Octopus Energy has announced that customers who have lost their Winter Fuel Payments may be eligible for up to £200 worth of assistance with their bills. The firm is offering its pensioner customers the opportunity to apply for discretionary energy bill credits of £50, £100 and £200 after the government axed the payouts for everyone.
Octopus has chosen to extend its £30m Octo Assist fund, which is aimed at helping the most vulnerable pensioners. The company has stated it will now allow lower-income pension households who don’t receive pension credit to claim new assistance from the fund.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), state pensioners must be born before September 23, 1958 to qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment of between £100 and £300. Octopus has said that thousands of discretionary credits of £50, £100 and £200 will be available to those who apply.
Applications can be made in writing, over the phone or online to reach as many people as possible, reports Birmingham Live. Other support includes free benefit and pension credit checks to ensure customers are not missing out on extra cash, with as much as £1.7bn in pension credit currently going unclaimed, according to the energy giant, which competes with British Gas, EDF, EON, Ovo and others.
“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” they advised.
Greg Jackson, the founder of Octopus Energy Group, has declared: “At times like this, we can’t expect the government to do everything – companies need to work hard on affordability too.”
He added: “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.”