£200 Alternative Fuel Payment can be used by Suppliers to pay Your Electricity Arrears
hazeofvenuss
Forumite 7 Posts
EDF have refused to refund my AFP, despite my electricity account being £383.17 in credit. Despite having promised to do it when it arrived, they are insisting on another meter reading before releasing it. I gave them a reading on 4th Jan & I'm not due another bill until April as I'm a quarterly direct debit customer.
Having read the Government guidelines to suppliers on the AFP, the Government are allowing energy suppliers to use the AFP to offset against account arrears.
Even though this doesn't apply to me, I find it shocking that the AFP isn't actually going to be given to customers in order to pay their AF bills if they are in arrears with their electricity bills. In effect, this means that people could be without heating if they have historical debts. It really upset me today to think about it :-(
Having read the Government guidelines to suppliers on the AFP, the Government are allowing energy suppliers to use the AFP to offset against account arrears.
Even though this doesn't apply to me, I find it shocking that the AFP isn't actually going to be given to customers in order to pay their AF bills if they are in arrears with their electricity bills. In effect, this means that people could be without heating if they have historical debts. It really upset me today to think about it :-(
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£200 as I have an anticipated £14 arrears forecast in 12 months time. They have offered to reduce my dd payments or have a partial refund of the credit but not the full £200. Have to say I disagree with this policy as customers should be able to receive the full £200 to pay for their ‘alternative fuel’.
They are an additional £200 better off, after already being given most of the £400, the fact is that people's bills are being reduced by £600, that is not something to find shocking or or get upset over.
I understand why they request an up to date meter reading. I’m now fully paid up to date & what’s left should be for me to use to purchase alternative fuel.
It is to go towards energy costs, getting a refund whilst in debt is not equitable any more than the suppliers who are not refunding the £66/67 payment when accounts are in arrears.
It is just a general bung. If one's electricity bill is reduced by £200 that would free the money up to be used elsewhere though.
The prices have not increased exponentially, they are in fact falling and are still about 30% cheaper per kWh than gas and about a quarter of the price of heating via electricity.
It is meant to go towards energy costs, it is not anyone's specifically in that one cannot claim it as cash, but it is reducing the end user's energy costs.
Their total energy costs are reduced, ultimately their debt being lower means that they are freeing up money in their finances elsewhere.
Alternatively, the government have given those who use alternative fuels an additional £200 over other people, despite their energy costs being the same for electricity and 30-75% lower for the heating component of their energy bill.
It is a windfall though, at least for those who are not paying for it, those of us who are paying for it it is a net cost.
We are getting the handouts at the moment because it is politically expedient. Do not forget the origin of this scheme was the £200 loan/not loan which was horridly announced within hours of the Grey report being published, it was increased to £400 at the same time as another government scandal hit and the £200 "alternative fuel payment" was introduced at the behest of a few Conservative MPs in what will be very marginal seats at the next election who happen to live in non-mains gas areas and that despite the cost of alternative fuels being 30-75% lower than those on mains gas or electricity only.