Details of £400 energy bill support for people in Wales, England and Scotland revealed

All households in Wales, England and Scotland will receive £400 to help with rising fuel bills this autumn, the UK government has announced.

The £400 discount, administered by energy suppliers, will be paid to consumers over 6 months with payments starting from October 2022, to “ensure households receive financial support throughout the winter months.”

People with a domestic electricity meter point paying for their energy via standard credit, payment card and direct debit will receive an automatic deduction to their bills over the 6 month period – totalling £400.

Traditional prepayment meter customers will be provided with Energy Bill discount vouchers in the first week of each month, issued via SMS text, email or post, using the customer’s registered contact details.

The business and energy secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “People across the country are understandably worried about the global rise in energy costs, and the pressure this is placing on everyday bills.

These customers will need to take action to redeem these at their usual top-up point, such as their nearest local PayPoint or Post Office branch.

In all cases, no household should be asked for bank details at any point.

Ministers are urging consumers to stay alert of potential scams and report these to the relevant authorities where they are suspected.

“While no government can control global gas prices, we have a responsibility to step in where we can, and this significant £400 discount on energy bills we’re providing will go some way to help millions of families over the colder months.”

Households will see a discount of £66 applied to their energy bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through to March 2023.

The non-repayable discount will be provided on a monthly basis regardless of whether consumers pay monthly, quarterly or have an associated payment card.

This means that where a person’s housing circumstances change during the 6-month period, such as those leaving or moving home, they will still benefit from the relevant portion of the total £400.

This also applies to students and other tenants renting properties with domestic electricity contracts from landlords where fixed energy costs are included in their rental charges.

Details set out today will ensure the scheme is delivered to as many domestic electricity customers as possible over the winter, regardless of which supplier they use or their choice of payment method.

• Direct Debit customers will receive the Energy Bill discount automatically as a deduction to the monthly Direct Debit amount collected, or as a refund to the customer’s bank account following Direct Debit collection during each month of delivery
• standard credit customers and payment card customers will see the Energy Bill discount automatically applied as a credit to standard credit customers’ accounts in the first week of each month of EBSS delivery, with the credit appearing as it would if the customer had made a payment
• smart prepayment meter customers will see the Energy Bill discount credited directly to their smart prepayment meters in the first week of each month of delivery
• traditional prepayment meter customers will be provided with redeemable EBSS Energy Bill discount vouchers or Special Action Messages (SAMs) in the first week of each month, issued via SMS text, email or post. Customers will need to redeem these at their usual top-up point

The UK government said that “steps are also being taken to protect consumers from the risk of fraud, gaming, and non-compliance.”

Suppliers will be expected to report to government action they are taking to ensure the support has been passed onto consumers, including notifying customers in writing they have received the £400 Energy Bill discount from HM Government, and ensuring it is clearly shown on bills or statements for Direct Debit and credit customers.