𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀

Households in Northern Ireland are to receive a single non-repayable payment totalling £600 to help with their energy bills, regardless of how they heat their home.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀

The payment is made up of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (£400) and the Alternative Fuel Payment (£200), and will be provided by the UK government through your electricity supplier.

The payment is automatic.

If you get a message asking for your bank details, this is likely to be a scam.

𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

All households with a domestic meter (T01) and electricity contract are eligible for the payment.

𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁

Households without a domestic meter or with a non-domestic electricity contract will also receive a £600 payment this winter. This is made up of £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding and £200 Alternative Fuel Payment.

There will be a separate process for getting this payment. We will update further details and timings as soon as further information is provided.

This includes: 

• residents of park homes
• some care home residents
• tenants in certain types of private and social rented homes
• homes supplied by private wires
• residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
• farmers living in domestic farmhouses without a domestic electricity connection
• households off the electricity grid

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

The payment will be delivered in different ways, depending on how you pay for your energy.

Customers with a domestic electricity meter point and a domestic electricity supply contract will receive the payment automatically from their electricity supplier.

You do not need to apply for the payment, and there’s no need to contact your electricity supplier.

You will not be asked for your bank details at any point.

Your electricity supplier will provide more guidance on the scheme.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿

You’ll get £600 deposited directly into your bank account from January 2023.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 (𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁) 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝘆 (𝗸𝗲𝘆𝗽𝗮𝗱) 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿

Your energy supplier will send you a £600 voucher from mid-January 2023, in the form of a letter containing a barcode. If a voucher is lost, it can be reissued.

Please note: You will need to take action to redeem the voucher.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿

You can only redeem the voucher at a Post Office.

• ID verification is needed to redeem the voucher, and the ID must match the name of the account holder on the voucher. Standard credit customers in particular may need to confirm their details with their supplier.
• You must redeem the voucher by 31 March 2023. It will not be valid after this date.

The Post Office can either:

• deposit the payment directly into your bank or credit union account if you provide your bank card or account details
• provide cash, subject to cash availability at your Post Office branch

The preferred and safest option is to have the amount paid directly into your bank account. Post Offices can make deposits into most major banks apart from Monzo and the Nationwide Building Society.

If you take the payment as cash and it is then stolen or lost, the payment will not be repeated.

You need to take the following to the Post Office:

• the letter containing the voucher
• proof of address which must show your address and be dated between 1 January 2022 and 1 January 2023
• photo ID which must be valid at the time you redeem your voucher
• keypad customers need to bring their keypad app or top up card, in addition to the voucher, proof of address and photo ID

𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 (𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼)

• utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence
• bank statement
• rental or mortgage agreement
• letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department

𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗗 

• passport
• UK or EU / EEA photo driving licence
• Armed Forces ID card or Police Warrant card
• Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
• Translink SmartPass (senior / 60+ / war disabled / blind person)
• Asylum ID card

If you do not have photo ID, you will need to obtain it or contact your electricity supplier.

You can apply for an electoral ID card at https://www.eoni.org.uk/Electoral-Identity-Card/How-to-apply

Keypad customers - if you are not able to provide your top up card or app, you will not be able to redeem the voucher for the keypad.

𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳

If you are unable to take your voucher to the Post Office, you can nominate someone to redeem it on your behalf.

You must complete the template on the back of the voucher to provide written authorisation for the person you have nominated to redeem your payment.

To be able to redeem the payment on your behalf at the Post Office, the nominated person must take:

• the voucher with completed authorisation
• your photo ID and proof of address
• their photo ID
• your bank account details, if the payment is to be paid into your account
• if you are a keypad customer, they must show your keypad app or top-up card

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁

Your landlord may be reselling the electricity to you based on your usage, in which case:

• they must comply with the Utility Regulator NI’s maximum resale price rules which say they must not make a profit
• the maximum resale price for electricity is currently set at the same price as that paid by the person reselling it

If your landlord charges ‘all inclusive’ rent, where a fixed cost for energy usage is included in your rental charges, they are required to pass the appropriate share of the £600 payment on to you. Regulations for pass-through requirements will be brought forward for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Northern Ireland.

For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-household-energy-bill-support-in-northern-ireland