£400 energy payment applications now open for nearly one million UK households

Almost a million households can now apply for vital energy bills support with the application portal now open for those eligible across the UK.

The Government announced as part of its cost of living support package that households without a direct relationship with a domestic electricity supplier would receive £400 as part of the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AFF). The one-off lump sump will be paid to the likes of people living in park homes, houseboats, off-grid and care homes.

Those paying their energy bills as part of an all-inclusive rental agreement with their landlord will also be eligible for the payment, which will be delivered through local authorities. The application portal is now live on the gov.uk website, with around 900,000 UK households eligible to apply, the Daily Record reports.

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Around 29 million households are already receiving monthly discounts of £66 or £67 through the Government's equivalent Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS). These discounts, which began in October last year, are due to stop in March.

Having originally been due to launch last month, the rollout of the application portal was delayed in order to resolve "significant complexities" with the process, according to energy and climate minister Graham Stuart. Applications were then scheduled to open on February 27, but the portal is now up and running several days ahead of its expected start date.

You can apply online by filling out a short form via the gov.uk portal, or alternatively apply over the phone by calling 0808 175 3287, with lines open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. Once the application has been submitted, your local council will contact you within four weeks to give you an update on its progress.

The Government lists the households likely to be eligible for the £400 one-off payment as:

• Care home residents
• Park home residents
• Tenants in certain private and social rented homes
• Homes supplied via private wires
• Residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
• Farmers living in domestic farmhouses
• Off-grid households

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