The UK government set out on 30 December 2022 how around 500,000 households in Northern Ireland will receive support with their energy bills, with vouchers starting to be issued from mid-January1. The payment follows the announcement on 19 December that all households across Northern Ireland will receive a single £600 payment, made up of £400 through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Northern Ireland (EBSS NI) and £200 through the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP)1.
Customers with a direct debit arrangement will receive the payment directly to their bank account and will not be provided with vouchers1. Customers on standard credit schemes without direct debits, and those on prepayment (keypad) meters, will receive a voucher from their supplier, with the most vulnerable customers getting priority access1. Standard credit customers need to ensure their supplier has the correct name of the accountholder; keypad customers will receive a voucher addressed to the occupier and need to bring their keypad card or app to the Post Office1.
Vouchers will come as letters carrying badges of the relevant electricity supplier and the UK government, and will contain a barcode1. No application is necessary, as suppliers will provide vouchers automatically to all their customers1. Vouchers are valid until 31 March 2023 and can be reissued if lost1. Proof of address needs to be dated before 2 January 2023 to be valid1. Accepted photographic ID includes a valid passport, a valid UK or EU/EEA photo driving licence, an Armed Forces ID card or Police Warrant card, a Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card, a Translink SmartPass (Senior, 60+, War Disabled or Blind Person) and an Asylum ID card1.
Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart said:
"We are determined to ensure that whatever their circumstances, every customer in Northern Ireland gets the support they are entitled to."
The Energy Saving Trust states the £600 payment will be made through electricity suppliers as a one-off payment starting in January 2023, and that households with a domestic meter and an electricity contract will receive it either directly into their bank account or by voucher2. It adds that where a household does not have a domestic meter or has a non-domestic electricity supply, it will still get the payment, but that no details were available at the time of writing on how this will happen2. The Consumer Council describes the £600 payment as having been rolled out from January 2023 with a successful uptake3.
The government said the £600 comes in addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, which it said has so far saved each household in Northern Ireland using electricity around £65 and a further £75 for those using gas1. The Energy Saving Trust states the Energy Price Guarantee for Northern Ireland's natural gas and electricity users came in on 1 November 2022 and reduces the price suppliers charge for units of gas and electricity2. The Consumer Council states the guarantee commenced in November 2022 and discounted the unit price paid by NI consumers for electricity and gas3.
| Element | Amount | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Bills Support Scheme Northern Ireland (EBSS NI) | £400 | Via electricity supplier1 |
| Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) | £200 | Via electricity supplier1 |
| Combined single payment | £600 | Direct debit: bank account; otherwise voucher1 |
Why it matters for households
For homes in Northern Ireland, the £600 is delivered through the electricity supplier rather than as a deduction on bills, which means the route a household uses to pay determines how the money arrives. Direct debit customers see it in their bank account; everyone else must redeem a voucher in person at a Post Office, which places the timing of the benefit in the household's hands rather than the supplier's1. Because vouchers expire on 31 March 2023, an unredeemed voucher represents support that has not reached the home1.
Northern Ireland's energy market differs from Great Britain's, and the support arrangements reflect that: the payment is administered through electricity suppliers, and the £200 element is an Alternative Fuel Payment, reflecting the role of fuels such as home heating oil in Northern Ireland homes1. The Energy Saving Trust notes that some councils and not-for-profit organisations run oil stamp saving schemes, that social enterprise buying groups bulk buy oil for members, and that the Northern Ireland Oil Federation works with PayPoint so households can make regular payments towards oil rather than paying for a delivery in one go2. These are separate from the £600 payment and are not part of it.
The Energy Price Guarantee limits the unit price suppliers can charge, so it affects the cost of every unit a home uses, while the £600 is a fixed one-off sum1. The Consumer Council reports that on 1 July 2023 the government reduced the extra support through the Energy Price Guarantee to zero, meaning for Power NI customers the support went from 3.77p per unit to 0p, an estimated average extra cost of 14p per day, with energy prices remaining around double the pre-pandemic norm3. The Consumer Council also reports that households with a disabled person often have higher energy use, because of specialised equipment, the need for prolonged heating and the costs of personal hygiene and laundry, and that some cannot reduce heating without risk to health3.
What happens next
Vouchers were to start being issued from mid-January 2023 and remain valid until 31 March 20231. The government said customers should look out for them and use them swiftly, and warned about scams, stating that customers will not be asked to go online or to provide any details1. The Energy Saving Trust states that details of how households without a domestic meter or with a non-domestic electricity supply will be paid had not been published at the time of its guidance2.