The Government has now published details on the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which will help those on non-domestic (business) tariffs this winter. This will include charities who provide energy to their residents.

The support will initially be available from 1st October 2022 until 31st March 2023, with further support expected after this for the most vulnerable sectors.

The scheme will be available to everyone on a non-domestic contract including:
– businesses
– voluntary sector organisations, such as charities
– public sector organisations such as schools, hospitals and care homes

who are:
– on existing fixed price contracts that were agreed on or after 1 April 2022
– signing new fixed price contracts
– on deemed / out of contract or variable tariffs
– on flexible purchase or similar contracts

The support comes from a cap being placed on the unit price on your electricity and gas, this cap has been set at:
– Β£211 per megawatt hour (MWh) for electricity
– Β£75 per MWh for gas

For comparison, this compares to Β£600 for electricity and Β£180 for gas which had been expected this winter.

The support will be applied to all bills by suppliers and you will not need to apply for it to take effect.

  • If you agreed your fixed price contract / tariff on or after 1 April 2022 you will get support if the calculated wholesale element of the price you are paying is above the government supported price.
  • If your fixed tariff is based on wholesale prices below the government supported price, you will not be eligible for support.
  • For members who use heat networks or provide energy to their residents the Government advises:

β€œWe expect businesses and other organisation to pass on the benefits under this scheme through to the end user in a reasonable and proportionate way. This will ensure support, for instance, to customers of heat networks and park home residents.”

A more detailed breakdown of the support can be found on the Government announcement here.

The Almshouse Association will continue to discuss the needs of the almshouse movement to be included in any future support beyond 31st March 2023 and would greatly appreciate evidence/case studies from member charities regarding the impact of the high energy costs and how the support provided through this scheme is ensuring services continue.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with Jack Baldan via jackbaldan@almshouses.org

Posted 22 September 22