Our Heating Bank, supported by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Household Support Fund allocation, supports vulnerable households with energy and water costs.

Eligibility

Before completing the online form, please review the eligibility criteria outlined below:

You must be a resident of Cheshire West and Chester, in receipt of welfare benefits and:

• Be struggling to pay your energy and/or water costs
• Provide proof of address dated within last 3 months
• Provide proof of receipt of welfare benefits dated within last 3 months
• Provide evidence of your pre payment meter balance or a copy of your most recent energy/water bill

Number of Awards

Due to the reduction in available funding this year and to enable us to help as many people as possible only one award per household will be issued for the period 01 May 2025 to 31 March 2026.

What we will help with

The Heating Bank is specifically aimed at providing financial assistance to low income or vulnerable households in, or at risk of fuel poverty. We can help support clients with electricity, gas or water bills. We may also be able to help with heating oil or LPG.

How to apply

• The Heating Bank will open each month for a limited number of applications
• Applications from households who have received an award in the period since 01 May 2025 will automatically be rejected
• The Heating Bank will close once the monthly allocation has been reached and re-open the following month for new applications only – please do not apply again if you have received an award since 01 May 2025
• The Heating Bank will close once all funds have been allocated

Unsuccessful Applications

• Incomplete or incorrect application forms will not be processed and will be deleted from our records.
• Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria, fail to provide evidence, or do not grant consent for personal data processing will not be considered.

Struggling to Pay Bills or Emergency Situations

If you are struggling to pay your energy bills our Energy advice service is available to help. You should also contact your energy supplier if you have not done so already.

If you are struggling with energy debts or face being cut off complete our debt assessment form or consider the following options

Cheshire West Citizens Advice Adviceline – 0808 2787806
Cheshire West HELP Scheme – 0808 1753599
Cheshire West and Chester Council – 0300 1238123

Please take a moment to look at the following tips on how to save money on your energy bills provided by the Energy Saving Trust.

Check to see if you can pay less on your water bills.