Alternative Energy Bills Support Scheme / Alternative Fuel Payment

The Alternative Energy Bills Support Scheme is a one-off £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households who have not received the main payment automatically as a discount on their energy bill but are still facing increased energy costs.

The Alternative Fuel Payment (Alternative Funding) is a £200 non repayable discount payable to those that have alternative fuels such as heating oil, biomass and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - as the main source of heating

Individuals will need to apply for this £400 Alternative Energy Bills Support Scheme via the Gov.UK portal not via Powys Council.
The scheme will be open for you to apply between 27^th Feb 2023 to 31^st May 2023
The scheme helpline number for help to apply is 0808 175 3287
Households will need to apply for the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment via the Gov.UK portal not via Powys Council.
The scheme will be open for you to apply between 6^th March 2023 to 31st May 2023.

Eligibility for £400 scheme

The aim of the alternative funding scheme is to provide equivalent support to domestic households who have not automatically received support through an electricity bill as they do not have a domestic electricity supply contract.

The home must be your sole or main home for which you will be required to provide evidence
You must be resident in that home on the day you apply.
You must be responsible for paying for energy used in the dwelling
You must NOT be already receiving any form of support payments via the main Energy Bills Support Scheme or this Scheme previously
The household dwelling is not a business premises or other form of non-domestic premises, with the exception of businesses whose main business activity is to provide long term residential accommodation.

Eligibility for £200 Scheme

To be eligible for AFP Alternative Fund you must meet the following criteria on the date of your application:

The dwelling for which support is being claimed is the sole or main residential address of the applicant.
You must be responsible for paying for the alternative fuel(s) used in the dwelling as the household's main source of heating.
The household has not or will not receive in whole or in part any payment through via the main Energy Bills Support Scheme or this Scheme previously
The household dwelling is not a business premises or other form of non-domestic premises, is used wholly or mainly for domestic purposes, with the exception of businesses whose main business activity is to provide long term residential accommodation (landlords etc). Only households, and not the businesses themselves, may apply for the AFP Alternative Fund.

Example of Households Potentially Eligible for this Alternative Funding

Please note that the list applies to the £400 and £200 scheme as example. But for the £200 you must have an Alternative Fuel as your main heating source.

park home residents
housing association, social and private tenants, and leaseholders, supplied via a landlord with a commercial meter
partly and wholly self-funded care home residents
households in house boats on residential moorings
households on a private electricity network, for example those supplied by a heat network
off-grid households
traveller households on authorised sites
households who live in a dwelling on business premises that is used wholly or partly for domestic purposes
households in temporary/supported accommodation
households who live in premises that is used wholly or partly for providing long term residential accommodation including landlords and care homes
Wholly residential premises served by a commercial meter on a wider commercial site where the applicant is able to provide proof that the household dwelling is distinct and separate from any business premises that shares the supply.
Farmers living in domestic farmhouses on a farm would be considered eligible, subject to fulfilling the other eligibility criteria.
Households in temporary accommodation (or holiday parks), where they are responsible for paying utilities, and have been resident for over 1 month prior to application, should be eligible

Application Process

You need to apply via the Gov.Uk portal link below.

A central UK government team will work out if you are eligible to receive payment or not.

Powys Council will then be informed directly if you are eligible to receive the grant support

We are then required to carry out pre-payment checks before we award any payment. This can include background checks on any relevant database and other means to gain assurance you are eligible. We also will be required to seek evidence from you on any matter we haven't yet been able to verify. So please be aware may need to contact you first.

We will aim to make payments out within 30 days of being told you are eligible by central Government. However this may be delayed if we need to contact you about an issue.

How Do I Apply?

For the £400 scheme, please apply from 27^th February 2023: https://www.gov.uk/apply-energy-bill-support-if-not-automatic

Please note this takes you to the central government website to apply

For the £200 scheme please apply from 6^th March 2023: Help with your energy bills: If you use alternative fuels for heating - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)