Warwick District Council is urging households and individuals who didn’t qualify for the Government’s £400 energy rebate or £200 automatic alternative fuel payment, to see if they can apply for funding under the ‘alternative’ schemes. The funding for both schemes is provided by His Majesty’s Government and will be distributed through your local authority. The schemes will both close for applications on 31 May 2023.
The Government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF)
This scheme is providing £400 in energy bills support for households in England, Scotland, and Wales without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier.
Subject to applications meeting the eligibility criteria, people may be eligible to apply if their 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 (directly or through loss of pension or other benefits)
- in a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)
You can apply if:
- you pay for the energy your household uses
- you’re applying for your main, permanent home
You will need:
- an email address or phone number (if you have one)
- your bank account details (a UK current account in your name)
If you’re not registered for Council Tax, you’ll need to upload proof of address (such as a full, current UK driving licence or tenancy agreement) as part of your application.
If you live in a care home, you’ll also need to upload either:
- an invoice for your care home fees from the past 3 months
- an official document from the care home including your name and address, a funding statement and the name and address of the care home
The Government’s Alternative Fuels Payment Alternative Funding (AFP)
This scheme is providing £200 in support of the rising costs associated with heating your home with alternative fuels for households in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Most households will automatically get a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) if they:
- are in England, Scotland or Wales
- use alternative fuels for most of their heating, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), oil or solid fuel
- are connected to the electricity grid
If you do not get it automatically, you can apply for £200 support to help pay for alternative fuels. You can only make one application per household.
You may be eligible to apply if you use alternative fuels for heating and your main home is:
- in 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
- part of a business property (such as a farm or a flat above a shop)
You can apply if:
- you pay for the energy your household uses
- you’re applying for your main, permanent home
You will need:
- an email address or phone number (if you have one)
- your bank account details
- proof that you’ve spent £200 on alternative fuels to heat your home since June 2022 (for example, a delivery note or receipt)
Those who are eligible for EBSS AF or AFP, will need to fill out a short online form via the GOV.UK website. This form can be found by searching “Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically” into the search bar on GOV.UK or an internet search engine.
Applications are made directly to His Majesty’s Government, not to or via your local authority (Warwick District Council). If you do not have online access, you can apply via a contact centre on 0808 175 3287 for EBSS enquiries and 0808 175 3943 for AFP enquiries, where a representative will guide you through the application process.
Once you have applied, your application will be processed and verified. After this if your application is successful, your details will be shared with your local authority, who will deliver the one-off, nonrepayable support. The payment will be made directly into your bank account in a single instalment.
