The rising cost of energy bills continues to dominate the news headlines. In the latest update to the government's cost of living news, more details have emerged about the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF). This is a payment which is due to be rolled out from next month to some 900,000 households across the UK who do not have a direct relationship with their electricity supplier.
According to the government website, if you live in a park, mobile or care home, or on a farm, houseboat or off the electricity grid, then the way you get energy support is different to those on a domestic electricity meter. It also includes those people who pay for their energy bills as part of an all-inclusive rental agreement with their landlord.
It has already been confirmed by the Government that the application portal for the one-off, non-repayable lump sum is expected to open this month, but Energy Minister Graham Stuart MP has now added that it will remain open until the end of April, according to a report by Daily Record.
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In a written response to a query from Conservative MP, Mark Menzies he also said: “People who are eligible for the EBSS AF will need to submit a short form via the government's GOV.UK pages, and their details will be shared with local authorities across England, Scotland, and Wales who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support this winter.
“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.”
While no date has been given for the application portal opening this month, here's what we do know so far. Further information relating to the payment can be seen on the Government's website under 'Help with your energy bills'.
Who the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding covers
Online applications will open in January for households across the UK 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
Who needs to apply
You may need to apply if your home:
- has a communal electricity supply
- has a non-domestic electricity connection
- does not have a contract with an electricity supplier
You’ll be able to apply if you’ve not already had a discount payment from the Energy Bills Support Scheme. 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 - January 2023 - 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.
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