There is currently confusion among households after the government decided to end its Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) this month. It has led to many people to take to social media to clarify exactly what they can expect in the future, as a considerable amount were under the impression the the payment would be continuing.
The payment itself, which was split into £67 a month, totalled £400. But the ChronicleLive reports that many households are blaming 'confusing' reports following Jeremy Hunt's Spring Budget last month.
Some even claim that they have received letters or emails from their energy company to confirm that the support would be continuing until the end of June. This 'support', however, references the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) scheme, which is remaining at £2,500 rather than increasing to £3,000 as originally planned.
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Despite the £2,500 cap for the average family, millions of households will actually be paying more for their gas and electricity from this month, as the £400 energy rebate scheme has officially ended. The £400 discount had been split across six months - from October to March - and given to households in instalments of £66 or £67.
The news that the scheme has ended has taken many people by surprise. One Twitter user (@iamakpunk) said: "Didn’t they say they’ve extended it a further three months? I could be wrong or they’ve done a UTURN?"
While another (@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. "
A Facebook page with more than 170,000 members even had to create a pinned post for users after they were inundated with people asking for more clarification on whether the payments were continuing. One member described seeing emails which were "very misleading" and "very much worded" as if payments for the scheme would continue until June.
Information on the page, around the continuation of the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) - which is different to the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) - said: "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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