The Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) gave every household a £400 discount on their energy bills for winter 2022 to 2023. This ended in March 2023.
All households with a domestic electricity connection in England, Scotland and Wales were eligible for the discount. It was delivered automatically, and you did not need to contact your energy supplier. The discount was applied to your household electricity bill for 6 months starting in October 2022. You got:
- £66 in October and November
- £67 in December, January, February and March
If you did not get a payment, please contact your energy supplier.
Traditional Pre-Payment Meter (PPM) Households
Traditional PPM customers received the discount each month automatically as either:
- Redeemable vouchers, sent by text, email or post
- An automatic credit when you top up at your usual top-up point
The deadline for redeeming any outstanding vouchers was 30 June 2023. Your supplier should have contacted if you did not redeem your voucher.
Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund (EBSS AF) and the Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP)
If you did not have a domestic electricity meter and contract with an electricity supplier, the way you received the £400 energy support was different. This was delivered through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund (EBSS AF).
The service is now closed and no longer accepting new applications. However, you can contact the helpline team to get help with an existing application:
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 0808 175 3287
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
If you use alternative fuels as your main form of heating, and your household is not connected to the gas grid, you would have been entitled to a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP). Most homes that were eligible for this payment received this automatically as a credit on their electricity bills from February 2023.
If you think you should have got a payment but have not, contact your electricity supplier.
If you did not receive this payment automatically, for example if you do not have a direct link with an electricity supplier, the way you applied for this was different, delivered through the EBSS AF Helpline. The service is now closed and no longer accepting new applications.
Intermediaries
If you pay for your energy bills through an intermediary, for example the manager of a park or mobile home, they must pass on the benefit in a fair and reasonable way. This is called the ‘pass-through requirement’.
If you do not believe this obligation has been met, you are advised to contact your intermediary to resolve this in the first instance.
For more information about the EBSS, please click here.