Most households across the UK have benefited from a £400 energy bill discount this winter, split into six monthly instalments. The last of these instalments is due to be paid in March.
The discounts, each worth either £66 or £67, will soon come to an end as the Government rolls back its support, the Manchester Evening News reports. However, in good news for energy customers, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce that the Energy Bill Guarantee will continue to cap the average annual household bill at £2,500 beyond April – when it had been due to rise to £3,000.
Previously, Mr Hunt had said that the support would become less generous and more targetted at the most vulnerable. But experts now believe that he will extend the current energy price guarantee in his Budget on March 15.
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However, the £400 discount does still look likely to end next month, according to reporting by the BBC. There have been no talks about extending this element of support.
The monthly instalments of the discount went to most customers automatically. People who paid via direct debit generally had the money taken off their monthly bill, or refunded to their bank account.
Those who pay in receipt of bill had extra credit put on their account and people with smart pre-payment meters also got the discount automatically. But those with traditional pre-payment meters are sent vouchers each month which need to be used at top-up shops.
The Government support is expected to end on Friday, March 31. This means March is the final month in which people get the discount – which they will receive in the same way as they have the other instalments throughout the winter.
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