The UK Government has introduced a range of supports for domestic energy customers starting this winter.
Energy Price Guarantee (EPG)
The Energy Price Guarantee Scheme is a government support that reduces the unit cost of electricity and gas that a typical household in Northern Ireland will pay for their energy.
Please click here to view our current electricity tariffs tables with the current EPG discount.
From January to March 2023, customers receive an average discount of 13.6 pence per kWh for electricity and 3.9 pense per kWh for gas.
From April to June 2023, the government support will be reduced, and the average unit price discount will change to 3.8 pence per kWh for electricity and 2.6 pence per kWh for gas.
From 1 April 2023, a typical electricity customer will save about £28.74 on their annual bill equating to a saving of 9.34%, a typical gas customer will save about £54.25 which is equal to a saving of 20.6% compared to the SSE Airtricity prices they would be paying without the EPG discounts applied.^
^Decreases based on a household customer on 24hr Standard credit meter tariffs with a typical annual consumption of 3,200 kWh for electricity, and 12,000 kWh for gas (with seasonality weighting applied to consumption). Figures inclusive of unit rate and VAT. Figures are based on SSE Airtricity’s current standard tariff, and the government support discounts from 1 January 2023. Actual savings will vary according to meter type, individual tariff, and consumption.
Energy Bill Support Scheme and Alternative Fuel Payment (EBSS AFP NI)
The Government has provided a payment of £600 to help with energy bills. This includes £400 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme and £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payment scheme. All of our customers should have received this £600 payment, if you have not received your voucher please contact us.
The EBSS AFP NI is separate to the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which provides a unit rate discount.
Redeeming your voucher
All vouchers must be redeemed at a Post Office.
- If your voucher has an issue date before 1st March. These vouchers will expire on 31st March. Please contact us here and we will work with you to have a new voucher issued that will have an expiry date of 30 June.
- If your voucher has an issue date in March this voucher will have an expiry date 3 months from the date of issue to allow satisfactory time for you to redeem. Please take this voucher to any Post Office, along with the below supporting documents to redeem your voucher.
- Any vouchers that have an issue date after 1 April will be able to be redeemed at any Post Office up to the 30 June.
- Your voucher
- Your identification
- Acceptable proof of Address (this must match the account holder details on the voucher)
- If you are a Keypad customer – your top up card or the app you use to make payments
- Your bank card or your bank account details - to deposit the payment directly into your bank account at the post office counter.
For full details on what you’ll need to redeem, please visit gov.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I know if I am eligible for these support schemes?
All Domestic electricity and gas customers are eligible to receive the EPG support discounts.
All domestic electricity customers are also eligible for the £600 EBSS AFP NI support payments.
How will I receive these supports?
Credit meter customers will continue to have the EPG support discount automatically applied to their bill.
Prepay customers will have the EPG support discount applied to their unit rate.
Where can I find more information about the schemes?
For more information on how the government is supporting domestic customers please visit nidirect.
Why are you using a different Energy Price Guarantee rate for Northern Ireland?
The energy market in Northern Ireland is structured differently to that in Great Britain. This means there are differences in the EPG discounts provided by the government.
To account for the launch of the Energy Price Guarantee one month later in Northern Ireland, households received backdated support. This was paid as an additional discount between November 2022 and March 2023. This ending of backdated support means households will see an increase in their energy prices from 1 April.
How are the EPG rates calculated?
The discount rates per kWh are calculated by the UK Government. For more information on how these rates are calculated, please click here.
Why can I see different discount rates on my bill?
The support discount is set by the government. If your meter has more than one register, Economy 7 meters for example, the discount is applied across each of the different registers so that the discount holds the same value regardless of your meter type.
How often will my EPG discount per kWh change?
If the discount per kWh reviewed by the government changes, suppliers will be made aware of the revised discount rate. Based on this review, discounts may or may not change. Any change in discount will automatically be applied to your bill.
What rate will I be charged when the EPG scheme ends?
When the scheme ends, you’ll be charged the SSE Airtricity rate applicable to your contract at the time.
I run a business from my home. What Scheme am I entitled to?
Eligible businesses will receive Government supports through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS).
Domestic customers will receive Government supports through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG).