30th May, 2022

The soaring energy crisis is affecting the entire nation right now and it’s only expected to get worse as the energy price cap is set to increase once again from October.

However, all is not lost as the government have agreed to help – and they’re no longer expecting you to return the financial favour.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak announced that UK households will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills from October.

The new Cost of Living Support package will mean that almost all of the eight million most vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 of extra support this year.

This is in addition to the £150 council tax rebate that many families have received in April - which is equivalent to the average energy price cap rise across the year.

“We know that people are facing challenges with the cost of living and that is why today I’m stepping in with further support to help with rising energy bills,” Mr Sunak said.

“We have a collective responsibility to help those who are paying the highest price for the high inflation we face.

“That is why I’m targeting this significant support to millions of the most vulnerable people in our society. I said we would stand by people and that is what this support does today.

“It is also right that those companies making extraordinary profits on the back of record global oil and gas prices contribute towards this.

“That is why I’m introducing a temporary Energy Profits Levy to help pay for this unprecedented support in a way that promotes investment.”

Households will get £400 of support to help with their energy bills through an extension of the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

The full £400 payment will now be made as a grant, which will not be recovered through higher bills over future years.

You will receive this grant from your energy supplier through a domestic electricity meter over six months from October 2022.

If you’re a direct debit or credit customer, you will have the money credited to you account. Whereas, if you’re a customer with prepayment meter, you will have the money applied to your meter or provided with a voucher.

This support will apply directly to households in England, Scotland and Wales and the government will deliver equivalent support to people in Northern Ireland.

The financial support will be made in addition to the £150 Council Tax rebate expected for households in England in Council Tax bands A to D (as announced in February).

Unlike the previous discount of £200 for which households were expected to pay back over time by 2023, the requirement to pay back the newly doubled grant has been scrapped and you will no longer be required to pay back the grant.

In a bid to upgrade our energy system, the government are also making plans to roll out smart meters to every new home and building in the UK. You can find out more information on this here.

For more information on the government’s Cost of Living Support, visit the Government’s website.

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* Please note that the above information has been gathered through secondary research. The information provided is not based on our opinion. You should seek further guidance and information before making an informed decision.