Energy Bills Support Scheme
You’re getting help with your energy bills
Through the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme, all households in Great Britain with an electricity supply are receiving a £400 discount to help with the cost of energy. The discount will be paid by your electricity supplier and the Energy Bills Support Scheme is in addition to the government’s Energy Price Guarantee.
The £400 discount will be spread over a 6 month period, from October 2022 to March 2023. You’ll receive £66 in October and November, and then £67 every month until March.
The exact time you get each monthly discount, and the way it’ll be paid, will depend on how you pay for your energy. You don’t need to apply for the discount, or pay it back.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme is part of the government’s wider support programme to help with the cost of living. More information on this can be found on the government’s Help for Households website.
If you've recently moved into a property that we supply, please let us know your details as soon as possible so we can make sure your £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount reaches you. If we don’t hear from you, there’s a chance you won’t get it – and we really want to avoid that. You can chat to us online to let us know you've moved.
If you pay by Direct Debit
You’ll receive your discount as a refund. This means you’ll carry on paying your full Direct Debit amount. Once the Direct Debit payment has cleared, we’ll refund the monthly discount amount to your bank account shortly after. If you cancel your Direct Debit, or your payment fails, there may be a delay in applying the discount to your account.
You’ll get your discount every month, even if you don’t get monthly statements. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next statement.
If you pay when you get your bill
You’ll receive your monthly discount as a credit to your energy account in the first week of each month. You’ll see this on your monthly bills from October.
We’ll add the discount to your energy account every month, even if you don’t get monthly bills. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next bill.
For example, if you receive your bills on the 15th of the month, we’ll add your discount in the 1st week of the month, starting in October, so you’ll see confirmation of this on your bill dated 15 October.
If you top up with a smart Pay As You Go meter
We’ll add your monthly discount straight to your electricity smart meter as a credit in the first week of each month.
We’ll get in touch from October to confirm each time we’ve added the credit.
If you top up with a traditional Pay As You Go meter
You'll receive vouchers by post within 11 working days of the 1st of each month.
You can use each voucher at a PayPoint shop to top up your electric or gas meters, or both.
You only have 90 days to redeem each voucher from the date it was issued.
Before you go
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Make sure your name, email address and supply address are up to date so you receive your voucher.
It's really important your account matches whatever form of ID you'll use to redeem the vouchers later.
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Find a PayPoint store.
You can find your nearest PayPoint store online.
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Take a valid form of ID
The name on this ID must match the name in your account. You can use a:
- UK driving licence
- Bank statement
- Council tax bill
Please be careful of scams
We’re aware that scam Energy Bills Support Scheme emails and text messages are being sent to customers. Here’s an example.
We’ll never ask for your bank details for your Energy Bills Support Scheme discounts, so please be extra careful not to give them to anyone. We’ll only send vouchers by email or post – not text message. There's advice on the government's website, if you think you might have been a victim of a scam or fraud.
Please be careful of scams
We’re aware that scam Energy Bills Support Scheme emails and text messages are being sent to customers. Here’s an example.
We’ll never ask for your bank details for your Energy Bills Support Scheme discounts, so please be extra careful not to give them to anyone. We’ll only send vouchers by email or post – not text message. There's advice on the government's website, if you think you might have been a victim of a scam or fraud.
Further government support
The government has also set up some other cost-of-living support schemes that aren’t directly applied to your energy bill.
Other ways we can help
If you’re finding it challenging to pay your energy bills, or are worried about them, we’re here to support you. Find out about the different ways we can help here.
Questions and answers
On 8 September, the government announced additional support for energy bills, called the Energy Price Guarantee. You can find out more about this on our Energy Price Guarantee webpage.
The government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme will continue. All households in Great Britain with an electricity supply will receive a £400 discount off their energy bills to help with the rising cost of energy. The £400 payment will be spread over the winter period, starting in October.
There is also more support from the government on the cost of living which you can read about on the government's Help for Households website.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme will be paid in monthly instalments from October to March. You will receive:
- October and November: £66 each month
- December to March: £67 each month
All our customers with an electricity account will be automatically eligible. Your meter and payment method will determine how you receive your discount.
You don’t need to apply for the Energy Bills Support Scheme. All our customers with an electricity account are automatically eligible. The scheme is in addition to the government’s Energy Price Guarantee.
Your meter and payment method will determine how you receive your discount.
No, you don't have to pay it back.
All our domestic customers with an electricity account are eligible for the £400 discount.
You’ll receive your discount as a refund. This means you’ll carry on paying your full Direct Debit amount. Once the Direct Debit payment has cleared, we’ll refund the monthly discount amount to your bank account shortly after. If you cancel your Direct Debit, or your payment fails, there may be a delay in applying the discount to your account.
You’ll get your discount every month, even if you don’t get monthly statements. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next statement.
If you pay for your energy when you get your bill (we call this ‘On Demand’), you’ll get your monthly discount as a credit to your energy account in the first week of each month. You’ll see this on your monthly bills from October.
We’ll add the discount to your energy account every month, even if you don’t get monthly bills. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next bill.
We’ll add your monthly discount straight to your electricity smart meter as a credit in the first week of each month.
We’ll get in touch from October to confirm each time we’ve added the credit.
You'll receive a top up voucher by email or post by the 11th of each month. You can use these vouchers at a PayPoint shop to top up your electric and/or gas meters. Find your nearest shop at the PayPoint website.
You’ll need to redeem the vouchers within 90 days of the issue date (with the last voucher having an expiry date of 30 June), and show one of the following forms of ID: UK driving licence, bank statement, or a council tax bill.
Please be vigilant and treat any unexpected phone calls or approaches with caution. We’ll never ask for your bank details for your Energy Bills Support Scheme discounts.
You don’t need to report suspected scams to us. You can read more on our webpage about on protecting yourself from scams.
Yes. All households with a domestic electricity connection in Great Britain are eligible for the £400 discount. Depending on your payment type, the discount could be used to reduce debt balances.
If you're struggling financially or you're worried about your energy bills, we're here to support you. Find out about the different ways we can help on the OVO Financial Support page.
There is also further support from the government on the cost of living which you can read about on the government factsheet.
Further, on 8 September, the government announced that an Energy Price Guarantee will be set at £2,500 for a typical UK household for the next two years. The Energy Price Guarantee is in addition to the Energy Bills Support Scheme and customers do not need to apply for either scheme.
You should receive your monthly rebate payment, credit or voucher within the month. If you pay by Direct Debit, this is likely to be after your scheduled payment. If you have an electricity account with us and have not received your rebate by the end of the month, please contact us.
If you feel confident that you can keep your home comfortably warm this winter and you do not need the government £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme, you can donate some or all of it to National Energy Action who are the national fuel poverty charity. You can find out how to do this on the National Energy Action webpage.
There’s no difference if you’re a pensioner as to the way you receive your discount. The only thing that makes a difference is how you pay for your energy and the type of meter you have. You’ll find information about payment plan types in other parts of this page.
The UK government is also offering a one-off £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment for over 8 million pensioners to be paid alongside the Winter Fuel Payment. For more information visit the UK government's webpage on the Energy Bills Support Scheme.