The government has launched an online alternative fuel payments portal for those heating oil customers who have not received their £200 payment directly through their electricity account.
The portal can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-alternative-fuel-bill-support-if-not-automatic and will be open until the end of May.
For those without online access, the contact centre helpline can be reached on 0808 175 3287 for applicants in Great Britain, or 0808 175 3894 for applicants in Northern Ireland, where a representative will guide you through the application process. The helpline is open 8am to 6pm on Monday to Friday.
Customers should have ready their proof of address, bank account details, and proof of heating oil purchases with a value of £200 or more and with a date between September 2022 and the end of the application window (31 May 2023). After a number of checks customers should get payments through their local authority.
Customers should be aware no one will contact you from the government about this unless you contact them – so please be aware of scams.
It has now been confirmed by the UK Government the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment will begin to be processed from 6th February, with payments being made by your electricity suppliers, in a similar way to other recent government payments.
Homes using alternative fuels such as kerosene/heating oil, have been identified using an off the gas grid database and recent census information.
For homes which do not have an electricity account- or those who use oil but live in a gas grid area, you will need apply via an online portal which-opens in February alongside a postcode checker.
For households seeking further information on the Alternative Fuel Payment please visit https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/
It has now been confirmed by the UK Government and UKIFDA that the Alternative Fuel Payment of £200 will be made in February 2023 for customers in Great Britain.
Payments will be made via your electricity supplier alongside the Energy Bills Support Scheme Payments.
For customers without an electricity account, and other exceptions a government portal will be available in February for you to apply directly for the payment.
You can read the full Government press release by clicking here.
In line with the guidance from UKIFDA our advice to customers remains the same, which is to purchase heating oil as usual ahead of cold weather, click here for a quote.
If you usually pay for electricity using a credit or a payment card, the £200 payment will be given to you as a reduction of your electricity bill. If you are not signed up to an electricity provider the payment will be made by an online process, with further details following in February
No, you will purchase your heating oil as normal and be able to offset the cost within your bank from the payment made by your electricity provider.
No, the payment is made directly to you by your electricity provider.
This is a one-off payment from the government for eligible UK households to provide help with energy bills.
No, the Energy Bills Support Scheme is a non-repayable discount of £400 to go towards your electricity bill.
Following multiple discussions between UKIFDA and the government, it has been determined the £100 fixed payment to heating oil users will be made through household’s electricity companies.
For eligible customers that do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier, alternative routes will be provided, although this is yet to be announced.
For non-domestic customers, support will likely take the form of a flat rate payment which will be delivered through electricity bills. Although, we are still awaiting further details and confirmation from the government for this.
The payment methods will vary depending on how you are set up with your electricity provider. Dates for the payments are still to be confirmed and customers should await further details from the government.
At Rix, we shall continue to monitor changes and update this page accordingly.
The government recently announced as part of its "Energy support package" that it would be giving a fixed payment of £100 to heating oil customers to help them with the increased cost of heating their homes.
The UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA), our trade body has been meeting with the government to discuss the most efficient way of getting the £100 fixed payment to heating oil customers.
Given the fact that the heating oil market is highly competitive, customers have the ability to purchase their oil from a number of distributors/outlets. This means that the task of distributing the £100 fixed payment without duplication is a challenge for the government.
UKIFDA is currently working with the government to find a solution to this challenge, so that heating oil households can receive their £100 as soon as possible.
