The UK government announced further schemes on 19 December 2022 to provide certain households with more help towards their energy costs.
This further help will be targeted at a small number of households in our area:
- The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) scheme will be targeted at households that missed out on the £400 energy bills discount scheme due to not having a direct contractual relationship with their electricity supplier. Customers who are eligible for support under the main energy bills discount scheme will not be eligible for EBSS AF.
- The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) scheme will be directed to those households that heat their homes using alternative energy sources, such as oil, coal, liquified petroleum gas (LPG) or biomass rather than gas or electricity.
Applications for these schemes will be made on GOV.UK and not to Medway Council.
Read the press release on GOV.UK.
Apply to The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) scheme
The EBSS AF is providing support of £400 for energy bills for households in England, Scotland, and Wales without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier. This support is provided by government and is delivered by local councils.
The scheme is now open to all eligible households across Great Britain until 31 May 2023.
Eligibility
Subject to applications meeting the eligibility criteria, people who will be able to receive support under EBSS AF include:
- care home residents and others in care facilities/sheltered accommodation (wholly or partly self-funded)
- park home residents, houseboats and caravans that can provide proof of address
- social and private tenants who pay for energy through a landlord on a commercial supply
- homes on a heat network/private wire
- off-grid homes
- farmhouses used for wholly domestic purposes.
How to apply
If you're eligible for EBSS AF, you'll need to fill out a short online form via the GOV.UK website.
Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically on GOV.UK
Applications are made directly to government, not to or via us.
If you do not have online access, you can apply via a contact centre on 0808 175 3287 where a representative will guide you through the application process.
After you've applied
Once you have applied, your application will be processed and verified.
If your application is successful, your details will be shared with local councils, 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.
Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) scheme
We're waiting for further information from the UK government about exactly how this scheme will operate and what our role will be. As soon as we have more information we'll update this page.