Energy Bills Support Scheme - Alternative Funding

UPDATE 20/04/23: The Council have today received the details from the Government to enable us to make Energy Bills Support Scheme – Alternative Funding payments. We are prioritising making payments to eligible residents as quickly as possible.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding is a government program aimed at providing financial assistance to households with rising energy costs. It is aimed at those not benefiting from the Government Energy Support scheme (£400 reduction on electricity bills). Residents will live in households with no domestic electricity meter or have no direct relationship with an energy supplier.

Energy Support Scheme Alternative Funding Application Form

If you cannot apply online or need help with your application, contact the helpline team.

Email: alternativefunding@ebss.beis.gov.uk
Telephone: 0808 175 3287
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

After you apply via GOV.UK, Eastleigh Borough Council is being asked to make the £400 support payments to applicants through their bank accounts once verification checks have been made.

Homes that are eligible

residential park homes
on a boat on a permanent residential mooring
on a permanent Gypsy and Traveller site
part of a heat network without an electricity meter
in social or private rented accommodation which has a business energy connection or a communal electricity supply
off the mains electricity or gas grid
in a care home or assisted living facility and you pay for some or all your care
in a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)

Who should apply

You can apply if:

you pay for the energy your household uses
you’re applying for your main, permanent home
you have a fixed address in England, Scotland, or Wales

Who cannot apply

Most households get the £400 support automatically. You do not need to apply if you or your landlord:

has a domestic energy meter
pay your bills directly to an energy supplier (such as British Gas or EDF)

You cannot apply if you’ve already had Energy Bill Support payments. If you think you should have received a payment but have not, contact your energy supplier directly not Eastleigh Borough Council.

If you live in the following, you are also not eligible:

in purpose-built student accommodation
in a care home and do not pay any of your fees
on a boat with a continuous cruising licence (currently under review)
on a non-permanent caravan or mobile home site (currently under review)
in accommodation provided by your employer (such as seasonal workers, ‘service occupiers’, security guards, building caretakers)
in a building where you are acting as a property guardian
in business premises, such as a pub or hotel, where your address is the same as the business address

Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP)

An additional £200 for those who heat their homes with - oil, solid fuel, biomass, or bottled gas - named the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) will be available soon. The Government has confirmed that most households eligible for AFP support will receive payment automatically via their electricity supplier in February, with no further action needed.

If you do need to apply for the AFP, you will be able to do so through the same GOV.UK portal as the EBSS Alternative Funding scheme.

The Government has advised that potentially eligible households should not contact Eastleigh Borough Council until we receive further instructions on how the EBSS AFP scheme will be administered.