[DebF_EONNext]

Hey All 👋 I hope you're all well?

You may have heard there have been talks about an alternative fuel payment for those who are off grid or do not use mains gas or electricity to heat their homes and heat their homes through alternative means such as oil, LPG, biomass etc.

At the moment there hasn't been any official announcement on the plans however we are hoping for an announcement soon.

What do we know so far?

What is it?

This is a one-off payment for home that use heating oil, have an LPG boiler, biomass boiler or use a similar alternative fuel to heat their home. It's to help with with the cost of purchasing the fuels this winter, the aim is to provide equivalent support to those that use mains gas who get discount on their energy rates through the Energy Price Guarantee scheme.

How much is it?

It was originally announced that it would be £100, however, it was announced in the Autumn Statement 2022 that it would be doubled to £200.

When will it be paid? (UPDATED)

This will be paid automatically to those who are eligible by the end of February 2023. Most will receive this with no further action needed however some people for example who do not have a relationship with an energy supplier may have to apply for the payment when the government application portal opens on gov.uk pages.

How will it be paid?

• Direct Debit / Receipt of Bill Customers - The £200 will be added to your electricity account
• Prepayment Customers - Will receive a voucher for the £200
• Smart PAYG Customer - Will receive the £200 direct on to their electricity meter.

Who is eligible?

As mentioned above it's for people off grid or who DO NOT use mains gas or electricity to heat their homes. The payments are likely to be paid through electricity suppliers and should be paid automatically. BEIS (Government Body) will be providing us with details of who to make payments to. If you think you may be eligible but don't receive a payment then you may need to apply through the Government portal on the gov.uk pages.

What if I don't receive the payment from my supplier? (Update)

If you are eligible you should receive a payment from your supplier by the end of February, if at the end of February you haven't received a payment or heard from us you should head to gov.uk for your next steps, you may need to apply through the Government portal.

I have a Smart PAYG meter can I have a cash refund instead of it going to my meter? (Update)

Unfortunately not, there is no way to refund this.

When will I know more?

Keep an eye on this thread as we will update here as soon as there is any new information.

UPDATE:

We have started making payments to customers who BEIS have informed us are eligible. Payments should reach accounts by the end of Feb. If you think you are eligible and don't receive a payment by the end of Feb then you may need to apply through the Government Portal on the GOV.UK pages when the portal opens.

[retrotecchie]

@DebF_EONNext

Latest word is that payments will be applied first week in February for GB customers, alongside the EBSS payments. That's from my MP who sits on the Energy Committee.

Payments for customers in NI will be made in January.

[DebF_EONNext]

We can hope @retrotecchie however there is still the issue with getting everyone registered to receive the payments. At the moment we are hoping that it will be announced that it will be in the 1st quarter however no firm plans are in place yet 😊

[retrotecchie]

@DebF_EONNext

According to the Daily Record two days ago:

The UK Government has announced that households across Great Britain that are eligible for the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment will start to receive the financial support “as soon as possible” after February 1, 2023. The one-off payment is aimed at helping ease the cost of soaring energy bills this winter.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said that the “vast majority” of payments will be made automatically through the household’s electricity supplier, so there’s no need to apply. However, Climate Minister Graham Stuart MP, also said that there will be a “small number of customers” such as those living off grid without a direct electricity supply, who will not be able to receive the payment automatically.
He indicated that the UK Government will ensure there is a way for affected households to manually apply for the £200 payment. Mr Stuart also confirmed that payments for households in Northern Ireland started at the beginning of January.

According to Ben Lake, MP, he seems to think that being off the gas grid and not having a MPRN for gas is the first criterion they will use to determine who needs the support.

[meldrewreborn]

@retrotecchie

While your campaigning is going well here on the forum, I think the government are feeling the need to silence Martin Lewis more - he's in there swinging for you all.

[DebF_EONNext]

That's interesting that your MP has said that @retrotecchie it will be interesting to see if that is indeed the case. At the moment this is the only information we have been provided with so I don't know if it's correct or not however it would be helpful for us baby dragon keepers if it does actually come before sping 🐲

[retrotecchie]

@DebF_EONNext

I just shelled out just over £400 on dragon food. At least it's a lot cheaper than mains gas right now...and no standing charges.

[retrotecchie]

@retrotecchie

Ben Lake is proactively fighting our corner as 62% of his constituents are off the gas grid and rely on either heating oil or tanked/bottled gas.

[Jenny381010]

@DebF_EONNext I have read about the AFP in many different places. I have not seen anywhere that it is only for people 'offgrid'. Yes there are special arrangements for those people but the rest of us who use oil, LPG ect for our central heating because we are not on the gas grid are eligable for this payment. My question is.... How will our energy supplier (Eon Next in this case) know who is not on gas heating and are therefore eligable for the alternative fuel payment.

[Jenny381010]

@DebF_EONNext The Alternative Fuel payment is for people who do not use mains gas or electricity for HEATING their homes. You do not have to be offgrid to receive it. How does Eon Next know that I use Oil central heating???

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/v...rthern-ireland

Vital help with energy bills on the way for millions more homes across Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Government confirms details of a single £600 payment to help households in Northern Ireland with energy bills and £200 payment for Great Britain households that use alternative fuels like heating oil.

• UK government confirms all households in Northern Ireland will receive a single payment totalling £600 to help with their energy bills, with payments starting in January
• households across Great Britain that use alternative fuels like heating oil will receive a £200 payment this winter
• 900,000 households in England, Scotland and Wales without a direct relationship to an energy supplier – such as care home or park home residents – will be able to apply online for £400 of non-repayable help with their fuel bills