What help can you get paying your energy bills?

There are three main grants and allowances available in Ireland that can help make your energy bills a bit more manageable.

1. Household Benefits Package

This is a set of allowances that could help towards the cost of running your home. If you’re eligible for the Household Benefits Package, you could get:

• A monthly gas or electricity allowance of €35 per month, all year round
• A free TV licence, from the next renewal date of your licence

If you’re over 70 you automatically qualify for the Household Benefits Package. However, you can also get it if you’re under 70 and meet additional qualifying criteria.

How to apply

You can apply online for the for the Households Benefits Package by visiting the MyWelfare website.

Find out more about the package and and check if you qualify for it on the Gov.ie website.

2. Fuel Allowance

If you’re getting certain social welfare payments, you’ll qualify for the Fuel Allowance which helps with the cost of heating your home during the winter months.

Payments run weekly for 28 weeks from October to April, or you can opt for two lump sum payments.

How much do you get?

In total, it’s worth €735 whether you opt for weekly or lump sum payments, here are the two payment types:

• Weekly payments: starting from October 2020 at €24.50, then increasing to €28.00 in January 2021.
• Two lump sum payments: The early October payment is €343 and the second lump sum made in mid January is €392.

If you apply later in the year, your payments will not be backdated.

How to apply

To apply for Fuel Allowance for the first time, you need to fill in a NFS1 form and send it to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection that pays you.

Our guide: How to claim the Fuel Allowance covers off more on how to apply and how to change your payment type.

You can also visit the Gov.ie website to check if you qualify and find out more about the scheme.

3. Home Energy Grants

Another way to get help with your energy bills is by making the most of the grants on offer from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

These grants are to help make your home more energy efficient and help reduce your gas and electricity bills. Some of the grants currently on offer include money for:

• Insulation
• Heat pump system
• Heating controls
• Solar water heating
• Solar electricity

The value of these grants is based on your circumstances and the size of your home but could be worth up to €6,000.

Some grants require an investment from you, meaning you’ll need to share the cost of the home energy improvements. However, you stand to make substantial savings on your energy bills once the improvements are complete.

How to apply

There are some steps to take before applying for a grant, the first of these is deciding what energy improvements your home needs.

The SEAI website has all the information you need on the different grants available, including their full terms and conditions and how to apply.

Other ways to save on your energy bills

Once you’ve found out what financial support you can get, it’s worth looking at other ways you could make your bills cheaper.

Switch to a cheaper tariff

You could save up to €475 by switching to a cheaper gas & electricity tariff which could make a huge difference to your household bills.

Switching is easy and takes just a few minutes. If you haven’t switched in the last 12 months then it’s even more likely that you could make some big savings. Here’s how to switch your gas and electricity supplier.

Make your home more energy efficient

Another way to cut your bills is just by using less energy and there are lots of ways you can make your home more energy efficient without a big financial outlay. See our top energy saving tips to get started.