Martin Lewis has explained how people who aren't eligible for the government's Council Tax Rebate scheme can still get some money back. On Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (30 March), the Money Saving Expert shared his top tips ahead of the energy bill price increase on Friday (1 April).
He was joined by host Susanna Reid for a special edition of the programme. It comes as the average household on default tariffs will see their bills increase by £693 a year, while those using prepayment metres will see an hike of £708, according to regulator Ofgem.
The government announced a host of measures to help those who will struggle with the rising costs, including a Council Tax Rebate payment of £150. But not everyone will be entitled to the rebate; it will only be available to households that fall under specific council tax banding A-D.
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The Money Saving Expert highlighted how households outside of the council tax bracket can still claim a discount if they are struggling. He explained that £144 million of funding, known as the Discretionary Fund, has been put in place to support households who are in need but are not eligible for the Council Tax Rebate.
He said: "If you are really struggling on your energy bills you can apply to your local council, it's council by council terms, and they can, by discretion, give you up to £150 if you're not eligible for [the Council Tax Rebate]. You'll need to do that in April, get in touch with them.
"If you're in band E or above, get in touch if you're really struggling and ask if you can have that £150." Martin also advised prepayment customers on how to avoid back charges from their energy companies during the special programme.
He urged people to take a photo of their prepayment metre on Thursday (31 March), the day before the energy cap rise is due. He added: "Go and take a photo of your prepayment meter on 31 March.
"So if [your energy company] do try and back charge you, you can say, 'well, I know exactly what I was using until that date.' And e-mail it to yourself so you've got a timestamp on your photo, so you can prove it was 31 March."
Other measures introduced by the government include a £200 discount on household energy bills in the autumn, which will be paid back automatically over the next five years.
