The Scottish Government has allocated almost £1 million in additional funding to expand services supporting people in debt on their energy bills, Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan announced on 3 November 2025, the first day of Talk Money Week1.
The sum of £944,000 has been allocated equally between Citizens Advice Scotland, StepChange Debt Charity and Advice Direct Scotland1. According to the government, the money will help the organisations provide money and debt advice to customers, increase capacity through additional training for staff, and enhance engagement with energy suppliers to facilitate fairer and more sustainable debt solutions1. The funding forms part of a £16.9 million package being invested in free income maximisation and debt advice1.
Ms McAllan said:
"In an energy rich country like Scotland, nobody should be struggling to pay their energy bills."
Sharon Bell, Head of StepChange Debt Charity Scotland, said Scotland is facing an energy debt crisis and that more clients are coming to the charity with spiralling energy arrears, welcoming the funding as allowing it to provide vital energy debt advice to more people1.
The announcement sets out other winter support. The Scottish Government said its heat in building programmes are supporting over 20,000 households to save up to £500 on their energy bills this year1. It also gave estimated figures for three payments:
| Payment | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Winter Heating Payment | £28.3 million |
| Child Winter Heating Payment | £11.4 million |
| Pension Age Winter Heating Payment | £157 million, after payment recovery from pensioners with a taxable income above £35,000 |
Talk Money Week runs from 3 to 7 November and is an annual campaign from the Money and Pensions Service to increase awareness of personal finance issues1.
Why it matters for households
Energy debt advice sits alongside grants and hardship funds as a route for households that have fallen behind on bills. The funding is directed at advice capacity rather than at writing off arrears directly, so its effect on a household's energy independence depends on how quickly advice translates into a workable repayment arrangement with a supplier. The government's stated aim of fairer and more sustainable debt solutions points to arrangements that clear arrears without leaving the household exposed to the same shortfall the following winter1. For households in Scotland, the separate Help With Energy Bills and Debt in Scotland page sets out how advice services and crisis funds and hardship grants fit together, while the British Gas Energy Trust remains a separate source of energy debt grants. The winter payments listed above are distinct from the debt advice funding and are administered on their own terms1.
What happens next
Talk Money Week runs to 7 November 20251. The government has not reported a closing date for applications or a timetable for how the £944,000 will be spent by the three organisations, and no further dates for the winter payments have been reported1.