The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero updated its guidance on energy bill support for continuous cruisers on 6 September 2023, adding details about when vouchers would be issued and how they could be redeemed1. The scheme, part of the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding, applied to England and Wales and ran from September to December 20231.
Eligible households received a single £600 PayPoint Open Pay voucher, made up of £400 from the Energy Bills Support Scheme and £200 from the Alternative Fuels Payment scheme1. The guidance states that no evidence, such as receipts, was needed to show use of alternative fuels to receive the full amount1. Vouchers were sent by email, text message or letter to the details registered with the Canal & River Trust, and were expected from September 20231.
Eligibility required holding a Canal & River Trust long-term leisure licence without a home mooring, a continuous cruiser 6 or 12 month licence, for at least one day between 27 February 2023 and 31 May 2023, and not having received the previous winter's Energy Bills Support Scheme or Alternative Fuels Payment support1. Households with a home mooring, or those who had already received government energy bill support under another scheme, were not eligible1.
"A single £600 PayPoint Open Pay voucher will be sent by email, text message or letter to the details you have registered with the Canal & River Trust."
The voucher could be redeemed online or in person at a PayPoint location, and only the person named on the voucher could redeem it, by the expiry date shown1. In person, proof of identity matching the voucher details was required1. The guidance also stated that the government would not ask directly for bank account details to receive the payment1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Voucher value | £600 |
| Energy Bills Support Scheme portion | £400 |
| Alternative Fuels Payment portion | £200 |
| Voucher type | PayPoint Open Pay |
| Issued from | September 2023 |
| Redemption | Online or in person at a PayPoint location |
Why it matters for households
For households living afloat without a permanent mooring, the support arrived as a voucher rather than an automatic credit, so receipt depended on the contact details held by the Canal & River Trust being correct. The £600 combined two separate strands of support, one for general energy bills and one for alternative fuels, into a single payment. Because the voucher had to be redeemed by an expiry date and by the named person only, a household's energy independence in this period rested on acting within the scheme's window rather than on a standing arrangement with a supplier. The scheme has since closed, and the guidance was withdrawn on 10 April 20241.
What happens next
The continuous cruisers scheme closed on 5 December 2023 and the guidance was withdrawn on 10 April 20241. No further steps under this scheme have been reported. Households seeking current support are directed to general help with energy bills1.