Updated: 24/02/2023
Energy Bills Support Scheme - Alternative Funding (EBSS-AF)
This is aimed at those not benefiting from the Government Energy Support scheme (£400 reduction on electricity bills). These residents live in households with no domestic electricity meter or do not have a direct relationship with an energy supplier.
Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you cannot apply online or need help with your application, contact the helpline team.
Email: alternativefunding@ebss.beis.gov.uk
Telephone: 0808 175 3287
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Councils are then being asked to make the £400 support payments to applicants through their bank accounts once appropriate checks have been made.
Eligible homes
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
- in a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)
Who should apply
You can apply if:
- you pay for the energy your household uses
- you’re applying for your main, permanent home
- you have a fixed address in England, Scotland or Wales
Who cannot apply
Most households get the £400 support automatically. You do not need to apply if you or your landlord:
- has a domestic energy meter
- pay your bills directly to an energy supplier (such as British Gas or EDF)
You cannot apply if you’ve already had Energy Bills Support Scheme payments. This is 6 automatic monthly payments or prepayment meter vouchers of £66 or £67 from your energy supplier, from October 2022.
If you think you should have got a payment but have not, contact your energy supplier.
You also cannot apply for a discount if you live:
- in purpose-built student accommodation
- in a care home and do not pay any of your fees
- on a boat with a continuous cruising licence (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
Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP)
The additional £200 for those who do not heat their homes with gas and instead use oil, solid fuel, biomass or bottled gas named the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) will be available in February. The Government have confirmed that most households eligible for AFP support will receive payment automatically via their electricity supplier in February, with no further action needed. Those households who will need to apply for the AFP, for example because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier, will be able to do so in February, through the same GOV.UK portal as the EBSS Alternative Funding scheme.
Apply for alternative fuel support if you do not get it automatically - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you are eligible for the payment, your payment details will be shared with Wyre Council to confirm your home address and make the payment.