The government and energy suppliers can offer help with insulating your home and other energy-saving improvements.

This Green Deal is a government initiative that provides loans for energy effiency home improvements. These include energy efficient boilers, double glazing or insulation.

You can apply if you are a home owner, landlord or tenant. The cost of the loan is paid through the electricity bill at the property over a set period of time. This means future tenants or homeowners will take over the loan repayments.

Your landlord needs your permission to make Green Deal improvements to your home if you are a tenant. Similarly, you need your landlord’s permission if you are a tenant who wants to use the scheme.

The amount of energy you use should go down once the new equipment is installed, but you may not see a reduction in your bills. This is because you will be repaying the Green Deal loan.

Find out more about Green Deal from GOV.UK

You may qualify for a new boiler, loft insulation or cavity wall insulation through the Affordable Warmth scheme.

The scheme is provided by energy suppliers for homeowners and private tenants who claim certain benefits. These usually include:

• income support
• jobseekers allowance
• employment and support allowance
• pension credit

You can also apply if you claim child tax credits and working tax credit.

You can apply to any energy supplier’s scheme, even if you don’t get your gas or electricity from them.

You won’t qualify for the scheme if you are a council or housing association tenant.

Find out more from GOV.UK or contact your energy provider.

If  you generate any of your own energy,you may qualify for the feed-in tariff. This means your energy provider pays you for any power you generate and allows you to sell surplus power back to the grid.

Feed-in tariff rates are not as generous as they were when the scheme was first started but it can still help reduce your energy bills.

Find out more about the feed-in tariff from Gov.uk

If you have problems with fuel bills or debt you can get face-to-face help from specialist Shelter Cymru advisers. You can also contact the Energy Saving Trust for information on similar services provided by other energy providers.

We are sorry that we cannot provide this information in Welsh, however if you would like to speak to an adviser in Welsh please contact 0345 075 5005.