UK’s rising energy prices – our update

We understand how difficult it is at the minute with rising energy prices.

We've pulled together the latest news and information you need to help you through this

Why are energy prices going up?

There are lots of reasons for the energy price rises. By far the most significant is the global gas crisis, which has been triggered by rising demand and restricted gas imports from countries like Russia. This has driven up gas and electricity prices globally.

This means that due to ongoing energy market volatility, we don't have any fixed energy tariff deals available. It is more than likely that you're better off staying with your current supplier right now. Your energy supplier should automatically move you on to the discounted energy rates of the Government Energy Price Guarantee. However, if you do want to switch energy suppliers, then you can contact one of our agents to get a quote for our current Standard (Variable) tariff rates.

The government have announced extra support with the Government Energy Price Guarantee, which is part of the overall 'Help for Households' that the government have set up this year to help households across Britain. This will be in addition to the cost of living support and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount that helps customers further this winter.

The current advice from the government is that you do not need to apply for the Government Energy Price Guarantee, and there’s no need to contact your supplier.

We welcome the government’s decisive action to tackle energy bills. We're urgently prioritising how we deliver measures to support the country and customers in such challenging times. We're updating our website regularly with the information you need to know. The government have published their factsheet on their website. You can access it here.

We've recently announced further support for our customers this winter and are doubling the customer support for vulnerable customers to £10 million, and we're committed to providing you with great customer service. We're proud to be named by Citizen's Advice as the UK’s best energy supplier.

What to do if you’re worried about paying your energy bill

We appreciate this is a really difficult time. If you are struggling to pay please find out all the support that is available to keep on top of your payments.

Options include:

having a smart Pay As You Go meter installed can you manage your energy budget
paying less, more often - if you currently pay your bills quarterly why not consider monthly payments by going to MyAccount
extra support through our Priority Services, for those who need it
how to access independent advice and support - visit our help centre

If you pay by Direct Debit, we advise you don't cancel your Direct Debit payments or stop paying your bills without contacting us. It's likely you're paying less for your energy if you pay by Direct Debit so stopping it will likely increase your energy charges. Head to our help centre to find out more advice on Direct Debit.

Ways we're supporting existing EDF customers who need the most help

1. EDF ECO Scheme

The new ECO4 scheme will run until March 2026. Eligible EDF customers will be able to access a range of energy efficiency improvements that will help them improve their home's EPC ratings to a rating of C or above.

Customers will need to take a package of energy efficiency improvements rather than just one. We're working on what these will be. Eligible customers will have a survey carried out on their homes to ensure their property is suitable for these improvements.

Find out more

2. EDF WHD Scheme

The Warm Home Discount Scheme (WHD) is a government-led scheme offering a one-off payment of £150 (inclusive of VAT) towards energy costs.

This year the scheme has changed. If you live in England or Wales you will not need to apply for the WHD rebate in 2022/23. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will contact you from October to December 2022 to tell you if you are eligible to receive the rebate automatically from us.

For customers living in Scotland

If you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, on the qualifying date of 21 August 2022, you do not need to apply as you automatically qualify for the Warm Home Discount - Core Group 1 rebate.

If you do not qualify for the Warm Home Discount - Core Group 1 rebate you will need to apply. You can do this via our Warm Home Discount area.

Keep up to date on what's happening

3. EDF Customer Support Fund

If you're vulnerable our customer support fund could help you with electricity or gas bill debts, and provide essential white goods such as a fridge or cooker.

Step 1: Register for help from our Priority Services. To see how we can support you. We'll help make sure you're on the best energy tariff and see if we can save you money on your future energy bills.

Step 2: Apply for help from the Customer Support Fund on the Let's Talk website. You'll need to have your EDF account number and current energy debt balances ready, along with details of your household finances and vulnerability.

4. New schemes we're launching this winter

This winter, we've launched our Energy Hub Super Saver challenge(1). Each week throughout the winter, customers who take part will have the chance to secure a year's worth of free energy. If you're unable to have a smart meter installed, you'll still be able to take part!

We'll be contacting customers in need to help with services which may include things like

Helping customers beat the Ofgem price cap by £100 if they move to smart Pay As You Go from traditional prepayment(2)
Launching our 'Fresh Start' campaign(3), supporting those customers with existing debt with us
Launching our 'Helping Hands' support scheme – offering additional support to our existing prepayment and smart Pay As You Go customers to make sure they can afford to top up their meters.

Energy Bills Support Scheme

The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is only one part of the help for households funding the government is offering. The EBSS offers every household across Great Britain a £400 non-repayable discount which will be paid in 6 instalments from October.

We've created a guide on what you need to know about the scheme.

Energy Bills Support Scheme Scam

We've had a notification from Ofgem that there have been a high number of incidents raised with Action Fraud from customers receiving scam emails and text messages claiming to offer customers access to the Energy Bill Rebate. In the email or message, customers are asked to register their details. We've added more details about this to our security page.

Find out more

Other government support available for customers who need extra help

You may be eligible for certain grants and benefits if you:

have reached state pension age
have a disability
have no income or a low income
have missed payments to your energy supplier

Extra help with energy costs during the winter months

Cold Weather payment - Provides extra support for those who need it when the average temperature in your area you live in is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over seven consecutive days. You’ll get £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

Winter Fuel Payment - If you were born on or before 26 September 1956, you could get between £250 and £600 to help you pay your heating bills. This is a one-off annual payment that gets made automatically if you're eligible.

Helping to keep out of debt

Third-party deductions or fuel direct payments - If you receive certain benefits, you can pay your energy bills or debt over time directly out of your benefits.

Extra support through the Household Support Fund - The government launched a £500m support fund in October 2021. Local councils were awarded extra funding to help customers through the winter. Anyone needing support should contact their local council who can help them access the fund. Read more about the funding and how it works.

You may be eligible for some additional cost of living support from the government.

Other services that can help you manage your energy and save

Join our customers who are cutting their usage and bills

It's important now, more than ever, to stay in control of your energy. With a smart meter and our free Energy Hub, you'll easily be able to track your energy usage and see where you can save so that you can lower your bills and your carbon footprint.

Smart benefits include:

Upgrade your meter at no extra cost
Receive more accurate bills, keep in control and view the cost of your energy
Get a better idea of where you use energy in your home with Energy Hub(4)
Save up to £70 with our free Energy Hub platform(5). Smart meter required

Book your installation now Got a smart meter. Check out your Energy Hub

Insulate your home and feel the difference

A typical house with no insulation will lose 33% of heat through walls and 25% through the roof(6).

Get insulation installed and save up to £1,280 per year on bills(7).

With energy bills rising - act now to help save you money this winter!

Get insulated and save

Advice on what you can do at home to save energy

Read our tips on energy saving at home. Some of these are easy to do and completely free.

We're proud to offer our customers

Zero Carbon

Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(8)

Zero Hassle

Rated 'Great' on Trustpilot

Value & Control

Fixed Tariffs, Electric Vehicles, Low Carbon Heat, Energy Hub
Find out more

Notes

Details to be released from October 2022 on how you can take part and the terms and conditions of the challenge. Don’t worry if we’re unable to offer you a smart meter or Energy Hub, you’ll still be able to take part.
To view your energy use and energy breakdown within Energy Hub, your smart meter must be commissioned and maintain connectivity with us. To see your energy breakdown, you’ll also need to complete an energy profile to help us build a picture of your energy habits. Energy Hub is accessible via MyAccount and the EDF app. It’s available to residential customers who have gas and electricity smart meters and both fuels on a single rate EDF tariff, or an electricity smart meter on a single rate EDF tariff. The electric smart meter must be commissioned. Multi-rate tariffs are currently not supported in Energy Hub.
Customers who are actively contacted by EDF under this scheme and switch to smart prepayment will be given a £100 bill credit. This offer can be withdrawn at any time. Full terms and conditions apply and will be explained on the call.
There are lots of things we're doing to help make your electricity and gas payments more manageable. Take a look at our help and support page to get help if you're struggling to pay.
Energy Hub is accessible in MyAccount. It is available for residential smart metered customers that have both electricity and gas supplied by EDF on a single rate tariff, or those who are supplied electricity by EDF on a single rate tariff. The smart meter must also be commissioned.
Save £70 with Energy Hub. Savings estimated on sample from Apr20-Apr22 of 1500+Energy Hub users who use Energy Breakdown and logged in 5+ times. Costs based on Ofgem typical annual consumption positioned against projected Standard (Variable) consumption costs of Oct22-Sep23.
sources:
- https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/roof-and-loft-insulation
- https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/cavity-wall-insulation
Estimates based on a gas-heated detached home. Figures are based on fuel prices as of October 2022. Source: Energy Saving Trust for roof and loft insulation and cavity wall insulation.

UK Fuel Mix disclosure information, published by Government Department BEIS, recognises electricity from wind, solar and nuclear fuel produces zero carbon dioxide emissions at the point of generation.

The zero-carbon electricity purchased is supplied to the National Grid. Customers receive electricity via the National Grid, not directly from zero-carbon generators.

The below table summarises zero-carbon generation by company demonstrating EDF generating 34.3%. The data supporting the table below and the % values is sourced from a mixture of industry settlement data and the UK government renewable obligation database.

ZERO-CARBON GENERATION SUMMARY BY COMPANY		2021	2021
Supplier name	zero-carbon	GWh of zero-carbon electricity generation	% of overall zero-carbon electricity generation
EDF	zero-carbon	34,230	34.3%
CENTRICA	zero-carbon	8,248	8.3%
RWE	zero-carbon	3,958	4.0%
E.on	zero-carbon	982	1.0%
SSE	zero-carbon	4,770	4.8%
ScottishPower	zero-carbon	3,792	3.8%
Drax	zero-carbon	-	-
Orsted	zero-carbon	7,798	7.8%
EPH	zero-carbon	-	-
Equinor	zero-carbon	1,018	1.0%
Vattenfall	zero-carbon	1,468	1.5%
Fred Olsen Renewables	zero-carbon	698	0.7%
Macquarie	zero-carbon	2,926	2.9%
Ventient Energy	zero-carbon	482	0.5%
Statkraft	zero-carbon	303	0.3%
Eneco	zero-carbon	309	0.3%
Falck Renewables	zero-carbon	201	0.2%
RES	zero-carbon	228	0.2%
SGRE	zero-carbon	215	0.2%
Greencoat	zero-carbon	581	0.6%
Community Windpower	zero-carbon	283	0.3%
OTHER	zero-carbon	27,229	27.3%
TOTAL	zero-carbon	99,772	100%