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More state support to come as millions continue to fight This month many Brits will again be looking anxiously at their energy bills and thinking twice before turning on the heating. Ofgem has announced that its limit on how much providers can charge for energy for average customers of dual fuel, direct debit customers will be cut by 23% over the three months from April 1 to £3,280, from £4,279 for the period from January to March. But campaigners warn that impending changes to government support measures, introduced last year to tackle rising household energy costs, mean many could end up paying more.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced that the energy price guarantee, introduced by Liz Truss last September to ensure households pay no more than £2,500 for electricity and gas, with the government subsidizing the remainder allowed by the cap would rise to £3,000 next month.
It's a considerably less generous offer and matches a £400 discount introduced by Rishi Sunak a year ago that sold out. That could leave households £900 out-of-pocket in total.
The UK inflation rate currently stands at 10.1%, keeping the cost of goods on supermarket shelves high, while the Bank of England's monetary policy committee has raised interest rates. interest at 4%.
But despite this bleak backdrop, additional state aid will be paid to help tackle the cost of living crisis during the month.
Here's a guide to what to expect and who is eligible.
State benefits and pensions
These payments will be made directly on your usual March dates, without upcoming holidays that complicate the process:
For more information on how and when state benefits are paid, visit the government website.
Also, a series of cost-of-living support payments announced by the state last year are still active, at least for now.
energy discount
One of the grand gestures announced by Mr Sunak during his tenure as Chancellor last spring was that every household would receive a £400 cut on their energy bills to soften the blow of rising bills as a result of the European energy crisis. .
This replaced a planned £200 universal loan it announced in February 2022, doubling that figure and making it a grant that doesn't need to be repaid.
The first installment of £66 was sent in October, followed by another in November and £67 in December, January and February.
This month sees the last installment of £67 on the way before, as explained above, it is allowed to expire with no immediate promise of renewal in sight.
Those who pay their bills by direct debit automatically benefit from the reduction, either as a deduction from their monthly payments or as a return to bank accounts.
Those who pay when they receive a bill have the discount applied as a credit to their energy bill each month.
Prepaid smart meter customers also receive the discount automatically each month, while prepaid customers receive discount coupons via SMS, email or postal mail that they will need to redeem manually.
Cold Weather Payment Plan
This government scheme reopened on November 1 and will run until March 31, giving low-income people £25 for every seven days that freezing temperatures occur.
The cold snaps we experienced in the second week of December and mid-January didn't last long enough to trigger it, but who knows how long the widely forecast mid-January period might last?
If severe frost were to hit and a cold weather payment was signed, the money would be paid to anyone registered with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to receive a payment for eligible benefits such as: pension credit, support for Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, or Universal Credit.
Warm Home Rebate Program
The government's winter heating aid scheme was also relaunched on November 14 and also runs until March 31, giving eligible recipients £150 to help them through the colder season, the money is taken from their heating bills. power directly from your supplier.
The money will be paid to help with high energy expenditure to anyone who receives the following benefits: pension credit, income-related employment and support allowance, income-based job search allowance, universal credit, housing or child tax credits and work tax credits. .
It's also worth bearing in mind that the DWP has announced that millions of low-income households will receive additional cost-of-living support worth up to £1,350 from spring.
The new £900 cash support for more than eight million means-tested eligible benefit claimants, including those from Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Tax Credits, starts in the spring and will go directly to bank accounts in three installments, it said the DWP.
There will also be a separate payment of £150 for over six million disabled people and £300 for over eight million pensioners on top of their winter fuel payments.
These are the additional payment windows announced:
Dominic Lipinski/ Pennsylvania
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