State pensioners can cut energy bill by £300 after losing Winter Fuel Payment

State pensioners have been told they can mitigate the cost of the lost £300 Winter Fuel Allowance by reducing their energy bills by as much as £300. Pensions who've lost the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) Winter Fuel Payment worth £300 could offset the cost by lowering their bills.

After the new Labour Party government's eligibility and criteria shake-up, a pensioner has shared an energy 'success' that cut £300 off her bills. UK households can get solar panel installation in their homes with zero upfront costs, one Brit has said.

Judy Deakin used insulation, solar panels and a solar battery to store extra energy which has been an "absolute success" in slashing her energy bills. The average family could save £396 yearly on their energy bills, net of Sunsave Plus payments, while also reducing their carbon footprint by 1.63 tonnes of CO2.

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The pensioner from Cannock Chase said: "It's been an absolute success for me. The savings build up - I can't believe the difference." She said: "I've definitely been grateful when I look at what other people have gone through. My solar panels save me money when boiling the kettle in the morning free of charge.

"When the sun is shining, I have noticed the effect on my bills. I'd like to see more and more people receive the same kind of service as I have." She went on and said: "Surely new builds should be built with solar panels or a heat pump already installed?"

Themis Bakas and Freya Nowell, primary school teachers from Croydon, were among the first to install Sunsave Plus in January 2024. Bakas said: "We always wanted to get solar panels - it was in our initial plan for when we bought this house.

"But as various things started to become more and more expensive, solar was unfortunately one of the first things that had to drop off our plan because of the upfront cost." Themis added: "Without Sunsave Plus, we'd have had no chance of switching to solar."

Alick Dru, co-founder of Sunsave said: "For far too long households have been forced to make a choice between what's right for the environment or what's best for their finances."