Energy Bill Relief Scheme: Financial support for your heating bills

You may be aware that your heating and hot water is supplied through either a district or communal heat network, and Your Housing Group is your heat supplier. Under the Energy Prices Act 2022, which came into force on 25 October 2022, the Government has introduced a range of schemes to provide support for energy bills. This support includes the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which provides a discount on wholesale gas and electricity unit prices for non-domestic consumers. This discount reduces the costs of energy for commercial purchasers of energy.

We supply heating and hot water to your home or building through a district or communal heat network. We purchase gas and/or electricity to supply your heating and hot water, and as a landlord we are a non-domestic consumer which is now receiving discounts on the price of gas and electricity through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. Under regulations introduced by the Energy Prices Act 2022, as your heat supplier, we are required to pass this benefit to you as an end user – a person who purchases heating or hot water for your own end consumption from us.

We have received the Government Discount Rate of energy price support through the EBRS for the period 1 October 2022 to 30 November 2022, and will continue to receive this discount until 31 March 2023. We'll be providing this amount to you by passing on the discount we receive in the annual service charge accounts which will be issued to you in line with your lease or the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 as applicable.

Further guidance on the legislation, eligibility and the responsibilities of intermediaries is available here.

When you receive the annual Service Charge Accounts if you don't agree that this amount is just and reasonable, you should raise this with us in the first instance. If you're still unhappy with the amount of scheme benefit passed onto you, and you have reason to believe that the pass-through requirements in either the Energy Bill Relief Scheme Pass-through Requirement (Heat Suppliers) (England and Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2022 or the Energy Bill Relief Scheme Pass-through Requirement (Heat Suppliers) (Amendment) Regulations 2022, or both, have not been met, you are entitled to raise a complaint with the Energy Ombudsman. You can raise a complaint on the following grounds:

1. Your heat supplier has not notified you in writing that they are in receipt of the EBRS.
2. Your heat supplier has not notified you in writing of how and when the benefit of the EBRS will be passed on to you.
3. Your heat supplier has not passed the benefit of the EBRS on to you in your next bill, given this bill was issued after 30th November and when your heat supplier has been in receipt of the EBRS for at least 30 days.
4. Your heat supplier has not complied with any other part of the pass-through requirement, as detailed in the Regulations listed in the paragraph above.

You can find more details on raising a complaint at the Energy Ombudsman’s website.

Under the Energy Prices Act 2022, you can pursue recovery of the pass-through amount to which you are entitled as a civil debt if you've not received it by the time your next bill is issued.