Energy Bills Support Scheme

On 8 September 2022, the government announced additional support for energy bills. This is called the Energy Price Guarantee which discounts the unit rate of electricity and gas. It means that from 1 October 2022 until 31 March 2023 a typical household will not pay more than £2,500 per year on their energy bill. From 1 April 2023 to March 2024 the typical household bill will be no more than £3,000. 

You can find out more about this on our Energy Price Guarantee webpage.

There’s also support from the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme. 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 is spread over the winter, between October 2022 and March 2023

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 Price Guarantee is based on what a 'typical' household would pay for their energy over a year. If you use more than that, your bill will be higher, if you use less, your bill will be lower. But however much energy you use, it’s the unit rate that is capped. This 'typical' household is determined by Ofgem, and used as a way of comparing prices. It assumes a certain level of usage – 12,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of gas and 2,900 kWh of electricity, based on an average unit rate.

Typical bills are calculated based on three things:

• Average consumption figures
• Customers paying by Direct Debit
• A unit rate which is an average of all the regional rates

The Energy Bills Support Scheme is being 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.

A 'typical' bill is calculated using:

• average consumption figures
• Direct Debit rates
• a unit rate which is an average of all the regional rates

On 24 November, Ofgem (the energy regulator) announced an increase to the energy price cap, the maximum amount that suppliers can charge per unit of energy, from 1 January 2023.

The increases in the Price Cap for any individual household reflect the increases in the cost to suppliers of providing energy to that home. These costs vary based on geographic region, the meter type (e.g. credit or Pay As You Go) and the customer payment method (e.g. Direct Debit or on receipt of the bill).

As a result there are variations in the size of the Price Cap increases that will apply from 1 January 2023. The ongoing government EPG support will be applied to these new price cap rates as a uniform per kWh unit rate discount. So, while the costs for a typical household are unchanged, many households will see changes in their unit rates from January compared to the last 3 month period.

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 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, the government’s Energy Price Guarantee is now discounting the unit rate of electricity and gas until 31 March 2023 and means a typical household will save hundreds of pounds this winter. 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.