Confusion over the support households are now getting to pay energy bills is rife after the Government ended its Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) this month.
Many people have taken to social media to ask what to expect and some are under the impression that the £67 per month payment, which formed the six instalments of the £400 EBSS, is continuing, blaming 'confusing' reports after Jeremy Hunt's Spring Budget in March.
Some even claim that they have has letters or emails from their energy company confirming that the support is continuing until the end of June, but their hopes are dashed when others tell them that the 'support' referred to is the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) scheme, which is remaining at £2,500 rather than increasing to £3,000 as originally planned.
Read more: All the money changes in April affecting you including DWP benefits and energy bills
Despite the £2,500 cap for the average family, millions of households will be paying more for gas and electricity from this month as the £400 energy rebate scheme has now come to an end. The £400 discount was split up over six months, from October to March, and given to households in instalments of either £66 or £67.
But some are convinced the monthly payments are continuing and are devastated to find out that they will will have to find an extra £67 a month to pay for their energy from this month onwards.
On Twitter, @iamakpunk said: "Didn’t they say they’re extended it a further three months? I could be wrong or they’ve done a UTURN?" and @LindaLovesStoke said: "Jeez I really thought that the £67 payments were carrying on too! They didn’t make that very clear …"
@ClairieBairie said: "That's what I believed to be the case until about a week ago and I consider myself savvy. Not sure how I and many others will manage without that discount," and @RainbowView69 said: "I am rather confused. Not sure how this is going to work for us. Getting a bit fretful now. "
On Energy Support And Advice UK Facebook page, moderators have had to create a 'sticky' post for users after they were inundated by people asking for clarification on whether the payments were continuing.
One member said: "I read an email that was sent to my colleague and it was very much worded as if she would continue to receive payments until June. I've told her she won't and that the price cap is extended until that time but the email was very misleading. I can understand why people are confused", while another said: "Breaks my heart. Lots of older neighbours and friends are adamant that the £67 instalments are continuing. It really hasn't been made "crystal clear".
Gemma Hatvani, founder of the Facebook group, which has more than 170,000 members, said: "We are still getting many people asking about the £66/67 EBSS payment and some are under the impression that it was continuing beyond the initial six month from October 2022-March 2023. We just want to clarify that It has not been extended and there are no plans for it to continue. The 'support' that has been refered to after the Budget is the continuation of the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 until July.
"The EPG protects customers in energy costs which limits how much they can charge you per unit of energy used. The EPG has been extended to June. This will bring a typical household energy bill to around £2500 in Great Britain. It’s also VERY important to note this depends on how much energy you use. If you use more than £2,500 you WILL be charged more. It’s important to call your energy supplier and discuss this if you have any concerns or join Energy Support and Advice UK."
In his Budget speech, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "High energy bills are one of the biggest worries for families, which is why we’re maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee at its current level. With energy bills set to fall from July onwards, this temporary change will bridge the gap and ease the pressure on families, while also helping to lower inflation too."
The EPG was scheduled to rise to £3000 from April 1 in the Autumn Statement, but since then, energy prices have fallen by 50%, cutting the borrowing needed to fund energy support by two thirds to £4 billion. The change also follows the latest Ofgem Price cap of £3,280 from April to June.
However, most households may notice a slight change in their energy bills as standing charges rise from 28.49p per day to 29.11p for gas and from 46.36p per day to 52.97p. However, the unit rates charged for gas and electricity are also falling slightly, with the average unit rate for gas dropping from 10.33p per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 10.31p, while the rate for electricity is going from 34.04p per kWh to 33.21p on average.
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