Keeping safe and warm after a bereavement

The reasons for keeping our appliances, like boilers and ovens, safe might seem obvious. But your home being cold can have a serious impact on your health too.

You should be able to keep your home at a minimum of 18°C . Your main living area should be 21°C.

This is even more important if you are grieving, as your immune system may not be working as well. Keeping warm will help you protect yourselves from coughs, colds and other infections.

Keeping your home warm is also really important if, as well as grieving, you have health issues that affect your breathing, your heart or if you find it difficult to get up from or recover from a fall or injury.

Yet many people face big changes to their lives after a bereavement that make it hard to keep their homes safe and warm. Such as:

• Having less money because the person who has died used to earn money or claimed benefits which you shared.
• The person who has died managed bills or repairs. You might be unsure how to do this. You may be finding it difficult to contact your supplier or make changes.
• You have been left with bills or debts related to the person’s illness or death such as healthcare treatment or solicitor bills.
• You are experiencing poor mental health related to your grief which is making it hard to manage practical details like bills and maintenance. Poor mental health can be made worse if you are not safe and warm.

If you’re struggling to pay your bills, you are not alone. We know this is a common problem for people who have been bereaved and you deserve support. Here are some ways you might be able to change this.

If your life has changed because someone close to you has died, you may be able to claim new or different benefits. Especially if the person lived with you and/or it has meant your income has changed.

If your husband, wife or partner has died, you may be able to claim bereavement benefits for 18 months afterwards. The total amount can range from around £4,300 – £9,800. See our information on bereavement benefits.

You may also be able to apply for one-off or annual payments to help with energy costs, such as the Winter Fuel Payment or Warm Home Discount.

Local councils might offer help with bills under schemes called "welfare assistance" or "household support". Find your local council and check their website to see what they offer.

Benefits can be complicated, and it can be hard to understand what you can apply for and how. If you need some support:

• See Citizens Advice information on help paying energy bills.
• National Energy Action’s Helpline can also offer advice on 0800 304 7159.

You may be able to apply for grants or one-off payments. These are sometimes offered by energy companies or charities. They might be given based on your income, where you live or a job you have done in the past.

• Citizens Advice have information on Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills.
• Turn2Us have a grants search tool. 

If you were not born in the UK, the types of support you may not be able to apply for some of the above support.

• Visit Turn2Us’s information for migrants.

We know that many people who are grieving must make very difficult decisions to keep their energy bills affordable.

But there may be changes you can make to lower your bills without impacting your comfort or health.

Get reliable advice on ways to save energy, so you can be sure the changes you are making are ones that will make the most difference to your bills.

• Book a free home visit from Groundwork’s Green Doctor.
• Money Helper’s online information on How to reduce your energy bills.
• Easy Read information from Mencap on Ideas to save energy.

Some people are able to apply for grants and discounts to improve how your home, or the things in it, use energy. For example, insulation to help your home stay warmer for longer, or a boiler that uses less gas.

These improvements can cost a lot at first but might help you save money in the future. This could help if you are learning to manage with less income.

It’s hard to make big decisions when we are grieving. Talk to someone you can trust before agreeing to anything big. If you don't have a family member or friend to talk to, one of the organisations under Useful contacts at the end of this page could help.

Help with home improvements:

• Energy grants for your home from government
• Energy grants for your home from energy companies
• Home Energy Scotland Funding Finder

You may be able to save money by changing your energy provider or tariff. Most people cannot choose who provides their water.

• Which? have advice on How to switch energy supplier
• If you’re in Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council can help you compare energy prices.
• Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service can help you decide if a deal you are being offered will save you money.

It is not unusual for people to feel they need to borrow money or use credit cards in the time around a bereavement. This might be because their income has gone down, or costs related to your bereavement have gone up.

If you feel you need to borrow to pay bills such as energy and water bills, you are not alone. However, it is not a good idea to take out credit to pay for essential items if you can help it.

Your energy provider must, by law, support people who are vulnerable, including if you are bereaved. They should offer you a payment plan, advice and signpost you to other financial schemes, assistance and support, if you're struggling to pay your bills.

We know having debt can be really worrying and stressful for people, especially when they are dealing with grief. Take a look at our information on managing money after a bereavement to find support to deal with debt.

It is unlikely that your supplier will cut off your gas or electricity supply. If you have unpaid bills, your supplier will usually offer you a pre-payment meter or a payment plan.

If you do agree to a pre-payment meter, keep in mind that this can lead to your supply being cut off in the future if you run out of credit. So think about this decision carefully, especially if you have vulnerable people or children in the home.

Your water supply cannot legally be cut off if you do not pay.

Citizen's Advice have information on disconnections for England, Scotland and Wales. For Northern Ireland see NI Direct.

When you’re grieving, looking after and repairing things around the house can be hard.  Grief makes it hard to think and can make you feel very tired. But when appliances relating to energy and water get worn out or broken, they can become dangerous.

Make sure you use reliable information and advice on how to keep yourself safe, such as:

A home you own

• British Gas: How safe is my boiler
• Electrical Safety First: Safety around the home

A home you rent

If you are renting, you may be able to ask your landlord to organise repairs and maintenance.

• Take a look at Shelter’s information on what landlords should be doing to keep your home safe.

Appliances that burn gas, wood, oil or coal may give off carbon monoxide if they are broken or not fitted properly. This includes ovens, boilers, heaters, open fires, wood burners and more.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that can make you seriously ill. You cannot smell it.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

If you have carbon monoxide poisoning, you might feel:

• dizzy
• sick (including actually being sick)
• weak
• confused
• chest and muscle pain
• shortness of breath
• headache

The NHS has information on carbon monoxide poisoning.

Signs of a carbon monoxide leak

If you have a carbon monoxide leak you might see:

• a yellow or orange flame on a gas appliance which should be blue
• flames that burn weakly, slowly or go out, including the pilot light on your boiler
• yellow or brown sooty marks on an appliance
• lots of condensation in a room with the appliance

If you think you have a carbon monoxide leak, get everyone out of the house straight away and call the National Gas Emergency Helpline. This is a different number depending on which part of the UK you live in. See What to do in a gas emergency from the Gas Safe Register.

Hiring qualified and trusted gas engineers, plumbers and electricians is important to keeping your home safe. If someone does not have the right training, they could make mistakes that put you and the people who live with you in danger.

• Find a gas engineer on the Gas Safe register.
• Find a registered electrician from Electrical Safety First.
• How to find a good plumber from Which?
• Find a technician for your open fire or wood burner (including chimney sweeps) from Hetas.
• Find an oil technician from OFTEC.

Your home can become damp or mouldy for different reasons:

• cold temperatures inside that cause condensation
• water coming up from the ground
• water coming in from another source, such as a leaking gutter, pipe or roof

Damp can cause problems with your breathing, your eyes and your skin. It can also be stressful and upsetting when parts of your home or belongings are damaged. We know this can be very hard to cope with when you’re facing all the practical and emotional challenges of grief and bereavement.

If you have damp and mould in your home:

• See National Energy Action’s advice on damp and mould.
• If you rent your home, Citizen’s Advice have information on damp and mould.

Letters, phone calls and other messages from your energy provider could be important for you to keep your supply working or to save money.

We know that if the person who has died managed energy and water bills this can be particularly difficult. We have information on informing utility companies and similar organisations on our Who to inform when someone dies page.

Many people who are grieving can join the Priority Services Register (PSR) (in England, Wales and Scotland) or the Medical Customer Care Register (Northern Ireland). This means that energy companies will put extra support in place for you.

24-hour contact number - You can get information to help you contact your providers quickly if you have a problem with your supply that could affect your health.

Letters in accessible formats - They can also offer letters in large print, textphone, audio or a different language.

Passwords - You can set up a password, so that you can always be sure you're talking to someone from the energy provider.

Nominated contact - Tell the energy provider to contact someone else to deal with anything to do with energy or water supply, such as a friend, family member, carer or anyone you trust.

If you are on a priority list, such as the Priority Services Register (PSR) (in England, Wales and Scotland) or the Medical Customer Care Register (Northern Ireland), energy providers will also put support in place to help you through periods when your supply is turned off.

Planning for outages - Sometimes energy suppliers have to cut off supplies for a short time to carry out repairs. If you're on a priority list, they'll let you know before they do this so you can plan ahead.

Emergency power and appliances - If you use medical equipment/aids which use electricity or water, you may be able to get portable generators, alternative heating and cooking appliances or bottled water when your supply is off.

To make sure you are on your energy provider’s priority list, you need to contact them directly. Each provider has a different form, so the first step is making sure you know who your provider is. This is not the same as the company you pay your bills to.

England, Scotland and Wales - If you’re in England, Scotland or Wales, you can find out who your provider is on the Priority Services Register website. Enter your postcode and you’ll be redirected to the right page to send them your application.

Northern Ireland - Follow the steps for finding your provider on the Ofgem website. Then go to the provider's website to find out how to apply for their priority list.

In Northern Ireland, you can also be added to the Customer Care Register for NI Water.

This process can feel complicated if you are not used to doing things online. You may want to find an adviser to help you if you find the process confusing.

For people who use oil for their heating, there is the Cold Weather Priority Scheme. Not all oil providers are part of this scheme. You, or someone in your home, must be 75 or older to be part of it. Speak to your oil provider to see if you can be added to their priority list.