£400 allowance

pww

Hi , does anyone know how the £400 allowance will be paid if you get separate gas and electric bills from two different suppliers. Thanks. 

[Deleted User]

It will be paid out by your electricity supplier. You will have to maintain your payments to your gas supplier.

matelodave

You get it in six payments over six months coz thats the way the government are giving it to the energy suppliers.( 2x£66 plus 4x6£7 = £400). It's credited to the leccy account so that virtually everyone gets it. If some got credited to gas, then only those who had a gas account would receive it and it solves the problem of those who have separate gas and leccy suppliers.

We are with Eon-Next and they have reduced our monthly DD by  £67 but crediting our account for the full amount of the existing DD (eg existing DD = £300, new DD = £233, credited to the account = £300)

AFAIK some suppliers are taking the full existing DD and then crediting the account with £67 (eg exitsing DD = £300, add £67, credited to account =£367)

Others are just taking £67 off the bill (eg you owe £300, bill = £300-£67 so you pay £233)

I'm not sure if any suppliers are just sending normal bills and then crediting  £67 back to a bank account after the bill has been paid in full. I suppose it depends on how you are billed, how you pay and what the supplier feels is appropriate. I doubt that many people will get a chance to choose how they get it.

Potentially some people could end up with their account in credit if they use less than £400 of electricity over the winter, in which case I guess you could reclaim the credit at some point next year or possibly reduce your DD to recover the credit during the year. Although next year might be even worse as I cant imagine the government giving out another £400 again next winter

aly_cat

I've just been on the phone to Bulb about this for over an hour. They said they're unable to refund my £67 - because it's for 'energy' only. However, I kept explaining that it was actually for my gas, which is with another supplier. They kept pointing me to the government website, saying that it states there that I can't be refunded it (however, I can't see where it says that!).

I feel like I've gone loopy with it as I'd previously spoken with them 12 days ago, and they confirmed that I could be refunded the money. Nothing happened for those 10 days. Chased it today and they've turned around and said that they're unable to refund the money to my bank account as the £67 is for energy only - despite me constantly explaining that I need that money for my Gas central heating. 

Does anyone know of any clear guidance on what to do if you have two energy suppliers? I understand that if you are given an energy voucher, you're entitled to use it on either gas or electric. I live in a tiny flat, and hardly use any electricity - I'll never be able to use £67 a month electricity a month.

It seems bonkers not to be able to use this for gas central heating! I scared to turn my gas on.

Alnat1

Have you considered switching the gas to Bulb too? You'd have one dual fuel account and the £400 would be a credit against the total balance.

400ixl

Provided Bulb have in some way paid it to you via your electricity account then they have done what is expected of them. Unfortunately it is the customers responsibility for how they manage to move that money to their gas account if it is with a separate supplier. How do Bulb do it?

Reduction of the DD amount and apply the difference directly to the account (so the money is essentially still in your bank account to pay to your gas supplier

Full DD taken and credit back to your account, again you end up with the money back in your account, just later in the month than the above option

Full DD taken and applied directly to the account, this way is the most awkward as you would then need to request a refund from the electricity supplier to then pay it to your gas supplier.

@aly_cat How have Bulb processed the rebate in your case?

[Deleted User]

They said they're unable to refund my £67

What are paying per month for your electricity and what is the method of payment?

If your monthly DD is, say, £70 the supplier will abate your monthly payment by £67. You will only pay £3 a month but £70 would still be added to your electricity account.

If your monthly DD is, say, £10 the supplier should refund £57 to your Bank account but still credit £10 a month to your energy account.

You have the right to request a return of some of your credit balance if the amount left plus future monthly credits is enough to cover the Winter period.

aly_cat

Thank you. The customer representative kept referring it as 'energy' rather, than electricity.

They have stated that they can't refund anything that relates to the government money - only the money the direct debit that I pay. They sent me some links, but nothing is stated on either the government site or their own site where it stipulates that it can't be refunded. I'm guessing, by them using 'energy' in their language - they're implying that the refund to my account wouldn't be used as 'energy'.

I'm in an awkward limbo, where Octopus are my Gas supplier - Thankfully, Bulb will be taken over by them However - I don't know how long this limbo will be for, and meanwhile it's getting colder and colder.

I held out switching (combining) providers during the lockdown period as I moved into this rented property during lockdown and didn't have access to the gas meter as it's in another flat (it took ages for the landlord to give me the gas meter details). Plus, I was also advised not to change suppliers. 

Their wording in an email they sent to confirm their decision (I've removed the agent's name):

Thanks for taking the time to get in touch with us about your Government scheme payments complaint.
 
What we've done so far:
** explain the process of the payments that they can't be refunded on the bank account as they are only for the energy.
 
What the next steps are and how long they'll take:
** request for a manger to speak with member as they were not happy about the process.

aly_cat

Hi,  I pay around £25pm. At the moment, I've reduced my Direct Debit to £1. They've said that they'll only refund the money that I've paid in, not anything from the scheme.
It's a small flat pokey flat, so I don't use a lot of electricity. 
I tend to use more gas as it's a single glazed sash-windowed rental property.

Dolor said:

They said they're unable to refund my £67

What are paying per month for your electricity and what is the method of payment?

If your monthly DD is, say, £70 the supplier will abate your monthly payment by £67. You will only pay £3 a month but £70 would still be added to your electricity account.

If your monthly DD is, say, £10 the supplier should refund £57 to your Bank account but still credit £10 a month to your energy account.

You have the right to request a return of some of your credit balance if the amount left plus future monthly credits is enough to cover the Winter period.

pochase

To my knowledge some suppliers will only return your direct debit amount, in your case £25, The remaining amount will be added as credit to your account.

Is that what they have explained to you? That you will only get £25 back, or that they will just not raise a DD?

Edit
I did not find the exact  process for Bulb, but here is what BG will do

• If your Direct Debit amount is less than the EBSS payment, i.e. less than £66, you’ll receive a refund equal to your Direct Debit amount and the remaining balance will be credited to your electricity account.

molerat

Hi,  I pay around £25pm. At the moment, I've reduced my Direct Debit to £1

A bit of a shot yourself in the foot moment.  They will now likely only refund £1 to your bank instead of £25.