On Monday 27 February, the government officially launched a new scheme to help households who have not received £400 energy discounts directly from their energy supplier.
Households who can benefit from the Energy Bills Support Scheme (Alternative Payment) are those who live in:
- a residential park home
- a boat on a permanent residential mooring
- a permanent Gypsy and Traveller site
- a property that shares a communal heat network without an individual electricity meter
- social or private rented accommodation which has a business energy connection or a communal electricity supply
- a property off the mains electricity or gas grid
- a care home or assisted living facility and you pay for some or all of your care (directly or through loss of pension or other benefits)
- a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)
Successful applicants will receive a single £400 payment made directly to the individual.
Applications can only be for your main, permanent home. Some people won’t be eligible, such as those living in purpose-built student accommodation, or people in care homes who have their fees paid for by the NHS or local council.
For more information or to make an application, visit GOV.UK and search 'apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically'.
Applicants must provide an email address or phone number, as well as details for a UK bank account in their name.
If someone can’t apply online themselves, someone else can apply on their behalf but will need to use their details. Alternatively, call the government's helpline on 0808 175 3287, available 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Payments will be made by local councils who also have a role to verify applications against local records, such as the council tax system.
We have already started making payments to successful applicants. To date, the council has received almost 600 applications and processed just over 200 for payment. It typically takes around 3 working days for the payments to reach individuals’ banks accounts after they are processed.
