This page provides information about energy rebates and energy bills support schemes, heating and health projects and the Household Support Fund.
Other help is also available to eligible residents like the warm home discount, winter fuel payment for older people, and the cold weather payment. Emergency energy vouchers and grants to help pay off energy debts are also available, plus there is advice on how you could use less energy.
£150 Energy rebate
The government introduced a national scheme through which local councils provide a one-off, £150 energy rebate for homes in Council Tax bands A to D.
Details of the energy rebate scheme (external link) are available on the Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) website. In East Cambridgeshire, ARP and the council worked together to help 100% of all eligible homes to receive their rebate.
£400 Energy Bills Support Scheme
The government has announced that all UK households will receive a non-repayable Energy Bills Support Scheme discount, to reduce energy bills by £400 from October 2022.
The £400 discount will be administered by your energy supplier over six months. Households will see a discount of £66 applied to their energy bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through to March 2023.
The discount will be made automatically by your energy supplier. There is no need to contact your energy supplier or to apply.
The way you receive the payment will differ depending on how you pay for your energy, the government Energy Bills Support Scheme explainer (external link) gives more information.
Support for households with alternative fuel sources or without direct relationships with energy suppliers
Households using alternative fuels and households without a direct relationship to an energy supplier will receive help with their energy costs from the government.
For households who have alternative fuel sources such as heating oil, tank or bottled gas, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), wood or other solid fuel as their main source of heating, a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) is available to meet energy costs this winter.
Most households eligible for the AFP support will have already received payment automatically via their electricity supplier in February, with no need to take any action. Those households who will need to apply for the AFP, for example because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier, can now apply for the Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) following the scheme's launch on 6 March 2023.
Eligible households may be those who use alternative fuels for heating; your main home must also be:
- a residential park home
- a boat on a permanent residential mooring
- traveller households on authorised sites
- 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
- part of a business property (such as a farm or a flat above a shop)
Customers who are eligible for support with the Alternative Fuels Payment may also qualify for the Energy Bills Support Scheme, if you have not received this automatically you can submit claims for each scheme.
You can apply online at GOV.UK (external link)
If you cannot apply online, or would like some help and advice, call the helpline on 0808 175 3287, Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm.
When customers apply, the Government's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will carry out some initial eligibility checks, the details will then be passed to us and Anglia Revenues Partnership to check you live at the address you applied for.
You will be told about the progress of your application by either email or letter, you should receive this within six weeks. If you are eligible we will arrange a one-off payment to be made, within 30 working days. You do not need to repay this money.
Applications for this scheme closed on 31 May 2023.
Residents without a direct relationship to a domestic energy supplier will receive a £400 discount on their fuel bills through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS Alternative Funding), launched on 27 February 2023.
Eligible households may be those who pay for energy through a landlord, housing manager or site owner, such as:
- care home residents
- those living in park homes
- residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
- off-grid households
- tenants in certain rented accommodation
- homes on private electricity supply
- farmers living in domestic farmhouses
Payments to households that meet the eligibility criteria, including people who get their energy through a commercial contract or who are off-grid, will be made by local authorities. Customers who are eligible for support under the main Energy Bills Support Scheme are not eligible for EBSS Alternative Funding.
If you cannot apply online, or would like some help and advice, call the helpline on 0808 175 3287, Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm.
When customers apply, the Government's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will carry out some initial eligibility checks, the details will then be passed to us and Anglia Revenues Partnership to check you live at the address you have applied for.
You will be told about the progress of your application by either email or letter, you should receive this within six weeks. If you are eligible we will arrange a one-off payment to be made, within 30 working days. You do not need to repay this money.
Applications for this scheme closed on 28 April 2023.
Energy Price Guarantee
On 8 September, the government announced the Energy Price Guarantee (external link) (EPG) which caps the unit of cost of energy per kWh for pre-pay and bill-pay tariffs. While a household's bill will continue to be influenced by how much energy is used, the government have estimated that a typical household will pay under £2,500 per year for their energy.
Money Saving Expert have produced an energy price cap calculator (external link) which may help to calculate your energy costs, based on your usage. If you are currently on a pre-capped standard tariff you can enter your energy figures into the calculator for an estimate of what you will pay under the new energy price guarantee. This calculator won't be able to provide estimates for those on a fixed tariff deal, only for standard tariffs.
Heat and Health project
East Cambridgeshire District Council secured funding from health partners for a Heat and Health project.
We will work with communities to create support networks for residents who experience difficulties and associated health problems as a result of not being able to heat their homes fully. Visit the Warm Hubs page for more details.
Household Support Fund
The Cambridgeshire Household Support Fund (external link) has been created to help people experiencing immediate financial hardship to pay for food and household energy bills. Help is available for pensioners and other people on eligible benefits who are struggling with food and energy costs.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Warm Home Discount (external link) is a one-off payment to reduce eligible customers' bills over the winter months. This winter (2022 to 2023), it is rising from £140 to £150. You do not need to apply for the scheme, payments are automatic, but you will only be eligible if your energy supplier is part of the scheme.
Winter Fuel Payment
If you were born on or before 25 September 1956 you could get a winter fuel payment (external link) to help you pay your heating bills. The amount will vary depending on eligibility, with payments made between November and December 2022.
Cold Weather Payment
People on certain benefits may be eligible for a cold weather payment (external link) if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days. If you qualify for the payment you will automatically be sent the money, you do not need to make a claim.
You will get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Grant to help pay off energy debts
If you are in debt to your energy supplier, you might be able to get a grant to help pay it off.
Ofgem (external link) offer advice on what to do if you cannot afford to pay your energy bill, including links for schemes, grants and benefits that you may be able to access for help.
Even if your energy provider is not listed as part of the scheme, you might be able to get a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust. This grant is available to anyone - you do not have to be a British Gas customer.
Emergency Energy Vouchers
If you have a pre-pay meter and are struggling to afford to top it up, contact our partner PECT (external link). They can offer advice, support and assess you for an emergency fuel voucher.
Home Energy Efficiency Grants and Incentives
There are various grant schemes available to residents of East Cambridgeshire to increase the energy efficiency of your home, helping to bring down energy costs in the longer term.
Visit our home energy efficiency grants webpage for more details.
Ideas to use less energy
The Energy Saving Trust (external link) advise on how to cut down on your energy use to save money and share their quick tips energy advice (external link).
Cambridge Carbon Footprint (external link) has ideas to help reduce costs and save energy.
Which? has also published 10 ways to reduce energy bills (external link).
National Energy Action's warm and safe homes advice service (external link) is a free support service providing advice to households on their energy bills and keeping warm and safe in their home.
The government endorsed Simple Energy Advice (external link) can help you to see what energy improvement grants are available in your area.