Energy Bill Support Scheme and Alternative Funding

Energy Bills Support Scheme

You can get a £400 discount from the Government to help with your energy bills for winter 2022 to 2023. This is called the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

You’ll usually get the discount automatically - you do not have to apply.

If you have a traditional prepayment meter, you’ll get the discount in the form of credit or a voucher to use at a top-up point. Smart meters get it automatically.

Find out more about the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

If you use alternative fuels for heating (Alternative Fuel Payment)

The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) is a one-off £200 payment to households that use alternatives to mains gas for heating, such as heating oil, liquified petroleum gas (LPG) or coal. You’ll get this as a credit on your electricity bill during the winter of 2022 to 2023.

If you live in a park, mobile or care home, or off the electricity grid

The way you get energy support will be different if you do not have a domestic electricity meter and contract with an electricity supplier.

For example, this could be because you live:

In a park home
In a care home
On a houseboat
In a mobile home
On a farm
Off the electricity grid

You will still get support equivalent to £400 for your energy bills from the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

If you need to apply for your £400 discount

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.

Applications opened on 27 February 2023 on the GOV.UK website.

If you live in a care home or supported accommodation

You may be eligible for a payment if you both:

Live in a care home or sheltered and supported accommodation
Pay for some or part of your care fees

View the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding Policy [pdf] 269KB for more information.

If you use alternative fuels for heating

You may be eligible for a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) if both the following are true:

Your household is not connected to the mains gas grid
You use alternative fuels as your main form of heating

This is on top of the £400 from your electricity supplier.

You are eligible for this payment if the main way you heat your home uses:

Tank or bottled gas
Liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
Oil
Wood
Solid fuel

Most homes that are eligible for this payment will get it automatically as a credit on their electricity bills from February 2023.

You may not get the payment automatically if your home is either:

In an area which is mainly connected to the gas grid
Not connected to either the gas or the electricity grid

If you do not get this payment automatically

You may have to apply for this payment through the AFP Alternative Fund if you do not get it automatically - for example, because you do not have a contract with an electricity supplier.

Applications opened on 6 March 2023 on the GOV.UK website.

View the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Funding Policy [pdf] 288KB for more information.

Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding Privacy Notice

+ Privacy notice

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and local authorities (Ashford Borough Council) are independent data controllers for any data collected during the application process.

BEIS’s privacy notice with regards to the Energy Support Scheme Alternative Funding is available to view online.

In order to deliver the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding service, we will use your personal information in order to:

Confirm your identity
Facilitate payment
Prevent, detect, and investigate errors and fraud

Legal basis for processing your personal data

The legal basis for processing your personal data is Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller.