Extra help for business customers – our update
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) had been set out to help businesses.
Here's where you'll find the latest on what this means to you as an EDF business customer.
Can I still claim a discount through EBRS?
It's still possible for customers who think they may have been eligible for EBRS to claim a discount from their supplier for energy consumed between 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. You must do this as soon as possible. More information on the scheme can be found here.
We'll need meter readings
If you haven't yet had your meters read, it's an quicker process to claim if send us your readings as soon as possible. You can have them checked by your energy supplier via your smart meter (or yourself if you are able), ensuring that they are verified to reflect actual usage. This is an essential step to ensuring accurate billing and applying the relevant discount.
Below is a letter from the government outlining all the information you need
What support was available for business customers?
Energy Bill Relief Scheme
The government introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to support businesses by giving them a discount on gas and electricity unit rates. This discount would've been automatically applied. So we wouldn't have asked you for any bank details. If you received a suspicious email or SMS, please don't click on any links; delete the email or message and report it.
If you think your details have been compromised, please report it.
Additional support from the government
For some business customers, there was additional help available. Any customers who identified as Qualifying Financially Disadvantaged Customers based on the government guidance would've also benefited from a further reduction on their energy bills. We created information on what this will be for any customers who did qualify for this additional help.
Alternative Fuel Payment. This scheme was for all businesses across Great Britain using alternative fuels, such as biomass, liquified petroleum gas (LPG) or heating oil to heat their business properties. This was a one-off payment of £150. We would've started contacting you from the 20 February if the government has identified you as an eligible business for the payment.
If you had been identified as one of these businesses, please see below for how you would've received this payment.
| Payment method | How you received your payment |
| Budget Direct Debit | An automatic refund payment was made within five working days of your normal payment date. This was paid into the bank account your Direct Debit payments are taken from. Your Direct Debit amount will not change. |
| Pay As You Go | An automatic credit was paid onto your smart Pay As You Go meter. |
| Prepayment | A cheque was sent in the post from 27 February. It will have shown on your next annual statement as a £150 bill adjustment. |
| Cash/Cheque and Direct Debit Whole Amount | If you pay for your energy by any of these methods, you'll received an automatic credit to your energy account between 20 February and 28 February 2023. |
If you'd like to learn more about the scheme, please go to Households, businesses and organisations off the gas grid to receive energy bill support over the coming weeks - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
There may be a very small number of customers who aren’t automatically eligible for the scheme. You can learn more at: Help with your energy bills: If you use alternative fuels for heating - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
It is still possible for customers who think they may have been eligible for EBRS to claim a discount from their supplier for energy consumed in that period. You must do this as soon as possible. More information on the scheme can be found here.
If you're one of our large business customers, we have all the support you need as well as access to our webinar videos that we ran earlier on.
What does the Energy Bill Relief Scheme mean for our small business customers?
We were rolling out the discount to our small business customers. If you were one of our customers whose tariff deal means they are eligible for the discount, you would've seen it on your bills now. The discount depended on when you signed your contract and your then current unit rates. We've created a simple table to show you how the discounts will worked;
A couple of key points;
- The EBRS total discount varied depending on the amount of energy you used during this period
- The discount will also vary depending on your then current unit rate
- The supported price included the green levies discount; this was not being discounted in addition
How do I know which tariff I'm on?
The table below gives you information on how the tariff name displays on your bill.
| EBRS clarification | Tariff name | Product name displayed on your bill |
| Variable | Freedom | Elec - On your bill: Freedom for business Gas - On your bill: Freedom for business - gas |
| Variable | Deemed | Elec - On your bill: Deemed Elec Product SME Gas - On your bill: Deemed Gas Product SME |
| Variable | Extended Supply | Elec - On your bill: Extended Supply Elec Product SME Gas - On your bill: Extended Supply Gas Product SME |
| Variable | Tariff Core | Elec - On your bill: Core Elec Product SME |
| Fixed | EasyFix | Elec - On your bill: EasyFix for Business (year) Gas - On your bill: EasyFix Gas for Business (year) |
| Fixed | Fixed For Business Online | Elec - On your bill: Fixed for business Online (year) Gas - On your bill: Fixed for business Online gas (year) |
| Fixed | Fixed for business | Elec - On your bill: Fixed for business (year) Gas - On your bill: Fixed for business gas (year) |
To help work out what your discount was, please find our discount calculator tool below. If you were one of our prepayment customers, you don't need to use the tool. We would've contacted you the detail on how your EBRS discount was worked out.
It is still possible for customers who think they may have been eligible for EBRS to claim a discount from their supplier for energy consumed in that period. You must do this as soon as possible. More information on the scheme can be found here.
Work out the discount your business is entitled to
We've created a simple tool for our small business customers to help you see what discount your business was entitled to through the EBRS and EBDS schemes.
What your discount depended on;
- the amount of energy you used
- your then current unit rate vs the threshold defined by the government
Prepayment customers, you won't need to use the calculator, your discount was sent as a cheque every three months.
How to use our calculator
Enter your business account number and postcode below to get started. It will help calculate your discount more accurately if you have a recent meter reading handy – and if you also you have the first meter reading that you took after 1 October 2022. You can come back to calculate your new total discount whenever you have a new meter reading.
Please then enter the postcode of your supply address
FAQs
Do I have to apply for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme?
No. If you were eligible for the scheme, the discount was applied automatically. You don't need to contact us or apply for the scheme to receive it.
How long will the Energy Bill Relief Scheme last?
Initially, the scheme ran for 6 months, from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. But has now officially ended
What should I do if I want to sign a new energy contract?
Due to the scheme now ending, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme discount will not be applied automatically once your contract starts.
What if I use an energy broker or intermediary?
Energy brokers, sometimes called third party intermediaries (TPIs) have no influence over the per unit cost reductions that will be applied to energy costs under the scheme.
What can I do if I'm struggling with my bills?
With energy prices rising, we understand this is a difficult time and we're here to help. If you are struggling to pay your bills, visit our Help, Advice & Support page. We'll be able to guide you on what to do and how to keep your costs down.
If you want to find out ways to reduce your energy usage, visit our Tips to Save Energy blog post.
I'm a prepayment customer. How do I find out my discount?
If you're one of our prepayment customers, don't worry. We would've sent out two letters; they are
- A letter explaining how we worked out your discounts (including the EBRS and QFDC discounts)
- A letter that contains the cheque for these discounts
Other services that can help you manage your energy and save
Get in control of your energy
With a smart meter, you'll find it easier to keep track of the energy your business uses and what it costs. A smart meter can help you budget and reduce how much energy you use.
We're here to help
If you're worried about paying your energy bills, we're here to help you get back on track. Please use our help area it has some practical advice on what to do as well as tips on how to manage your energy account.
