Energy Crisis

The current Energy Crisis resulting from the current conflict in Ukraine has meant gas and electric prices have been significantly higher over the last year and will continue to be higher than usual going forward, meaning many people are now struggling with their energy bills.

Ofgem are the governing body for the sale of energy, and they manage the Energy Price Cap which sets the maximum price energy companies can charge for every unit of electricity or gas you use. The Energy Price Cap is not a limit on your total bill.

This Energy Price Cap is updated every 3 months to reflect the changing wholesale price of fuel. This is to prevent more energy companies from going bust, which usually results in a big price increase for consumers.

The Energy Price Guarantee was introduced in October 2022 to protect consumers from the rising Energy Price Cap. This placed a limit on how much consumers would pay for each unit of gas and electricity.

As the Energy Price Cap has fallen below the Energy Price Guarantee, energy rates will have reduced and the government is no longer subsidising energy bills. However, energy bills are still double what they were before the energy crisis so households may still be struggling to pay their energy bills.

If you’re worried about the crisis and what this means for your energy bills, please see all of the support we have available on this page.

Switched on Portsmouth - Support with energy bills

Portsmouth City Council has launched Switched On Portsmouth to support households struggling to pay energy bills by helping residents reduce their electricity bills and keep their homes warm at an affordable cost.

From help and advice to free energy and money saving initiatives, see what you are eligible for.

Visit the Switched On Portsmouth website for information on the available energy schemes and energy saving tips or call the team for free on 0800 260 5907.

Energy saving actions and installations in your home can save you money, make it easier to heat and improve the health of you and your family.

Energy advice

Portsmouth City Council works in partnership with LEAP (Local Energy Advice Partnership) to provide energy saving advice to residents struggling with their fuel bills across Portsmouth and the surrounding areas (PO1-PO13).

LEAP provides a FREE home visit service that offers energy advice, free small energy saving upgrades, and access to further funding for loft and cavity wall insulation.

To book a free home visit:

Please note that LEAP might experience a high demand of services during the winter months of 2022 and 2023 given the projected increase in energy bills.

Free energy efficiency upgrades for off-gas homes

Portsmouth City Council has secured funding through the Home Upgrade Grant 2 Scheme administered by the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) to offer off-gas households funding to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

This scheme is only available to properties that don’t use gas as their main source of heating, such as with a gas boiler. Properties with a gas connection can still be eligible for the scheme as long as this isn’t used for the main source of heating, e.g. you have a gas cooker but your home uses storage heaters.

Your home will be eligible for this scheme if it is mainly heated by any of the below methods:

  • Electricity (e.g. storage heaters, electric boiler, panel heaters, etc…)
  • Oil
  • Coal
  • LPG
  • Solid fuel

Eligible households can receive up to £38,000 to install upgrades such as solid wall insulation, air source heat pumps, solar PV panels and much more. You can learn about these upgrades and the savings to your energy bill they will produce at Switched on Portsmouth.

The scheme is operating on a first come, first served basis and has limited funding, so be sure to apply today:

Energy efficiency Upgrades for on-gas properties

Is your property mainly heated through a gas mains connection such as a gas boiler? See what energy efficiency measures are available to you.

Free insulation measures - Connected for Warmth

Connected for warmth is an award-winning energy efficiency programme managed by Agility Eco in partnership with Affordable Warmth Solutions. This is a nationwide scheme that provides insulation measures including cavity wall insulation and loft insulation for free! The only eligibility criteria for this scheme is that your property is within council tax bands A-D.

Apply for the scheme on the Connected for Warmth website.

White goods replacement scheme

Portsmouth City Council works in partnership with Agility Eco to provide free replacements of old inefficient white goods through the LEAP Appliances Scheme. This is available for households who are on low income. The scheme is a like for like replacement scheme meaning you will have to trade in your old white good to receive a new one. You will first need to have a LEAP home visit to be referred into this scheme.

To book a free home visit:

Energy Company Obligation (ECO)

ECO is a government energy efficiency scheme to help tackle fuel poverty. Obligated energy suppliers must fund measures which improve the ability of fuel poor and vulnerable households to heat their homes.

In conjunction with LEAP you can check if you are eligible for funding for larger energy efficiency measures (such as loft and wall insulation) under the government’s ECO scheme.

To check your eligibility for ECO visit the Ofgem website for supplier contact details

If you are not eligible for ECO through the standard eligibility criteria, you may be able to access the scheme through ECO Flex, which provides extra eligibility routes into the scheme.

To access the scheme, you will need to contact your energy supplier. Alternatively, you may be contacted directly by installers to have energy efficiency measures funded by ECO installed on your property. Be conscious of scams and contact us at hello@switchedonPortsmouth.co.uk if you are unsure about an installer who is contacting you.

Further information

For more information and advice from Portsmouth City Council on the help available to keep your energy bills low, your house warm and you and your family healthy, please e-mail hello@switchedonPortsmouth.co.uk or call 023 9243 7815.