Energy bill support for households with no direct relationship with energy supplier
In May 2022, the government announced a £400 discount to help households with the cost of energy over the winter. This was known as the Energy Bill Support Scheme and involved monthly discounts applied directly to your energy bills.
While this move was a welcome one, it wasn’t clear how – or even whether – this might include customers who don’t have a direct relationship with their electricity supplier, for instance, people on communal or district heating systems.
Now, it’s been confirmed that the £400 energy bills support will be made available to those people who don’t have the direct relationship with their energy supplier and therefore haven’t been eligible for the first phase of the Energy Bill Support Scheme.
This additional phase has been called the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding.
Find out more below.
What are the eligibility criteria?
Households which will be able to receive support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding include:
- Care home residents and others in care facilities/sheltered accommodation (wholly or partly self-funded).
- Park home residents, houseboats and caravans that can provide proof of address.
- Social and private tenants who pay for energy through a landlord on a commercial supply.
- Homes on a heat network/private wire.
- Off-grid homes.
- Farmhouses used for wholly domestic purposes.
How do I apply?
Those who are eligible will need to submit a short online application via the government’s GOV.UK webpages.
This page can be found by searching 'Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically' into the search bar on GOV.UK or an internet search engine.
For those without online access, the Government’s contact centre helpline can be reached on 0808 175 3287. A representative will guide you through the application process.
How will I receive the payments?
Once you’ve applied for support, your details will be shared with your local authority who’ll confirm your eligibility.
Once this is done, you’ll receive a one-off, non-repayable payment of £400 directly into your bank account.
The exact date you receive the support will depend on when the application is made and how quickly your council processes the payment.
How can I tell this is legitimate?
No links have been provided to the online application portal to ensure no fraudulent links are included.
Please search on the GOV.uk website as per the above instructions to check the legitimacy of this support scheme.