Household Support Fund

Our Heating Bank, supported by the UK Government’s Household Support Fund, supports vulnerable households with energy costs.

In the last 2 years:

• We have distributed over £625,000 to local residents
• We issued around 5400 awards
• We helped approximately 4000 households

Eligibility
Before completing the online form, please review the eligibility criteria outlined below:

• You must be a resident of Cheshire West and Chester and:
• Be struggling to pay your energy costs because of low income
• Provide proof of receipt of benefits
• Provide proof of address dated within last 3 months
• Provide evidence of your pre payment meter balance or a copy of your most recent energy bill
• Have not received an award from the Heating Bank since 1st June 2024

Number of Awards
One award per household for the period between June and September 2024.

When to apply
The Heating Bank has limited resources therefore will open each month for a limited number of applications to enable us to process them in good time. The Heating Bank will close once the monthly allocation has been reached and re-open the following month for new applications only until September.

Only one award per household will be allocated.

Funds are limited for each application window and applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted.

The form will close once all funds have been allocated.

Follow us on facebook and X (formerly twitter) to find out when the Heating Bank is open.

Unsuccessful Applications
Incomplete or incorrect application forms will not be processed and will be deleted from our records.
Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria, fail to provide evidence, or do not grant consent for personal data processing will not be considered.

Struggling to Pay Bills or Emergency Situations
If you are struggling to pay your energy bills our Energy advice service is available to help. You should also contact your energy supplier if you have not done so already.

If you are struggling with energy debts or face being cut off complete our debt assessment form or consider the following options

Cheshire West Citizens Advice Adviceline – 0808 2787806
Cheshire West HELP Scheme – 0808 1753599
Cheshire West and Chester Council – 0300 1238123

Please take a moment to look at the following tips on how to save money on your energy bills provided by the Energy Saving Trust.