- Hundreds more organisations, from recycling plants to large
data centres, to receive money off their energy bills.
- Businesses using licence-exempt energy offered support
through new government scheme opening today.
- Backdated support also extended to off-grid organisations
using licence-exempt energy to match support others received this
winter.
Steelmakers, recycling plants and manufacturers are among the
hundreds of businesses that will benefit from a new scheme
launched by the government today to help with the cost of their
energy bills.
Most businesses across the country are receiving money off their
energy costs automatically, thanks to an unprecedented support
package from the government totalling around £7 billion so far –
amounting to over £35m a day.
However, a selection of companies – including some large chemical
plants and those providing critical national infrastructure –
require a bespoke support scheme to subsidise energy from a
licence-exempt supplier.
Some suppliers can benefit from licence exemptions for various
reasons, for example if they operate on a small scale with
limited impact on the electricity system. Companies may use a
licence-exempt supplier because they are based on a site with a
private network or operate directly within the wholesale energy
market.
From today these companies – known as Non-Standard Customers -
can now apply for help with their bills from April 2023 to March
2024, similar to the support others will receive under the
government’s Energy Bills Discount Scheme.
For some, these discounts could amount to thousands of pounds off
their energy bills and provide vital help with their cashflow,
following the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine on global
energy costs. The move comes as the government continues to
deliver on its promise to protect jobs, grow the economy and
halve inflation.
Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability said:
This country has a proud industrial history and one that we must
protect from the volatile energy market, following Putin’s
illegal war in Ukraine.
Energy prices are falling, but we must continue to do all we can
to help our vital UK industries – from recycling to manufacturing
and steel.
That’s why we’re going above and beyond to make sure all
businesses can access our support, even if they get their energy
via non-standard routes - and I urge these customers to check
their eligibility today.
Director of Policy at the Association for Renewable Energy &
Clean Technology (REA) Frank Gordon, said:
The REA welcomes the news that more companies are receiving
support through both the EBRS and EBDS non-standard cases scheme.
It is encouraging to see more businesses than previously, now be
supported under EBDS in the future. In the longer term,
businesses can make considerable bill savings by moving to
renewable energy supplies, such as by generating their own
renewable energy on-site.
Some of these businesses and organisations that use a
licence-exempt supplier can also from today apply for backdated
support under the Non-Standard Cases Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
Those that get their licence-exempt supply from the public grid
were given access to this support from October 2022 to March
2023. The scheme has now been extended to cover the same cohort
as the Non-Standard Cases Energy Bills Discount Scheme. This
means companies that get a licence-exempt supply from waste,
anaerobic digestion and biomass plants will now be able to
retrospectively apply for energy discounts to match support
others received this winter.
The government is urging companies to check their eligibility on
gov.uk, as both suppliers of licence-exempt energy and their
customers can apply for the new schemes via the government
website from today. Payments will be made either to the provider
to pass on or directly to the customer depending on who made the
application.
The new rate of support provided through the Energy Bills
Discount Scheme, which launched on 1 April, reflects wholesale
energy prices falling to their lowest level since before Russia’s
illegal invasion of Ukraine. Higher levels of support are offered
to eligible energy and trade intensive industries and heat
network operators – with some businesses expected to save 20% of
predicted wholesale energy costs.
Notes to editors:
- Full details of the Non Standard Cases Energy Bills Discount
Scheme can be found here.
- Full details of the Non Standard Cases Energy Bill Relief
Scheme can be found here.
- Full details of the main Energy Bills Discount Scheme can be
found here.
- In order to receive the higher levels of support available to
energy and trade
intensive industries and heat networks, a
customer must go through a separate process of certification
under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme Regulations 2023 (in GB)
or the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Northern Ireland)
Regulations 2023 (the Main Scheme Regulations) to show that it
meets the applicable criteria.
