New £400 October energy discount guide includes payment dates for all account types
01.08.2022 - 12:11
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published full details on how it plans to deliver the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme to some 29 million households across Scotland, England and Wales. The UK Government has said it is ‘urgently’ working to ensure people in Northern Ireland also receive the equivalent of this support as soon as possible.
The £11.7 billion scheme is part of the £37 billion cost of living assistance package aimed at helping households through this winter. However, that support came in response to predictions that energy bills would rise to £2,800 for the average household in October, but since then the forecasts have become even bleaker.
Consultancy BFY believes bills could hit £3,420 per year from October, before rising to £3,850 at the start of next year, which would see the average household hit with a bill for over £500 for January alone.
If the predictions come to pass they will put enormous pressure on already squeezed households. It would be a near-doubling of today’s record price cap which at £1,971 is already hundreds of pounds more than the previous high.
Below is everything you need to know about the £400 discount including how it works for those paying by direct debit, card payments or prepayment meters, people living in park homes, those paying energy bills included in their rent, people living off the grid and those living on houseboats.
It’s important to be aware nobody needs to apply for the £400 discount - energy suppliers will deliver this support to households with a domestic electricity connection over six months from October.
If someone contacts you asking for bank details to process the payment it is a scam, the BEIS confirmed that “households