Home Heat Helpline

On the 9th December 2008 the Home Heat Helpline winter campaign was launched with new branding, a new website and with the support of actor Richard Wilson and paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson. The helpline is the only national service set up to enable people to access the FREE GRANTS and services they need to manage their fuel bills and reduce their energy consumption.

The Free phone Helpline (0800 33 66 99) is aimed at older people, families with young children and people with disabilities or long term health conditions. It provides vulnerable customers with a direct link to specialist teams within their energy supplier and access to a range of services including:

  • The Priority Service Register, which provides extra services including bills in large text or braille, security passwords and free gas safety checks
  • Grants for free home insulation
  • Flexible payment options for customers in fuel debt
  • Benefits entitlement checks
  • A disconnection safety net, which ensures that no vulnerable customer is ever knowingly disconnected.

Since it was set up by the  Energy Retail Association in 2005, the Helpline has received over 80,000 calls from across the UK, with a quarter of customers reporting reduced energy bills and many more accessing benefits that they were previously unaware of. As part of the  re-launch of the service, for the first time, customers or their relatives and friends will be able to make enquiries and access support online at www.homeheathelpline.org.uk

As well as providing direct help through access to grants and support for those most in need, the helpline also acts as a one-stop shop for access to the full range of support services from a wide range of organisations. This year, for the first time, the Home Heat Helpline will be able to direct calls - at no cost to the caller - to a number of specialised services including Warm Front, Consumer Focus, Energy Efficiency Advice Centres (EST), benefits teams at DWP and other agencies.