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info icon Your MPRN or 'Meter Point Reference Number' is an 11-digit number which is associated with your meter and is printed on your current electricity bills. If you are a keypad customer, your KPN or 'Keypad Premise Number' is the 19-digit number you currently use to top up your meter.
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Government Energy Support FAQs

ENERGY BILLS SUPPORT SCHEME AND THE ALTERNATIVE FUEL PAYMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND FAQs

From the 13th of January Households in Northern Ireland started receiving a single £600 payment which is a combination of the £400 EBSS payment and the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment. This payment is intended to be redeemed by whoever pays the household’s energy bills.
➢ BEIS is working with electricity suppliers to deliver the support.
➢ Customers who pay for their electricity by Direct Debit receive the payment directly to their bank account.
➢ Customers who pay for their electricity via a keypad meter receive a voucher in the mail from the Post Office addressed to the ‘Occupier’.
➢ Customers who are on suppliers' Customer Care Registers received their vouchers first.
➢ Vouchers are only redeemable at a Post Office branch. The voucher and supporting paperwork will be needed for redemption.
➢ Households that do not have a domestic electricity contract will need to apply to receive this payment in the next phase of this scheme. Details to follow.
➢ Beware of scams.

What is this payment?

This is a payment of £600 from government to households in Northern Ireland to help with energy bills. It is going to households who have a domestic contract with an electricity supplier. Households that do not have a domestic electricity contract will need to apply to receive this payment in the next phase of this scheme. Details to follow. The payment is made up of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (£400) and the Alternative Fuel Payment (£200). It is being provided by the UK government and facilitated by electricity suppliers and the Post Office.

Beware of scams

The payment is automatic. Communications from any source suggesting you need to provide personal information, phone a number, or follow a link are likely to be scams. If you pay by direct debit or if you use a keypad meter suppliers generally have all the information they need to get this payment to you. If suppliers need to contact you they will do so directly.

Exercise caution. Do not click on suspicious links. You can report messages you think are suspicious at report@phishing.gov.uk.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. I have a voucher but cannot redeem it because I do not have the necessary photographic ID to take the payment as cash. What should I do?

Instead of taking the payment as cash, you are strongly advised to receive the payment direct into your bank account. This is the safest option.

If you do not have a bank account, you are strongly advised to open one to receive this payment.

If you are unable to open a bank account, you should obtain photo ID to enable you to take the payment as cash. See how to apply for an Electoral Identity Card - www.eoni.org.uk/Electoral-Identity-Card/How-to-apply

If you are unable to do either of the above options, contact your electricity supplier to identify alternative options.

If you have received a voucher but do not have the required proof of address or meter card (because you moved your home after 2 January for example), you will need to contact your supplier. [See Q16 below]

2. I haven’t received my payment. When will I get it?

• Vouchers have been delivered from 13th January 2023 for customers who pay for their electricity by standard credit or via a keypad meter. Payments to customers who are on suppliers’ Customer Care Registers were prioritised.

• Direct payments into bank accounts for customers who pay by Direct Debit began on 16th January 2023.

• Delivery has been phased. Not everyone received payments on the same date.

• Customers are urged to redeem vouchers as soon as possible once received and are strongly encouraged to deposit into bank accounts. Both of these actions support the Post Office in a speedy and streamlined delivery and benefit the household.

• A few payments to households have still to be made. If you have not yet received your payment, please wait until 28th February to contact your supplier.

3.a I have not received a voucher. What should I do?

Only the following customers will receive a voucher:

➢ Customers who pay for their electricity by Standard Credit (Bill Pay)

➢ Customers who pay for their electricity with a Keypad meter

➢ Direct Debit customers where suppliers have been unable to complete a transfer payment into the customer’s bank account

Direct Debit customers will have received the payment direct to their bank account.

A few payments have yet to be made.

If you are eligible for this voucher and have not received it, please wait until 28th February to contact your supplier.

3.b I have not received a payment into my bank account. What should I do?

Only customers who pay for their electricity by direct debit will have received an automatic payment into their bank account.

A few payments have yet to be made.

If you are eligible for this payment and have not received it, please wait until 28th February to contact your.

4. How will I get my £600 payment?

Customers who pay by Direct Debit

➢ Customers who pay for their electricity by Direct Debit receive the £600 directly to their bank account.

Customers who pay by Standard Credit (Bill Pay)

➢ Customers who pay for their electricity by Standard Credit (Bill Pay) receive a voucher in the mail from the Post Office in the name of the electricity account holder.

Customers who pay via a keypad meter

➢ Customers who pay for their electricity via a Keypad meter receive a voucher in the mail from the Post Office addressed to the ‘Occupier’. It is not necessary for you to update the name on the account in order to receive the voucher.

5. How can I redeem my voucher?

All vouchers must be redeemed at a Post Office.

You are strongly advised to deposit the £600 promptly at the first available opportunity into your bank account at the Post Office counter. This is the safest, easiest, and fastest option for you. Doing so will also allow others to receive their payment more quickly and avoid impacting on other Post Office services. 

5a. What do I need to take to the Post Office in order to redeem my voucher?

To redeem your voucher, you will need to take to the Post Office: 

➢ Your voucher 

➢ Your identification (this must match the account holder details on the voucher) 

➢ Acceptable proof of Address (this must match the account holder details on the voucher) 

➢ If you pay via a keypad meter – your top up card or the Keypad top-up app you use to make payments 

➢ Your bank card - to deposit the payment directly into your bank account at the post office counter

5b. What identification do I need?

Customers who pay for their electricity by Standard Credit (Bill Pay) :
 

 

  To pay the funds straight into your bank

To receive a cash payment

ID 1

Your bank debit card

Photographic ID from the options listed below

ID 2

                                           One of the following as proof of address:

  • Utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence
  • Bank or building society statement
  • Rental or mortgage agreement
  • Letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department

The date on the statement or letter must be between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.

 
Direct Debit customers that suppliers have been unable to complete a transfer payment: 
 

 

  To pay the funds straight into your bank

To receive a cash payment

ID 1

Your bank debit card

Photographic ID from the options listed below

ID 2

                                           One of the following as proof of address:

  • Utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence
  • Bank or building society statement
  • Rental or mortgage agreement
  • Letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department

The date on the statement or letter must be between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.

 
Customers who pay for their electricity via keypad meter :
 

 

  To pay the funds straight into your bank

To receive a cash payment

ID 1

Your bank debit card

Photographic ID from the options listed below

ID 2

Your keypad top-up card OR The keypad app on your phone/smart device  2

ID 3

                                           One of the following as proof of address:

  • Utility bill such as phone, water, electricity, TV licence
  • Bank or building society statement
  • Rental or mortgage agreement
  • Letter from a UK government or Northern Ireland department

The date on the statement or letter must be between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.

 
What photographic ID do I need? 
You will need to provide one of the following types of photographic ID to claim your payment in cash:
 
Valid Passport
Valid UK or EU/EEA Driving Licence
Asylum ID Card
NI Electoral Identity Card
Translink SmartPass (Senior/60+/War Disabled/Blind Persons)
Armed Forces ID or Police Warrant Card 

6. I don’t have a bank account. Can I take the £600 as cash?

There is an option to take the payment as cash, but this is dependent on available cash at the branch you attend. Taking such a large sum in cash is a serious risk. If you lose the cash it cannot be replaced. You are strongly advised to open an account to receive this payment. This is the safest option.

If you choose to take the payment as cash, you will need to present photographic ID from the options listed below:

• Valid Passport

• Valid UK or EU/EEA Driving Licence

• Asylum ID Card

• NI Electoral Identity Card

• Translink SmartPass (Senior/60+/War Disabled/Blind Persons)

• Armed Forces ID or Police Warrant Card

7. Can someone else redeem a voucher on someone’s behalf if they are elderly/disabled/housebound or otherwise unable to do it themselves?

If customers require support with redeeming their vouchers, there is an explanation on the voucher if they want someone else to redeem their voucher.

8. I need large print or braille

If your electricity supplier is aware of your needs, your voucher will arrive in the appropriate format.

9. What if I don’t have a domestic electricity contract?

Equivalent payments will be made at a later date to households who do not have a domestic electricity contract (e.g. residents of park homes, some care homes, tenants in certain types of private and social rented homes, homes supplied by private wires, residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites, farmers living in domestic farmhouses without a domestic electricity connection, households off the electricity grid). Further details will be published.

10. How does my voucher arrive?

You receive your voucher in the post from the Post Office. For customers who pay for their electricity via a keypad meter, vouchers are addressed to ‘the occupier’. Vouchers issued to customers paying by standard credit (bill pay) are issued in the name of the electricity account holder.

Redeem your vouchers at the Post Office promptly. This will help you as you will get the benefit as soon as you redeem the voucher, and will minimise the risk of the voucher being mislaid. Prompt redemption will also help reduce delays to others receiving their vouchers and reduce the impact on Post Office services.

11. Do I need to apply?

No one needs to apply for this payment. Payments and vouchers have been issued automatically, you do not need to provide your bank details to qualify for this payment.

12. My keypad meter (only) is in my landlord’s name but I pay the electricity costs directly

Keypad meter users receive a voucher in the post, addressed to 'the occupier'. The voucher is for the value of £600 to be redeemed at a Post Office as directed on the letter. The voucher provided is intended to provide support with energy costs for the household. If you top up your keypad meter yourself, you are the intended recipient.

13. What happens if vouchers are received with an incorrect name?

This is not a problem for customers who pay for their electricity via Keypad, as they will be sent their vouchers in the name of “The Occupier” only, and so do not need to have their name on the voucher to redeem it at the Post Office. [Please note: This is the correct process for the payment. Any other communication suggesting that a named voucher is needed for customers who pay for their electricity via Keypad is incorrect.]

However, if a customer who pays for their electricity by standard credit (bill pay) receives a voucher with the incorrect name, they should contact their supplier who will cancel the incorrect voucher and re-issue a new voucher in the correct name.

For Further Information: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/help-domestic-energy-costs

14. Does my landlord need to pass on the EBSS AFP NI support?

To ensure EBSS AFP NI is provided to the people it is designed to help, the Government has introduced regulations to require third-party intermediaries, such as landlords, to pass the support through in a just and reasonable way to end users, such as tenants.

Guidance on pass-through requirements can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries

15. What if there is more than one household using the same electricity meter?

Can each household get the £600?

EBSS allocates a single £600 payment to each domestic electricity account. It is beyond the scope of EBSS to provide more than one £600 payment to multiple households using one electricity meter. Such households will receive a single £600 payment.

If you are not sure how to pass on this payment to the rightful recipients, the UK Government has introduced regulations which require that intermediaries, including landlords, pass-through the Energy Bills Support Scheme and Alternative Fuel Payment Northern Ireland benefit to end users, including tenants, in a just and reasonable way. These regulations came into force on 12 January 2023. The regulations are available at: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/10/contents/made

To help support intermediaries, including landlords, to understand the requirements, the UK Government has also issued guidance that can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries

Can these households apply to receive separate payments through the EBSS Alternative Funding?

If a household gets EBSS they are not eligible for EBSS Alternative Funding and if a landlord receives EBSS, they have to pass it on in a just and reasonable way. The EBSS Alternative Funding application process in NI will check applicants against the register of domestic meters to confirm that they have not already received the payment. The domestic meter check is a key counter-fraud mechanism. This is the same as the GB scheme.

16. I have recently moved home, do I still qualify for the £600 payment?

The scheme’s Qualifying Date and Time was 2 January 2023 at 8am. Customers who move after the Qualifying Date/Time, who are eligible for EBSS via a voucher payment, will need to contact their supplier.

All parties that move after 2nd January but before receiving their EBSS payment, will need to contact the supplier they were with at 8am on 2nd January, to arrange for EBSS to be delivered to them.

Neither they nor any new occupant will be able to redeem vouchers as issued, as they will no longer have all the required evidence of eligibility (keypad top-up key or app; proof of address dated before 2nd Jan).

 

NOTE: Your personal data will be shared with the UK government to support administration of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP). These data consist of your meter point number, whether you have received and redeemed each EBSS and AFP payment, and data about your meter point including your billing cycle and how you pay your bill.

 The legal basis for processing these personal data is public task. Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, under Article 6(1)(e) of GDPR and in the exercise of official authority vested in the Secretary of State for DESNZ. The specific public task is to allow for monitoring, assurance, fraud prevention and evaluation of the EBSS and AFP.

 You can find more information on how the UK government will use your personal data in their privacy notice.