How will I get the £200 alternative fuel payment?

Reminder: Don't forget the 31st May deadline

For those without an electricity provider, you have until 31st May to claim your £200 Alternative Fuels Payment from the Government portal.

Update 12th April 2023 - Government has extended the claim window back to June 2022 (from September 2022) to ensure those purchased ahead of winter are able to claim the £200 energy support.

If you are a heating oil household, over the last weeks, you’ve probably been wondering how you will receive your £200 alternative fuel payment this winter. We understand that long government documents and energy website FAQs can take time to find relevant information. So we’ve simplified how heating oil homes will receive this support and shared some extra advice on ordering heating oil this winter.

No electricity provider? UK Government Portal now open to claim your £200

How will the £200 alternative fuel payment will be paid by your electricity provider?

British Gas - British Gas will be providing the £200 alternative fuel payment by a reverse direct debit.

Octopus - Octopus will be providing the £200 alternative fuel payment by crediting your electricity account.

EDF -EDF will provide the alternative fuel payment in two ways:

1. If you are on a budget Direct Debit, you will receive the payment in your bank account.

2. If you are not on a budget Direct Debit, EDF will add £200 credit to your electricity account towards your next electricity bill.

OVO - OVO have a range of ways they will provide the alternative fuel payment.

1. If you pay your energy bill by Direct Debit, your alternative fuel payment will go straight into your bank account as a refund.
2. If you pay when you get your energy bill, OVO will provide the £200 as credit to your energy account.
3. If you use a Smart Pay As You Go meter to pay your energy bill, the £200 will be paid to your electricity smart meter as a credit.
4. If you have a traditional Pay As You Go meter, you will receive your alternative fuel payment by post with detailed instructions on how to process this payment. The two options to process payment are through mobile banking or a Pay Point.

Scottish Power - Scottish Power will be providing the alternative fuel payment into your bank account.

E-On - E-On will be providing the alternative fuel payment in three ways depending on the way you usually pay for your energy.

1. If you pay via Direct Debit or Pay On Receipt of Bill, the £200 paid into your energy account as credit.
2. If you pay using a Pre-payment, a cash voucher will be sent to you. You will then need to go to a Post Office to get the money paid into your bank account.
3. If are a Pay As You Go customer, the alternative fuel payment will be sent to your electricity meter.

Payment Methods 

Updated 07/03/23

We've summarised the payment methods heating oil homes will receive the alternative fuel payments.

How will heating oil homes with an electricity provider get the alternative fuel payment? 

Payment method 1: Direct debit

Heating oil households in Northern Ireland will receive £600 in total. £400 from the electricity bill support scheme payment and £200 alternative fuel payment. This will be provided by direct debit from your electricity provider. This will be given in January 2023.

Payment method 2: Electricity bill

For those heating oil homes that are located in Great Britain, and usually pay for their electricity using a credit or a payment card, the £200 payment will be given to you as a reduction of your electricity bill. This will be given in January 2023.

How will heating oil homes with no electricity provider get the alternative fuel payment? 

Payment method 3:

Those who do not have an electricity provider located in Great Britain or Northern Ireland can get the alternative fuel payment via an online process. This alternative fuel payment online portal is available on the government website and will be open until the 31st May 2023.

Before you start the online process you will need:

• an email address or phone number (if you have one)
• your bank account details
• proof that you’ve spent £200 or more on alternative fuels to heat your home between June 2022 and the end of the application window (31st May 2023) for example, a delivery note or receipt

How do BoilerJuice customers get proof of their order to use in the online portal?

Those who do not have an electricity provider will need to use the online portal to redeem their £200 alternative fuel payment. If you order through BoilerJuice you will need to provide proof of your purchase to complete the online process.

It's quick and simple to get proof of your heating oil order through your order confirmation documents, all you need to do is follow the steps below. We do recommend completing these steps on a desktop or laptop if possible:

1. Go to BoilerJuice.com and log into your account.
2. Click on "My Account"
3. Click on "Orders"
4. You will see a log of your previous orders. Here you can download the most recent heating oil orders with all the relevant information about your purchase.
5. Find the order you want to select, and then click the "printer icon", this will show you a print-ready version of your order confirmation.
6. Save this as a PDF on your laptop or desktop computer.
7. Find your file, and upload your PDF as part of your government online application.

An update on the £400 payment for households with no electricity provider

Updated 03/03/23

Via this online portal, households who do not have an electricity provider and therefore were unable to get the extra £400 (Great Britain only) or £600 (Northern Ireland only) provided by the government last year, will now be able to claim the payment. It will be paid as one lump sum by the local authorities.

Previous quotes from the Government and UKIFDA on heating oil support

Update 24/01/23 

“The government yesterday provided more guidance regarding the £200 alternative fuel payment which will start to be processed from February 6th.

Heating oil customers should be aware of the following:

Customers have been identified using an off-the-gas grid database and recent census information.
The majority of customers will receive their £200 automatically via their electricity supplier starting on February 6, in a similar fashion to other recent government payments (direct debit, credit to account or voucher).
There will be some small exceptions – for example, customers that don’t have an electricity account or those that use oil but live in a gas grid area. These customers will need to apply via an online portal which will be open in February alongside a postcode checker.
We expect further information closer to February 6th and will continue to update customers.

Households seeking more information on AFP or wider Help For Households support schemes should visit https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk. “

UKIFDA, 23/01/22

The government has recently amended the amount of support that will be available to heating oil households by raising the support from £100 to £200. They have stated that off-the-gas grid homes will be provided payments in a similar way to The Energy Bills Support Scheme. Our previous prime minister Lizz Truss announced that the fund will be given via your electricity provider. 

The government shared this quote back in October:

“This scheme is intended to deliver a one-off payment of £100 to UK households who are not on the mains gas grid and therefore use alternative fuels, such as heating oil, to heat their homes. Powers will enable the government to deliver support via electricity bills in both GB and NI, under a similar delivery model to the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The payment will ensure that a typical customer using heating oil does not face a higher rate of growth in their heating costs since last winter, in comparison to those using mains gas, who are supported by the Energy Price Guarantee. The government will set out the timing of this payment soon.”

The Energy Price Bill Document (11/10/22)

There have since been some changes in parliament, the most recent announcement shared on the 17th of November by Jeremy Hunt revealed that heating oil homes will now get double the support they originally stated:

“…And for those households who use alternative fuels such as heating oil and LPG to heat their homes, I am today doubling the amount of support from £100 to £200, which will be delivered as soon as possible this winter.”

Jeremy Hunt (17/11/22)

UKIFDA have also updated their message since the new announcement to:

“UKIFDA is aware that a Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy minister has confirmed to MPs that the Domestic Alternative Fuel Payment of £200 will be made in the New Year. The payment mechanism for most customers continues to be through their electricity bills with additional information expected shortly.

This extra clarity is important as it means customers can plan their budgets accordingly. We continue to strongly advise customers to purchase their heating oil as usual ahead of cold weather. The best and most economical approach is to talk to local distributors on a regular basis and not leave purchases to the last minute.”

UKIFDA (01/12/22)

What does BoilerJuice suggest?  

 If you need a top-up, don’t leave it until the last minute. Delaying your order now means you may need to top up in colder weather where possible spikes in demand can lead to longer wait times and the risk of running out.

Keep yourself safe from scammers

There is an increased amount of text being sent from scammers to households regarding The Energy Support Scheme; they aim to gain your bank details. Please do not click on the link in these texts for your safety.

The government will not ask for this level of information via text. Any government energy support funds will be applied automatically.