From October 2022 to March 2023, most homes in England, Scotland and Wales will get a £400 non-repayable discount on their electricity bills. This is known as the Energy Bills Support Scheme, and it will be delivered in six monthly instalments.
The UK Government has confirmed that homes in Northern Ireland will get a £400 discount through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme. Further details are still to be announced.
Beware fraudulent texts or emails asking you to apply for the £400 payment – they’re a scam. Your payment will be made automatically by your supplier so ignore any messages asking you to apply.
How should I receive the discount?
- Direct Debit – If you pay for your energy via direct debit, you’ll automatically get a reduction on your monthly payment or you’ll get a refund to your bank account. This will happen once a month over the six-month payment period.
- Standard credit/ payment card – If you pay using standard credit or a payment card, the discount will be applied automatically as a credit to your account in the first week of each month. The credit will appear in your account as it would if you had made the payment
- Smart prepayment- If you pay via a smart prepayment meter, you’ll see the discount credited directly to your smart prepayment meter in the first week of each month.
- Traditional Prepayment- Those paying by traditional prepayment meters will receive redeemable vouchers or Special Action Messages (SAMs) in the first week of each month. These will be sent out to you via SMS text message, email or post. You’ll then be able to redeem these vouchers at your usual top-up point.
You can check exactly how you will receive your £400 discount depending on your supplier on this Money Saving Expert page.
What if I haven’t received the £400 discount?
Contact your supplier if you have not yet received your first payment as they should have paid the October instalment by now.
We have heard feedback especially from prepayment customers having issues with receiving their discount, and PayPoint has said only 53% of the 800,000 vouchers it has issued have been redeemed.
Your supplier should have contacted you before 1st October about how you’ll get the payment. Contact them if they haven’t been in touch as they may have the wrong details for you. You can use this Citizens Advice tool to check who your energy provider is.
If you get discount vouchers, these will be sent to you by text message, email or post. Alternatively, you might have been told that you’ll be credited automatically when you top up at your usual top-up point.
What if my voucher doesn’t work?
If your voucher doesn’t work then your supplier can reissue the voucher – but make sure you let your supplier know before 30 June 2023 (when the scheme ends)
Further advice through LEAP
Contact LEAP – the Local Energy Advice Partnership for free energy advice and to find out what additional support and measures are available. https://applyforleap.org.uk/
