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

Suffolk_lass

Baronessbathory said:

I don’t suppose anyone here is with Ecotricity and heard anything about the alternative fuel payment? I called them and the person I spoke to hadn’t even heard of it 🙄

@Baronessbathory This is from the Ecotricity website  The Alternative Fuel Payment under government help schemes

The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) will provide a one-off payment to UK households that use alternative fuels for heating, such as heating oil or LPG, instead of mains gas. This £200 payment will ensure that the vast majority of households who do not benefit through the Energy Price Guarantee to heat their homes, receive support for the cost of the fuel they do use.

Households eligible for these payments will receive £200 towards their energy usage in February. If you’re eligible (we’ll contact you in February if you are), how you receive payment will depend on how you pay for your electricity supply with us – but in most cases it will be provided to your electricity account, or electricity meter for Pay As You Go customers. The government will be providing energy suppliers with a list of customers they have identified as being eligible, based on various sources of data available. Please note that we can only provide the AFP where we’ve been instructed, and we won’t know who’s eligible until at least 06 February – if you think you’re eligible but don’t receive the payment, you may need to apply through the government. For more information about AFP and other government schemes, click here or go to the Help for Households website.

Suffolk_lass

I received the email the Scottish Pwr people last night confirming they have sent the £200 but also saying it will take 5 working days.

Edit to add: I can see it will hit my bank account tomorrow (showing as pending payment)

kassy64

I'm with British Gas for my electricity and have bulk LPG so will be eligible for the additional £200 support.
If I'm reading the previous comments correctly the £200 will be credited to my account, it doesn't mention if this will then be sent on to my bank a/c as the other £67 payments currently are. I don't really want BG to have the £200 sitting as a credit on my a/c, the alternative I suppose is to reduce my monthly direct debit by about £15 per month and over a year it will balance out. Just wondered if anyone had any idea on this?

Tahlullah.H

According to British Gas, they will receive the payment from the Government, which will be credited to your account, very much like the current payment of £67.  It is then transferred to your bank account, but they believe it can take up to 10 days at most.  So, if paid today, it should be in your bank account by the 1 March, assuming you pay by DD.

Connie

I received the notification email from Scottish Power on the 14th, and although the money isn't in my bank account yet, I'm sure it will be within a day or two.

[EDIT:   Money in account on 17th Feb.]

However, I'm not entitled to the payment. 

I live in an area without mains gas supply (in common with most of rural Britain), but this is an all-electric house, and I don't use any alternative fuels. 

I've spoken to Scottish Power about it, but they say they just send the money to the people who are on the list sent to them by the Government, and have no power (sorry) to change that.

I imagine I'm not the only person receiving AFP they're not entitled to.

I feel I should return it  -  but to whom?  And how?

Who to contact  -  Grant Shapps ??

Van_Girl

I had my EonNext payment on 12th Feb on my energy account, I pay by DD. You have to request for it to be sent your bank account, and it can take up to 2 weeks to go in apparently. 

I emailed them hi@eonnext - they responded straight away and processed it, after billing my account up to date form my smart meter reading. 

I think it's a bit clunky, but it hasn't taken too much effort to sort 

mmmmikey

Connie said:

I received the notification email from Scottish Power on the 14th, and although the money isn't in my bank account yet, I'm sure it will be within a day or two.

However, I'm not entitled to the payment. 

I live in an area without mains gas supply (in common with most of rural Britain), but this is an all-electric house, and I don't use any alternative fuels. 

I've spoken to Scottish Power about it, but they say they just send the money to the people who are on the list sent to them by the Government, and have no power (sorry) to change that.

I imagine I'm not the only person receiving AFP they're not entitled to.

I feel I should return it  -  but to whom?  And how?

Who to contact  -  Grant Shapps ??

Hi - I know it seems a bit strange and wasteful but it's been done like this as it costs the tax payer less to make some incorrect payments than it does to put in a system to process every single claim individually. Rather than write to anyone, could I suggest a donation to the Trussell Trust who will ensure that someone who actually needs the money gets it?

Connie

That's a good suggestion, mmmmikey.  Thanks.

I just worry that it might be seen as fraud if I accept money (even if I then give it away) knowing that I'm not entitled to it.

dealyboy

mmmmikey said:

Connie said:

I received the notification email from Scottish Power on the 14th, and although the money isn't in my bank account yet, I'm sure it will be within a day or two.

However, I'm not entitled to the payment. 

I live in an area without mains gas supply (in common with most of rural Britain), but this is an all-electric house, and I don't use any alternative fuels. 

I've spoken to Scottish Power about it, but they say they just send the money to the people who are on the list sent to them by the Government, and have no power (sorry) to change that.

I imagine I'm not the only person receiving AFP they're not entitled to.

I feel I should return it  -  but to whom?  And how?

Who to contact  -  Grant Shapps ??

Hi - I know it seems a bit strange and wasteful but it's been done like this as it costs the tax payer less to make some incorrect payments than it does to put in a system to process every single claim individually. Rather than write to anyone, could I suggest a donation to the Trussell Trust who will ensure that someone who actually needs the money gets it?

I also received the AFP and don't use an alternative fuel, but I feel I should keep it as I don't have central heating and use portable electric radiators.

As you say @mmmmikey it is the method (all in postcode eligible where majority not using electric heating in non-mains gas postcode), all my postcode neighbours use LPG.

So @Connie you are entitled to it.

Connie

Thanks for that assurance, dealyboy  -  though it still feels wrong!