MSE News: £200 Alternative Fuel Payment to be paid 'in the New Year'

Jinglish

The other thing was in my previous property I was on oil then switched to an ASHP a year ago via GHG and RHI schemes. I have since sold that house in October and now back on oil again. I wonder if the new owner will slip through the net?

kassy64

Can someone remind me again why this is being paid to non mains gas households. Don't get me wrong I will take all the help we can get but surely we have all been paid (or will be paid) the additional £400 promised in the autumn, which as far as I know is to cover help with energy bills. Why are we (off grid users) getting more support, particularly as LPG is probably cheaper at present than mains gas? Surely the £400 covers your bills however you choose to heat your home, maybe I'm missing something. Anyone explain the thinking behind this discretionary payment.

Jinglish

Gas uses are protected by the price cap guarantee so changes in the market the government foots the bill and they all pay the same flat rate. Oil uses have no protection so are at the mercy of the open market. I can only assume that typical usage for gas vs typical usage for oil would be reason behind the £200 payment which in my opinion is still not enough given the overall rise in heating oil cost.

MattMattMattUK

kassy64 said:

Can someone remind me again why this is being paid to non mains gas households. Don't get me wrong I will take all the help we can get but surely we have all been paid (or will be paid) the additional £400 promised in the autumn, which as far as I know is to cover help with energy bills. Why are we (off grid users) getting more support, particularly as LPG is probably cheaper at present than mains gas? Surely the £400 covers your bills however you choose to heat your home, maybe I'm missing something. Anyone explain the thinking behind this discretionary payment.

Because people like to moan and they are not interested in the details of one group getting help and another not getting help, even if the group not getting help is already in a better position (LPG and oil are cheaper per kWh than mains gas).

Smart77

Will we actually be able to withdraw the allowance from our electricity account to pay our oil bill? Energy companies are notorious for hanging onto any credit that might have built up on your account. 

propertyrental

What continues to amaze me is
* the number of individual threads on this topic - none of which answer the questions posed
* the endless speculation - based on an absence of facts
* the numerous issues raised around the practicalities of the scheme - with absolutely no meaningful solutions that can be relied on

The only reliable facts are that
* £200 will be paid, somehow, to some people
* at some point (now known to be 'in the New year' which could be 1/1/23 or not till Feb, or March, or....)
* the electricity suppliers will provide the £200 somehow, but neither we, the electricity suppliers, nor the government, know how or to who

So a plea.... lets put the questions and speculation on hold till we have some reliable facts about the scheme that are actually worth discussing!

RedPandaVibe

can anyone help? I live in Wales and am in temporary accommodation until I move to a shared equity home in April. I am a disabled single parent and am only living in a temporary situation because there were no homes in the Summer when my landlady sold her property. I have not received the £400 fuel discount over these months as I am staying at a farm (a business location). I am charged fuel through that business. I have the other winter benefits I am entitled to but Is there a method of receiving the fuel discount directly from the government? The place where we live has storage heaters. Thanks

mmmmikey

LATrainer said:

can anyone help? I live in Wales and am in temporary accommodation until I move to a shared equity home in April. I am a disabled single parent and am only living in a temporary situation because there were no homes in the Summer when my landlady sold her property. I have not received the £400 fuel discount over these months as I am staying at a farm (a business location). I am charged fuel through that business. I have the other winter benefits I am entitled to but Is there a method of receiving the fuel discount directly from the government? The place where we live has storage heaters. Thanks

Sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately there is no direct way to access the £400 directly from the Government and/or electricity supplier in your circumstances as far as I am aware. However, I believe that there are discretionary funds available through local councils to help catch people who have otherwise fallen through the net. I'm not sure how these funds work but it may be worth a call to your local council to find out. Good luck and hope this helps

Spoonie_Turtle

LATrainer said:

can anyone help? I live in Wales and am in temporary accommodation until I move to a shared equity home in April. I am a disabled single parent and am only living in a temporary situation because there were no homes in the Summer when my landlady sold her property. I have not received the £400 fuel discount over these months as I am staying at a farm (a business location). I am charged fuel through that business. I have the other winter benefits I am entitled to but Is there a method of receiving the fuel discount directly from the government? The place where we live has storage heaters. Thanks

There is supposed to be an alternative fund for people who slipped through the cracks for the £400.  Absolutely zero detail about that as far as I know, though.  Much like the £200 that's the subject of this thread, unfortunately it's still very much 'wait and see'.

Suffolk_lass

Smart77 said:

Will we actually be able to withdraw the allowance from our electricity account to pay our oil bill? Energy companies are notorious for hanging onto any credit that might have built up on your account. 

Your electricity supplier should be paying you the £400 at £66/£67 per month if you pay by direct debit. I have had three so far.
If the connection between entitlement to the non gas £200 can be established, it will be paid in a similar way (although it may be a single lump sum).

To those saying oil/LPG is cheaper, it wasn't when we bought our winter supply. It was four times greater than the previous purchase.