HM Government Schemes Frequently Asked Questions

1. When will I get my payment?

• We can confirm that approximately 96% of Electric Ireland customers have either received their bank transfer or redeemed their voucher payment. For the latest information and advice on the £600 payment, please visit: Electric Ireland - £600 Payment - Update. Customers are urged to redeem vouchers as soon as possible once received and strongly encouraged to deposit into bank accounts. Both of these actions will support the Post Office in a speedy and streamlined delivery.


Customer may have received a voucher with an expiry date of 31^st March 2023.  To redeem please see below for further details.




Direct Debit customers will have:

1. Received the payment directly to their bank account.

OR

1. If suppliers have been unable to complete a direct payment for a Direct Debit customer into their bank account, then that customer will receive a voucher from the Post Office in the name of the electricity account holder.

Customers who pay by standard credit (bill pay)
Credit Customers who pay for their electricity by standard credit (bill pay) will receive a voucher from the Post Office in the name of the electricity account holder. Customers who are on suppliers' Customer Care Registers will receive their vouchers first.

Customers who pay for their electricity via a keypad meter
Customers who pay for their electricity via a keypad meter will receive a voucher in the mail from the Post Office addressed to the ‘Occupier’. Customers who are on suppliers' Customer Care Registers will receive their vouchers first.

 

2. How will I get my payment?

Direct Debit customers will have:

• Received the payment directly to their bank account.

OR

• If suppliers have been unable to complete a direct payment for a Direct Debit customer into their bank account, then that customer will receive a voucher from the Post Office in the name of the electricity account holder.

These payments have been made.

Direct Debit customers do not need to contact their supplier to receive this payment – it will be credited to your bank account automatically.

Customers who pay by Standard Credit (Bill Pay)

• Customers who pay for their electricity by Standard Credit (Bill Pay) will receive a voucher from the Post Office in the name of the electricity account holder.
• Delivery of these vouchers and payments is 96% completed.
• Customers do not need to contact their supplier to receive this voucher – it will be sent to homes automatically.

*The only exception to this is if someone is going to redeem the voucher on the account holder's behalf if they are elderly/disabled/housebound or otherwise unable to do it themselves

 

Customers who pay via a keypad meter

• Customers who pay for their electricity via a keypad meter will receive a voucher in the mail from the Post Office addressed to the ‘Occupier’. It is not necessary for you to update the name on the account in order to receive the voucher.
• Delivery of these vouchers and payments is 96% completed.
• Customers do not need to contact their supplier to receive this voucher – it will be sent to homes automatically.

3. How can I redeem my voucher?

All vouchers must be redeemed at a Post Office. 

You are strongly advised to deposit the £600 promptly at the first available opportunity into your bank account at the Post Office counter. This is the safest, easiest, and fastest option for you.  Doing so will also allow others to receive their payment more quickly and avoid impacting on other Post Office services.

3a. What do I need to take to the Post Office in order to redeem my voucher?

To redeem your voucher, you will need to take to the Post Office:

• Your voucher
• Your identification (this must match the address for keypad customers and the account holder details for billpay customers)
• Acceptable proof of Address (this must match the account holder details on the voucher)
  • If you pay via a keypad meter – your top up card or the Keypad top-up app you use to make payments
  • Your bank card or your bank account details - to deposit the payment directly into your bank account at the post office counter

3b. What identification do I need?

Customers who pay for their electricity by Standard Credit (Bill Pay):


	To pay the funds straight into your bank	To receive a cash payment
ID 1	Your bank debit card	Photographic ID from the options listed below
ID 2	One of the following as proof of address: Utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence Bank or building society statement Rental or mortgage agreement Letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department The date on the statement or letter must be between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.

Direct Debit customers that suppliers have been unable to complete a transfer payment:


 

	To pay the funds straight into your bank	To receive a cash payment
ID 1	Your bank debit card	Photographic ID from the options listed below
ID 2	One of the following as proof of address: Utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence Bank or building society statement Rental or mortgage agreement Letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department The date on the statement or letter must be between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.

Customers who pay for their electricity via keypad meter:



	To pay the funds straight into your bank	To receive a cash payment
ID 1	Your bank debit card	Photographic ID from the options listed below
ID 2	Your keypad top-up card OR The keypad app on your phone/smart device 2
ID 3	One of the following as proof of address: Utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence Bank or building society statement Rental or mortgage agreement Letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department The date on the statement or letter must be between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.




What photographic ID do I need?
You will need to provide one of the following types of photographic ID to claim your payment in cash:

• Valid Passport
• Valid UK or EU/EEA Driving Licence
• Asylum ID Card
• NI Electoral Identity Card
• Translink SmartPass (Senior/60+/War Disabled/Blind Persons)
• Armed Forces ID or Police Warrant Card

4. Can someone else redeem a voucher on someone’s behalf if they are elderly/disabled/housebound or otherwise unable to do it themselves?

If customers require support with redeeming their vouchers, there will be an explanation on the voucher if they want someone else to redeem their voucher.

5. I need large print or braille

If your electricity supplier is aware of your needs, your voucher will arrive in the appropriate format.

If your electricity supplier is aware of your needs, there is no need to contact your supplier to receive your voucher in large print or braille.

6. I don’t have a bank or credit union account. Can I take the £600 as cash?

There is an option to take the payment as cash, but this is dependent on available cash at the branch you attend. Taking such a large sum in cash is a serious risk. If you lose the cash it cannot be replaced. You are strongly advised to open an account to receive this payment. This is the safest option.

If you are unable to open a bank account, you should obtain photo ID to enable you to take the payment as cash. See how to apply for an Electoral Identity Card - www.eoni.org.uk/Electoral-Identity-Card/How-to-apply

If you are unable to do either of the above options, contact your electricity supplier to identify alternative options.

If you have received a voucher but do not have the required proof of address or meter card (because you moved your home after 2 January for example), you will need to contact your supplier.

7. What if I don’t have a domestic electricity contract?

Equivalent payments will be made at a later date to households who do not have a domestic electricity contract (e.g.  residents of park homes, some care homes, tenants in certain types of private and social rented homes, homes supplied by private wires, residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites, farmers living in domestic farmhouses without a domestic electricity connection, households off the electricity grid).   Further details will be published.

8. I have not received a voucher/payment. What should I do?

We are aware that some customers have not yet received their payment and we are working to resolve this to ensure they receive their payment as soon as possible.  The main reasons Customers’ have still to receive their payment are:

• Unredeemed Vouchers - Customers have received their vouchers but have not yet redeemed them. We ask that customers redeem their vouchers at the Post Office prior to the voucher expiry date at the end of March, we have written to these customers. If your voucher expires at the end of March and is not redeemed by the 31^st March, it will be cancelled and re-issued to you.

• Cancelled Vouchers – A small amount of customer vouchers that were issued had to be cancelled. Cancellations occurred mainly due to address issues which prevented delivery of the voucher by the Post Office. We know which customers’ vouchers have been cancelled and are working to re-issue them. We would ask customers to be patient while we work to resolve the more complex cases which may take a number of weeks to complete.

If you have not received their payment or a voucher query, please email us at ebss@electricireland.com  

To support processing customer queries when they email, they should confirm their: full name; full address (including apartment number/ house number); postcode; telephone number; and MPRN or KPN number (found on their Keypad Top-up card), along with their query.

For the latest information and advice on the £600 payment, please visit: Electric Ireland - £600 Payment - Update

9. How does my voucher arrive?

You will receive your voucher in the post from the Post Office.  For Keypad customers, vouchers will be addressed to ‘the occupier’.  Vouchers issued to customers paying by standard credit (bill pay) will be issued in the name of the electricity account holder. 

Redeem your vouchers at the Post Office promptly. This will help you as you will get the benefit as soon as you redeem the voucher, and will minimise the risk of the voucher being mislaid.  Prompt redemption will also help reduce delays to others receiving their vouchers and reduce the impact on Post Office services.

10. Do I need to apply?

No one needs to apply for this payment. Payments and vouchers will be issued automatically, you will not need to provide your bank details to qualify for this payment

11. My keypad meter (only) is in my landlord’s name but I pay the electricity costs directly

Keypad meter users will receive a voucher in the post, addressed to 'the occupier'. The voucher will be for the value of £600 to be redeemed at a Post Office as directed on the letter. The voucher provided is intended to provide support with energy costs for the household. If you top up your keypad meter yourself, you are the intended recipient.

12. I have recently moved home, do I still qualify for the £600 payment? 

The scheme’s Qualifying Date and Time was 2 January 2023 at 8am. Customers who move after the Qualifying Date/Time, who are eligible for EBSS via a voucher payment, will need to contact their supplier.

All parties that move after 2nd January but before receiving their EBSS payment, will need to contact the supplier they were with at 8am on 2nd January, to arrange for EBSS to be delivered to them.

Neither they nor any new occupant will be able to redeem vouchers as issued, as they will no longer have all the required evidence of eligibility (keypad top-up key or app; proof of address dated before 2nd Jan).

14. What happens if vouchers are received with an incorrect name?

This is not a problem for customers who pay for their electricity via keypad, as they will be sent their vouchers in the name of “The Occupier” only, and so do not need to have their name on the voucher to redeem it at the Post Office. [Please note: This is the correct process for the payment.  Any other communication suggesting that a named voucher is needed for customers who pay for their electricity via Keypad is incorrect.]  

However, if a customer who pays for their electricity by standard credit (bill pay) receives a voucher with the incorrect name, they should contact their supplier who will cancel the incorrect voucher and re-issue a new voucher in the correct name.

For Further Information : https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/help-domestic-energy-costs

15. How will Electric Ireland use my Data ?

Your personal data will be shared with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to support administration of the Energy Bills Support Scheme and Alternative Fuels Payment Northern Ireland (EBSS AFP NI). This data consists of your meter point number, whether you have received and redeemed each EBSS AFP NI payment and data about your meter point including your billing cycle and how you pay your bill. BEIS is collecting and processing this information under the ‘Public Task’ (UK GDPR, Article 6(1)(e)) legal basis.

Processing is necessary for monitoring, assurance, fraud prevention and evaluation purposes of HM Government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme and Alternative Fuels Payment Northern Ireland. This task is carried out in the public interest and in the exercise of official authority vested in the Secretary of State for BEIS. 

You can find more information on how BEIS will use your personal data in the BEIS Privacy Notice available www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-meter-data-collected-through-the-energy-bills-support-scheme-privacy-notice/use-of-electricity-meter-data-collected-through-the-energy-bills-support-scheme-privacy-notice

16. I am a tenant - does my landlord need to pass on the EBSS AFP NI support?

To ensure EBSS AFP NI is provided to the people it is designed to help, the Government has introduced regulations to require third-party intermediaries, such as landlords, to pass the support through in a just and reasonable way to end users, such as tenants. Guidance on pass-through requirements can be found at GOV.UK.

17a. If there is more than one household using the same electricity meter - can each household get the £600? 

EBSS allocates a single £600 payment to each domestic electricity account. It is beyond the scope of EBSS to provide more than one £600 payment to multiple households using one electricity meter. Such households will receive a single £600 payment.

If you are not sure how to pass on this payment to the rightful recipients, the UK Government has introduced regulations which require that intermediaries, including landlords, pass-through the Energy Bills Support Scheme and Alternative Fuel Payment Northern Ireland benefit to end users, including tenants, in a just and reasonable way. These regulations came into force on 12 January 2023. The regulations are available at: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/10/contents/made

To help support intermediaries, including landlords, to understand the requirements, the UK Government has also issued guidance that can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries

17b. Can these households apply to receive separate payments through the EBSS Alternative Funding?

If a household gets EBSS they are not eligible for EBSS Alternative Funding and if a landlord receives EBSS, they have to pass it on in a just and reasonable way. The EBSS Alternative Funding application process in NI will check applicants against the register of domestic meters to confirm that they have not already received the payment. The domestic meter check is a key counter-fraud mechanism. This is the same as the GB scheme.