With energy bills rising, the government is offering support to those who were not eligible for financial help previously.
The Government launched the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) to help households in England, Scotland and Wales without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier.
You can get this if you’re not benefiting from the Government Energy Support Scheme (EBSS), where £400 is usually paid through a discount on the energy bill.
Customers who are eligible for support under the main Energy Bills Discount Scheme will not be eligible for EBSS Alternative Funding.
Who can apply?
You may be eligible to apply if your main home is:
- a residential park home
- on a boat on a permanent residential mooring
- on a permanent Gypsy and Traveller site
- part of a heat network without an electricity meter
- in social or private rented accommodation which has a business energy connection or a communal electricity supply
- off the mains electricity or gas grid
- in a care home or assisted living facility and you pay for some or all of your care (directly or through loss of pension or other benefits)
- in a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)
Who can't apply?
You cannot apply for the new EBSS Alternative Funding if you’ve already had the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) payments
You also cannot apply if you live:
- in purpose-built student accommodation
- in a care home where all your fees are paid by the local council or NHS
- on a boat as a continuous cruiser (currently under review)
- on a non-permanent caravan or mobile home site (currently under review)
- in accommodation provided by your employer (such as seasonal workers, ‘service occupiers’, security guards, building caretakers)
- in a building where you are acting as a property guardian
- in business premises, such as a pub or hotel, where your address is the same as the business address
How to apply
The EBSS Alternative Funding scheme is now open to all eligible households across Great Britain until 31 May 2023.
If you are eligible, you need to fill out an online form on GOV.UK. You can find the form by searching 'apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically' on GOV.UKor on an internet search engine.
Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Applications are made directly to the government, not to Havant Borough Council.
Once you have applied, your application will be processed and verified. After this if your application is successful, your details will be shared with the Council, who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support. The payment will be made directly into your bank account in a single instalment.
Further information can be found on GOV.UK.
Further support
If you can’t apply online, or need help with your application, you should contact the Energy Payment helpline team. You can call them on 0808 175 3287. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
If you think you have received a scam message in relation to the EBSS Alternative Funding, you can report this to report@phishing.gov.uk so that action can be taken.