Extra help for business customers – our update
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) has been set out to help businesses. We'll keep you up to date on what this means to you as an EDF business customer.
What support is 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 will be automatically applied. So we won't be asking you for any bank details. If you receive 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 is additional help available. Any customers identified as Qualifying Financially Disadvantaged Customers based on the government guidance will also benefit from a further reduction on their energy bills. We've created information on what this will be for any customers who qualify for this additional help.
Alternative Fuel Payment. This scheme is 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 is a one-off payment of £150. We'll start contacting you from the 20 February if the government has identified you as an eligible business for the payment.
If you have been identified as one of these businesses, please see below for how you'll receive this payment.
|
Payment method |
How you'll receive your payment |
|
Budget Direct Debit |
An automatic refund payment will be made within five working days of your normal payment date. This will be 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 will be paid onto your smart Pay As You Go meter. |
|
Prepayment |
A cheque will be sent in the post from 27 February. It will show 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 get 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. At the end of February, the government will open applications for you to apply 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)
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 SME business customers?
We are now rolling out the discount to our SME customers. If you're one of our customers whose tariff deal means they are eligible for the discount, you'll start to see it on your bills now. The discount depends on when you signed your contract and your current unit rates. We've created a simple table to show you how the discounts will work;
| Fixed | Customers on fixed contracts agreed before 1 Dec 2021 | If you signed your fixed contract before Dec 1 2021, the recent wholesale price rises would not have affected you. You will, therefore, not be eligible for this scheme. |
| Fixed | Customers on fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 Dec 2021 | The discount will be applied automatically as a discount between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023. The discount will be applied retrospectively. |
| Not on contract | Customers not on a contract but are being supplied by us on a variable tariff (Deemed, Freedom and Extended Supply)
| The discount will be applied automatically as a discount between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023. The discount will be applied retrospectively. Due to the current energy market conditions, you may still benefit from moving to a fixed tariff. |
A couple of key points;
- The EBRS total discount will vary depending on the amount of energy you use during this period
- The discount will also vary depending on your current unit rate
- The supported price includes the green levies discount; this will not be 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 |
| Variable | Deemed | Elec - On your bill: Deemed Elec 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 will be, please find our discount calculator tool below. If you're one of our prepayment customers, you don't need to use the tool. We're in the process of contacting you to detail how your EBRS discount has been worked out.
Work out the discount your business is entitled to
We've created a simple tool for our SME business customers to help you see what discount your business is entitled to through the EBRS and EBDS schemes.
What your discount depends on;
- the amount of energy you use
- your current unit rate vs the threshold defined by the government
Prepayment customers, you won't need to use the calculator, your discount will be 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 are eligible for the scheme, the discount will be 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 will run for 6 months, from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.
What should I do if I want to sign a new energy contract?
Go ahead as the relevant Energy Bill Relief Scheme discount will be applied automatically once your contract starts. The discount applied will depend on the unit rate agreed in your contract and when 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're in the process of sending out two letters; they are
- A letter explaining how we have worked out your discounts (including the EBRS and QFDC discounts)
- A letter that contains the cheque for these discounts
Please bear with us as you know there are Royal Mail strikes currently, which may delay how quickly you receive these.
Please continue to check this page for any updates. We'll be adding information to guide you through this process.
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.
