British Gas Energy Trust has partnered with the Post Office and 20 local money and energy advice charities to offer 120 free drop-in events at 20 Post Offices across the UK over the next 12 months, the Trust announced on 15 September 20251. The first event is at the Woodgate Post Office in Leicester, in collaboration with the Zinthiya Trust, on 16 and 17 September1.
The Trust said the events give people the chance to get practical, face-to-face support on budget planning, managing energy debt, applying for debt write-off grants, and accessing simple energy-saving measures to help keep homes warmer and bills lower1. Jessica Taplin, Chief Executive of British Gas Energy Trust, said the sessions are for people of all energy suppliers and payment methods1.
"That's why we've partnered with the Post Office and trusted local money and energy charities to bring support into communities across Britian, including Leicester, Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, London and Liverpool."
The announcement came with polling of 2,000 adults, commissioned by British Gas, which found 35 per cent at least sometimes struggle to pay their energy bills1. Nearly four in 10 adults do not seek professional advice or support when struggling to pay, with stigma or embarrassment the main reason for 34 per cent keeping it to themselves, up from 28 per cent a year ago1. Those aged 25 to 34 were most likely to cite this as a barrier, at 47 per cent1. Other reasons given were a belief they would not qualify (35 per cent) and finding the application process too complicated (23 per cent)1.
The poll also found 51 per cent find it difficult to talk about struggling to pay their energy bills, rising from 35 per cent last year1. Gas and electric costs were named the most challenging (26 per cent), followed by council tax (1 per cent) and water (11 per cent)1. Homeowners reported more problems paying energy bills (41 per cent) than renters (21 per cent)1. For those willing to seek support, first ports of call were friends and family (31 per cent) or energy provider payment plans (23 per cent)1. Almost two thirds (62 per cent) believe there should be more Government and charity programmes to help people manage rising energy costs1.
Christina King, Customer Vulnerability Manager at British Gas, said the company has invested more than £140m to provide matched debt repayments and non-repayable credit for those in serious difficulty1.
Why it matters for households
The events put face-to-face advice on energy debt, grants and energy-saving measures into Post Office branches, which are already part of routine errands for many households. For a home trying to reduce its reliance on grid-supplied gas and electricity, the practical value is in the detail: budget planning, debt write-off grants and simple efficiency measures all affect what a household pays before any question of switching supplier or changing how a home is powered arises.
The polling points to a gap between need and take-up. More than a third of adults at least sometimes struggle to pay, yet nearly four in 10 do not seek advice, and the share citing stigma rose year on year1. The Trust's own framing is that support is available regardless of supplier or payment method1. Households looking for independent help outside this programme can approach the bodies covered in the site's guide to Energy Consumer Bodies: Citizens Advice, Consumer Scotland and the Consumer Council, while the wider relationship between suppliers and household control over energy is set out in Energy Suppliers and Household Energy Independence. For households in Scotland, Energy Suppliers in Scotland: Advice, Advocacy and Restricted Meters covers the separate advice landscape there.
What happens next
The programme runs over 12 months from the Leicester events on 16 and 17 September 2025, with further locations named as Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, London and Liverpool1. The Trust has not reported a full schedule of dates and venues beyond the first event1.
Sources1 cited
- Nearly four in 10 adults still don’t seek support when struggling with energy bills - British Gas Energy Trust, britishgasenergytrust.org.uk