Voluntary sector organisations that support people who are struggling with their energy costs are being invited to apply for a share of £20m in grant funding.
The money is being offered by the Energy Saving Trust and comes from the Energy Redress Scheme, which is funded through voluntary payments from companies that have breached rules laid down by the energy regulator Ofgem.
The trust said charities and community energy groups, including community interest companies, co-operative societies and community benefit societies, could apply for grants from one of four funding streams.
It said projects would be considered if they support households most at risk from cold homes and high energy bills, develop innovative products and services related to domestic energy use, or address carbon emissions reduction in England, Scotland and Wales.
Of the four funding streams, the main fund offers grants of between £50,000 and £2m for schemes that support households in vulnerable situations and has £13.3m available.
The small project fund is the same, except it offers grants of between £20,000 and £49,999 and offers £750,000.
The innovation fund has £3m available in grants of between £20,000 and £1m for projects that will develop innovative products or services to benefit households.
And the carbon emissions reduction fund offers £3m for projects that will reduce UK carbon emissions and empower households to reduce their carbon footprint, with grants of between £20,000 and £1m available.
The EST said that since 2018, the Energy Redress Scheme had awarded more than £100m in funding to more than 535 projects through seven previous funding rounds.
The deadline for applications for this funding round is 5pm on 20 February.
The EST said organisations must pre-register before applying and any that have not already done so should do this at least 10 working days before the application deadline so eligibility checks can be carried out.
Graham Ayling, senior project manager for the Energy Redress Scheme at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “With energy prices remaining high, we encourage community and charity groups that work with struggling or vulnerable people in their areas to apply for funding through the main or small project fund.
“We’ve seen the positive work that such local groups do in helping those most in need, with projects ranging from energy advice supporting vulnerable people, to research aimed at making sure the needs of elderly and disabled people are met by new energy technologies.
“This funding will also aid projects which address the climate emergency, helping to deliver net zero in ways that leave no one behind and help everyone to share in the benefits.”