If you are 70 or over and in need – Age Concern may be able to help. Please see below for contact details and information.
Act On Energy – Warwickshire Household Support Fund.
The Warwickshire Household Support Fund 2021/22 offers qualifying residents living in Warwickshire support with fuel debt, fuel supplier payments for oil, LPG and solid fuel, and in some cases assistance to repair or replace broken boilers and heating systems. The Fund is being administered by Act on Energy on behalf of Warwickshire County Council.
What help is available?
- DEBT RELIEF
Available to homeowners, tenants in private rented properties and social housing tenants who meet the scheme’s income and vulnerability qualifying criteria.
Households can apply for help to pay off electricity and gas bill fuel debt. Please note the fund is for fuel debt not current bills and only those who are in arrears will be supported i.e. we cannot support with current fuel bill. Payments will be made directly to the energy provider
An application form will need to be completed and evidence provided before any support will be considered.
- FUEL SUPPLIER PAYMENTS
Available to homeowners, tenants in private rented properties and social housing tenants who meet the scheme’s income and vulnerability qualifying criteria.
Households can apply for help to pay for oil, LPG and solid fuel top ups / tank fills. Based upon an invoice, payments will be made directly to the supplier.
An application form will need to be completed and evidence provided before any support will be considered.
OTHER SCHEMES AVAILABLE
- BOILER/HEATING SYSTEMS – SERVICE, REPAIRS, REPLACEMENT
Available to homeowners, shared ownership and tenants in private rented properties who have a responsibility for repairs. This support is not available to social housing tenants.
- Families with children age under the age of 18 and, or with young adults up to age of 21 who are living at home and in full time education, may qualify for support to have a boiler service, broken boiler/heating system repaired or replaced, if a repair is not economic.
A household which meets the above criteria and are experiencing problems with their boiler/heating should initially contact the Family Information Service – 01926 742274 – who will assess the situation and make a referral to the Household Support Scheme. You should NOT apply through this form
- Households which do not contain children or young adults in full time education may still receive support for boiler/heating, service, repairs, replacement through the existing Warm and Well in Warwickshire scheme, if they meet the scheme’s qualifying criteria. Please note this is different to the Household Support Scheme, contact Act on Energy on 0800 988 2881. You should NOT apply through this form.
Properties must not be on the market for sale or at risk of repossession and must have been owned for a minimum of 12 months.
An application form will need to be completed and evidence provided before a technical assessment of the boiler/heating will be undertaken by a contractor appointed by Act on Energy. This is not an emergency service. The repair or replacement of systems is subject to quotations and approval. Once approved it can take up to four weeks – sometimes longer – depending on the work required and the availability of contractors.
- PRE-PAYMENT METER FUEL VOUCHERS
- Households which have pre-payment meters can apply for help to top up their electricity and gas. This support is being provided through the Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme. Their contact numbers are 0800 408 1448 or 01926 359182. Qualifying criteria for support are different to the Household Support Scheme. You should NOT apply through this form.
How do I qualify for assistance?
To be eligible for support you must satisfy all 3 criteria below:
- have a gross household income (including benefits) of £30,000 or under, and
- have a financial vulnerability from the list shown below, and
- must be able to prove that they have no household savings.
Vulnerability list:
For the purposes of this Household Support Scheme a vulnerable household is one which is struggling financially where:
- You are self-employed and have been unable to work/your income continues to be impacted by Covid 19
- Struggling to manage debt
- Recently made redundant
- In receipt of DWP means tested benefits
- In receipt of DLA or PIP
- Qualify for free school meals
- Direct referral from a school, foodbank, local authority, healthcare organisation, registered charity or voluntary organisation, etc.
Other vulnerabilities disclosed by household’s not on the list but accepted at Act on Energy’s discretion
Applying for Fuel Payments and Debt Relief only.
Where possible, you should apply online by completing the Expression of Interest form link at the bottom of this page.
For help with fuel debt you will need to complete an application form and provide evidence.
We will ask each applicant applying for the Fuel Payments to provide evidence to support their application. We will request this evidence by email or phone.
The information you send needs to be emailed to support@actonenergy.org.uk or send to:
Warwickshire Household Support Fund, FREEPOST RUAY-JCSS-GLCC, Act on Energy, Unit 1.4 Lauriston Park, Pitchill, EVESHAM, WR11 8SN
For any expression of interest please do not chase your application unless a minimum of 15 working has passed. This is not an emergency service and we are expecting there to be a lot of demand for support, so the more time we spend dealing with chasing calls the longer it will take us to deliver the scheme. Please be patient.
You will be advised by email or telephone when a payment has been made.
How the Process Works – a summary
- Read `how to qualify for assistance’ and check that you are eligible
- Complete the Expression of Interest or if you do not have access to a computer call 0800 988 2881
- You will receive an application form and request for evidence
- Complete the application form and send this along with the evidence to: FREEPOST RUAY-JCSS-GLCC, Act on Energy, Unit 1.4 Lauriston Park, Pitchill, EVESHAM, WR11 8SN or support@actonenergy.org.uk(If you send by email the last page MUST have a signature)
- When the evidence and application form has been checked you will be contacted if your application is successful or not
We are expecting a big demand for this service so please be patient and do not email or call as this will slow down the process for you and everyone else.
Act On Energy Support Fund website for Warwickshire. https://actonenergy.org.uk/project/warwickshire-household-support-fund/
For those wishing to apply and who meet the criteria as set out the link is :