Nearly four in 10 adults still don’t seek support when struggling with energy bills

Nearly four in 10 adults still don’t seek professional advice or support when struggling to pay their energy bills – because of the stigma around asking for help.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 35% at least sometimes struggle to pay their energy bills, but many are doing so in silence.

With the stigma or embarrassment around asking for support the main reason for 34% keeping it to themselves – up from 28% a year ago.

And those aged 25-34 were most likely to cite this as a barrier 47.

Others avoid seeking support due to a misguided belief that they won’t qualify (35%), or because they feel the application process is too complicated (23%).

It also emerged 51% find it difficult to talk about struggling to pay their energy bills, rising from 35% last year.

Gas and electric costs were named the most challenging (26%), followed by council tax ( 1%) and water (11%).

But this increased to 51% for those aged 25-34, and 56% for the 18-24 age group.

The research was commissioned by British Gas, as part of its independent charitable trust British Gas Energy Trust which has partnered with the Post Office and 20 local money and energy advice charities to offer 120 free drop-in events at 20 Post Offices across the UK over the next 12 months.

These events give people the chance to get practical, face-to-face support on budget planning, managing energy debt, applying for debt write-off grants, and accessing simple energy-saving measures to help keep homes warmer and bills lower.

Jessica Taplin, chief executive of British Gas Energy Trust, said: “We know that managing household budgets remains a real challenge for many, with the cost of living putting pressure on people across the country.

“And although we’re starting to see more people coming forward to seek support, we recognise that doing so can still feel difficult.

“That’s why we’ve partnered with the Post Office and trusted local money and energy charities to bring support into communities across Britain – including Leicester, Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, London and Liverpool.

“These drop-in sessions provide practical advice on budgeting, managing bills, and accessing our funding which is now available, all in a friendly and approachable setting for people of all energy suppliers.

“No one should feel alone in this – and we want people to know that help is not only available, but designed to work for them, wherever they are in life.”

The study also showed that homeowners seem to be having more problems paying their energy bills (41%) than renters (21%).

According to the research, for those who are willing to seek support, their first ports of call are either friends and family (31%) or energy provider payment plans (23%).

It also found 54% believe advice from a trusted local money and energy advice charity would also make it much easier for them to get the support they need during difficult times.

Whereas the same number (54%) are likely to go straight to their energy provider in this situation, according to the OnePoll.com data.

Almost two thirds (62%) believe there should be more Government and charity programmes to help people manage rising energy costs.

Christina King, customer vulnerability manager at British Gas, which is hosting its first drop-in event is at the Woodgate Post Office in Leicester in collaboration with the Zinthiya Trust on 16th and 17th of September, said: “It’s encouraging to see more people speaking to their energy provider when they’re finding things tough.

“That first conversation can make a real difference and there are many ways we can help.

“We’ve invested more than £100m to enable us to provide matched debt repayments and non-repayable credit for those in serious difficulty.

“Our advisors will be available at local pop-up events to offer practical, face-to-face guidance to help during the upcoming winter and beyond.”