Domestic households across Great Britain that have a direct relationship with their electricity supplier are receiving a £400 non-repayable payment in six instalments under the Energy Bills Support Scheme as part of the UK Government’s £37 billion cost of living support package.
However, some 900,000 households without a direct relationship with their electricity supplier, will need to apply for a one-off payment of £400 from the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF), which will then be paid directly to them by their local authority. This includes people who live in park homes, houseboats, off-grid and care homes, or those paying their energy bills as part of an all-inclusive rental agreement with their landlord.
The UK Government has confirmed that the application portal for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding is due to open later this month, along with a dedicated helpline to assist customers without online access.
It has also announced that local authorities will be provided with guidance ahead of this launch.
Energy Minister Graham Stuart MP added: “The Government will also be hosting webinars ahead of the scheme launch to help provide additional information to Local Authorities on the role they will play in delivering the EBSS AF.”
No date has been given for the application portal opening this month, however, we will update this article and the Daily Record Money Saving Scotland Facebook group as soon as more details are made available.
Who can claim the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding?
Online applications will open in January for households in Scotland, England and Wales who are eligible for the £400 one-off payment to submit their details.
Payments to households that meet the eligibility criteria - including people who get their energy through a commercial contract or who are off-grid - will be made by local authorities in Great Britain.
The UK Government said this is likely to include:
- care home residents
- park home residents
- tenants in certain private and social rented homes
- homes supplied via private wires
- residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
- farmers living in domestic farmhouses
- off-grid households
Once households have applied to receive support and their applications have been processed and verified, eligible applicants' details will be shared with local authorities who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support this winter.
Applicants will only be able to submit information through the GOV.UK portal when it opens this month and should not contact their local authority directly as they will not be able to offer any more information.
The UK Government also said that the exact date that an eligible household will receive support will depend on when the application is made and when the payment can be processed by the relevant local authority.
To keep up to date with the latest developments in this ongoing story, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
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