warm Spaces Community Venues Page.

Affordable Warmth

Reduce household expenditure

Not having affordable warmth can occur because the costs of heating a home are higher than average and paying for those costs leave people below the poverty line.

This affects around 15% of households in Nottingham and is one of the top five priorities for Nottingham City Council.

Households on low incomes or in receipt of certain benefits may be eligible for energy bill discounts. Search the GOV.UK (opens in new tab) for advice on heating and housing benefits, Cold Weather Payments, Winter Fuel Payments and the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

You can talk to the following local organisations for help:

Better Housing Better Health

Better Housing Better Health (BHBH) is a charity working locally to improve your domestic warmth and wellbeing. Their free helpline provides a single point of contact for services, advice and financial support in order to improve the energy efficiency of your property.

The team of experts can work with households to apply for grants and funding to help with your home energy and assist with checking your eligibility and signing up to the Priority Services Register. A trained home energy advisor can install free small energy-saving measures in your home and help you to understand your heating system.

All advice is free, confidential, and tailored to the resident. To speak to one of the team, call 0800 107 0044 weekdays between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

For more information visit the Better Housing Better Health website

Insulation, Heating, Energy Switching & Energy Advice

Get support and advice on boiler and insulation grants to reduce your fuel bills and stay warm and healthy in your home from NEP’s Healthy Housing Service. Receive free support in the event of an unplanned power cut by registering on the Priority Services Register. For details go to the healthy-housing service webpage or call the team on 0115 985 9057.

Cold rented accommodation

Landlords must comply with the latest domestic energy efficiency standards and housing regulations by law.

For Nottingham City Residents visit the Report a problem with your Private Rented Property via the Nottingham City Council safer housing team

For Nottinghamshire County Residents visit your local council website for further information:

If you are unsure of which council you are part of, please use the following link to Find your local council

Age UK Warm & Wise Service

If you are 50+ living in the city and county and would like to be warmer and wiser about energy, Age UK are here to provide personalised, practical information and advice:
• Fit FREE energy saving measures such as draught excluders, timers and LED light bulbs*
• Advice on how to reduce your energy usage & bills
• Advise you on how much to maintain a healthy temperature at home
• Maximise your income through benefit checks
• Provide energy saving tips, information & signposting.
• Support is available through home visits or via telephone.*subject to availability

Email: warmandwise@ageuknotts.org.uk
Telephone: 0115 8599 209

Worried About Health Costs? NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS)

This is a scheme provided by the NHS - if you have a low income, you may be able to get help with NHS costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS). For further details and for information on how to apply please visit the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS) website

Reducing Phone, Broadband and Mobile Charges

Ofcom provides some useful information about how to change your phone, broadband and mobile supplier. The price comparison sites listed have been accredited by Ofcom. Please visit the Use an Ofcom-accredited price comparison website for further details.

Free Energy Efficiency Measures for Homeowners

Warm Homes Local Grant

The Warm Homes Local Grant (WHLG) is a Government funded programme which provides energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating via local authority funding, to households across England.

The aim is to raise the energy efficiency of hard-to-heat homes, delivering a package of fully funded energy-saving upgrades covering free home insulation and/or free low-carbon heating measures.

These measures make your home more comfortable and cheaper to heat, helping to lower your carbon emissions whilst reducing your heating bills in the long term.

Warm Homes Local Grant Information webpage

Free/Reduced Costs Energy Efficiency Measures For Private Rented Properties

Privately rented properties may be eligible for free or reduced cost energy efficiency measures. We’ve put together this information for landlords so they can see what their properties may be eligible for:

Improved energy efficiency will make your home easier and cheaper to heat and keep warm. Eligibility criteria for the measures usually incudes factors such as household income of tenants, council tax band of the property, the EPC rating of the property, suitability of property for proposed measures and funds are often distributed on a first come, first served basis. Speak to your landlord to see if your circumstances and property type enable your home to be eligible for free or reduced cost energy efficiency measures.

Did you know that the current requirement for landlords to be able to rent out their properties is that the property has to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E or above, unless an exemption applies and is registered. These standards are expected to increase in the future to an EPC C rating. You can find out the EPC rating for your home via the GOV.UK find-energy-certificate website.

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Last updated: 25 March 2026