Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps has extended the period in which applicants can evidence purchase of alternative fuels by three months, to June 2022 instead of September 2022, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced on 12 April 20231. Around 2 million households are eligible for £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payments scheme1.
Eligible households can now apply using receipts dated from June 2022 until May 20231. The department said the change recognises that many households bought fuel ahead of winter price rises, and that they should not be penalised for doing so1. Earlier in the year Mr Shapps increased the number of receipts a household can submit from 2 to 101.
The payment covers homes heated by tank or bottled gas, LPG, oil, wood or solid fuel, and is paid on top of the £400 from electricity suppliers under the Energy Bills Support Scheme2. The department said only a small number of households using alternative fuels as their main heating source need to apply, and that the vast majority of alternative fuel users will have already received payments automatically1. The Stove Industry Association, which represents solid fuel stove manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, welcomed the change2.
"This is a common-sense announcement and ensures that those households that did plan ahead, buying their wood logs and solid fuel supplies in the summer months last year, will not be penalised for doing so."
The trade body UKIFDA, which represents the heating oil distribution sector, reported that the previous window ran from September 2022 to May 2023, and that the portal will be open until the end of May3. It listed the documents needed to apply as proof of address, bank account details, and proof of heating oil purchases worth £200 or more dated between May 2022 and the end of the application window on 31 May 20233. The government announcement gives June 2022 as the start of the extended evidence period1; the two accounts differ on that starting month.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Payment | £200 per eligible household1 |
| Evidence window | June 2022 to May 20231 |
| Application deadline | 31 May 20231 |
| Receipts allowed | Up to 101 |
| Fuels covered | Heating oil, LPG, biomass, wood, solid fuel, tank or bottled gas1 |
Why it matters for households
For homes off the mains gas grid, heating fuel is usually bought in a single large delivery or a bulk order before winter, rather than paid for monthly by direct debit. That pattern meant a household that filled a tank or stacked logs in the summer of 2022 could fall outside the original evidence window and lose the £200 despite having bought the same fuel as a neighbour who ordered later. The extension aligns the claim with how off gas grid homes actually buy fuel, and it sits alongside the £400 paid through electricity suppliers, so a household can receive both2. The £200 is a one-off payment against a winter's fuel bill, not a change to the price of the fuel itself, and it does not alter a home's exposure to future price movements. The Alternative Fuel Payment is one of a set of closed support schemes, and the department also noted that the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding pays £400 to households with no domestic electricity supply, including residents of park homes and of partially or wholly self-funded care homes1.
What happens next
Applications for the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment close on 31 May 20231. Vouchers issued under the Energy Bills Support Scheme must be redeemed by 30 June 2023, and lost, damaged or expired vouchers can be replaced by contacting the supplier directly1. Households without a domestic electricity supply must apply for the £400 Alternative Funding through GOV.UK or the contact centre helpline by 31 May 20231. Organisations using large quantities of kerosene heating oil, such as farms, hotels, charities and public buildings, have until 28 April to apply for Non-Domestic Alternative Fuel Payment top-ups starting at £750, with £150 payments also offered to organisations using alternative fuels1. UKIFDA stated that no one will contact a household about the payment unless that household contacts the government first3.
Sources3 cited
- Increased flexibility of alternative fuel payments, so more households will be supported with their energy bills - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- SIA welcomes Alternative Fuel Payment flexibility announcement - Stove Industry Association | SIA, stoveindustryassociation.org
- Change in £200 Domestic Alternative Fuel Payment terms - UKIFDA, ukifda.org