£600 Energy Bills Support Scheme launched

Last month, the UK government announced that households in Northern Ireland will get a one-off payment of £600 to help with rising energy costs. The government is delivering the Energy Bills Support Scheme in the absence of an executive at Stormont. 

Electricity providers will make payments to their customers. They will pay £600 directly into the bank accounts of customers who pay their electricity bill by direct debit. Around 500,000 customers will receive a voucher that can be redeemed at a post office.  

Electricity providers will send vouchers to customers who:  

• use pre-payment meters  
• who pay their bills without using direct debit  

The first payments were made on 16 January. But there is still some uncertainty about whether every household will get a payment. Our helpline has been busy with queries from people wondering if they will receive this help.  

 
Will people living in hostels receive the payment? 

People who live in hostel accommodation usually pay a service charge. This covers energy costs like heating and electricity. Residents are often paying a considerable amount for these services. But they are not electricity account holders. The hostel providers are the account holders and residents cannot receive the payment themselves. 

The Energy Bills Support Scheme is designed to help domestic electricity customers. A hostel may be considered domestic property. It depends on the type of arrangement the hostel providers have with their electricity supplier. If a hostel provider receives a £600 payment, they should share this with their residents. But it could be the case that they will not get the payment at all.  

The government has confirmed they will create a different scheme for people without a standard electricity account. This will include, for example:  

• caravan parks  
• some care homes 
• some social housing 
• rural homes without a standard domestic electricity connection   

Hostel residents may be included in this scheme but, at the moment, no further information has been released. 

How should people living HMOs split the money? 

People living in a house in multiple occupation (HMO) will receive one payment regardless of how many people live there. If they pay for electricity by direct debit, the £600 will be paid into the account the payment comes from. Or they will receive a voucher addressed to ‘the occupier’.  

Any member of a HMO household will be able to cash or lodge the voucher as long as they have the documents needed.  

No guidance has been issued on how the money should be shared between HMO residents. 

They will need to agree on this between themselves, which could lead to disagreements. If there is a dispute, our Housing Mediation Service can help tenants to come to an agreement.  

Landlords who resell electricity to tenants  

Some landlords pay their tenants' electricity bill and collect the money from their tenant. Landlords can recover the money from their tenants with: -  

• A standard monthly amount in the tenancy agreement  
• A bill for the exact amount of electricity used each month or quarter 

In cases like this, the landlord is the electricity account holder, and the tenant will not get the £600 payment. The government has issued regulations and guidance that require landlords to pass on the payment to their tenants in a ‘just and reasonable way’. In some cases, the landlord may not have to pass on the full £600 payment to their tenant. 

The guidance encourages tenants to contact their landlord if they have not got the payment or they’re unhappy with the amount the landlord has passed on. If they cannot come to an agreement with their landlord, tenants could take their landlords to small claims court. They can also contact Housing Mediation Service to help resolve a disagreement about the payment. 

What if a tenant’s keypad meter is in the landlord's name? 

Some keypad meter accounts are in the landlord’s name rather than the tenant’s. The voucher for keypad customers will be sent to ‘the occupier’, not to the account holder.  

The £600 payment is intended to be for the person who tops up the keypad. The tenant can cash or lodge the voucher even if the account is in the landlord's name. They will only need to bring the required documents with them. 

Keypad meter not in the tenant's name  

Tenants do not always change the electricity account into their name when they move into a new home. They may continue to use the card that was left by the previous tenant. As above, the person who tops up the keypad is the one who should benefit from the voucher. Because the voucher is addressed to the occupier, it does not matter if the account is in a previous tenant's name.  

Moving into a new home after 2 January 2023 

To be eligible for the payment, a person must have been an electricity account holder before 2 January 2023. If an electricity customer moves to a new address after 2 January, they should contact their electricity supplier and make sure they have their up-to-date details. 

A person who is not an electricity account holder may move into a new home after 2 January. They will not be entitled to get a £600 payment. This might apply to someone who gets a new home after a period of: 

• sofa surfing 
• living with family 
• living in a hostel   

If you or anybody you’re supporting has been affected by the issues covered in this article, contact our helpline:   

• by phone on 028 9024 5640, or   
• chat online to one of our advisers at https://www.housingadviceni.org/