Octopus Energy giving thousands of pensioners up to £200 following Winter Fuel Payment cuts
Octopus Energy has announced an extension to its £30million Octo Assist fund
GETTY
Octopus Energy will now offer discretionary credits up to £200 to pensioners who need it most.
The extension of their Octo Assist fun follows the Chancellor's decision last week to change the criteria for Winter Fuel Payments.
Changes to the criteria of the Winter Fuel Payment will see around 10million pensioners miss out on financial support over the winter period.
These excluded pensioners will now have the chance to grab up to £200 to help with rising bills.
All pensioners have been eligible for Winter Fuel Payments since 1997, however now only those in receipt of Pension Credit or other certain benefits will receive them.
Rachel Reeves explained her decision to change the criteria forms part of her plans to plug the Government’s £20billion “black hole” in public finances.
Thousands of discretionary credits of £50, £100 and £200 will be available to those who apply
GETTYFor those who are eligible Winter Furl Payment, the amount remains unchanged - £200 for those aged between 66 and 79, and £300 for those over 80.
However as Octopus Energy has decided to extend its £30million Octo Assist fund, pensioners who are no longer eligible but still need financial support may be able to recover some of this money back.
The energy provider will now allow lower income pension households who don’t receive pension credit to claim new assistance from the fund.
Thousands of discretionary credits of £50, £100 and £200 will be available to those who apply.
The OctoAssist fund has helped over 80,000 customers so far, being used throughout the energy crisis.
Those who have benefitted from the fund have been given payment breaks, standing charge holidays and support with clearing energy bill debt.
Overall, Octopus Energy has invested over £150million in keeping costs down and supporting customers since the beginning of the crisis.
Octopus energy also offers extra support in the form of:
- Written, phone or online applications available to reach as many people as possible
- Free benefit and pension credit checks to make sure customers are not missing out on extra cash (as much as £1.7billion in pension credit could be currently going unclaimed)
- Worried about an elderly relative? Flag them up for a friendly phone call and instant support from dedicated Octopus specialists, if they are an Octopus customer
Greg Jackson, Founder of Octopus Energy Group, comments: "At times like this, we can’t expect the government to do everything - companies need to work hard on affordability too. That’s why we’ve expanded our Octo Assist fund to introduce extra support for the pensioners who need it most.
"There’s a lot of government and other support for pensioners but many don’t realise it - government data shows one in three pensioners eligible for pension credits are not claiming, so we’re training our team to help with this too."
Octopus Energy also has a number of other support initiatives still available to customers, especially those who are struggling. These include:
- Electric blankets: Free electric blankets for customers, resulting in an average winter saving of £150 per household, with 60,000 distributed so far
- Heat loss cameras: Loaning thermal imaging cameras to help customers identify and fix draughts, reducing their energy usage
- Energy Helpers: Providing tailored in-person energy-saving advice through the ‘Energy Helpers’ scheme, with over 300,000 homes visited so far
- Saving Sessions: Running ‘Saving Sessions’ to help customers save money by using less energy during peak periods, with over 2 million participants and £10 million in savings paid out over the last two winters
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