Energy Bill Rebate

Some customers have previously reported that their Unique Access Key code does not work, but when tested we have found that it failed because they have not entered the code exactly as it is shown on the letter.

For example, if the code on the letter is 100299NjKmZy342

It will not work if you type in 100299NJKMZY342 or 100299njkmzy342

You must type in the correct upper case (capital / big) and lower case (small) as shown on your letter.

If you are still having difficulty, please contact the helpline: 01480 388584 for assistance.

• The government will give councils a limited fund to provide support to vulnerable households suffering financial hardship, but who may not qualify for the £150 Council Tax payment. This applies to all bands from A to H.

• It will be called the Local Scheme Energy Bill Rebate and we will publish the details on this website in August.

• You will need to apply for this help after we publish the Local Scheme.

• We will send letters to households, eligible under the Local Scheme, by the end of August.

We will have paid all Main Scheme eligible households by 15th August. 

If you decide not to provide your bank details, or you do not meet the government checks mentioned in the letter, we will:

• add £150 credit to your Council Tax account

• recalculate your monthly instalments and

• send you a revised bill, with a revised instalment plan.

• We will do this by 31st August.

There is no appeal process, and we do not have access to the Government database, so we cannot tell you why you did not pass the pre-payment checks.

However, we can tell you that applications may fail where the names or billing addresses on bank accounts do not exactly match other personal data held on the government or council tax databases. In those cases, we will try to resolve the mismatch, but if it is not possible to do so, we will apply a credit to your Council Tax account by 31st August.

The payment is part of the government’s measures to help protect millions of households from rising everyday costs, but ultimately you can decide what to use the money for.

If you receive a credit on your Council Tax account, instead of money in your bank account, this will mean that you will pay reduced monthly instalments for the rest of the year, and you could use that towards other household expenses.

1 April 2022 is the "qualifying date" for payment of the Energy Bill Rebate. It is payable to the person that was living in the property on that date.

• If you move to a different property after 1 April, you cannot claim an Energy Bill rebate at the new address, as the previous occupier will have already claimed it. If you have not received the payment before you move, we will pay it in to your bank account by the end of April. You do not have to repay the money, but you cannot make another claim at the new address.

• If we later discover you were not entitled to the payment, or you receive more than one payment, you must tell us and you must pay back the incorrect payment.

The main scheme only relates to properties in bands A to D. However, the government has also given us a limited amount of money to help those in larger properties (bands E to H), and other residents that are suffering financial hardship.  We are looking at ways to distribute these limited funds fairly, and will publish our Local Scheme Energy Bill Rebate in August. Please continue to check our website for details.

There are lots of other things you can do for yourself to help with rising cost of living. To find out more, visit Citizen's Advice.

We actively promote energy efficiency to homeowners across the district to help:

• lower carbon emissions

• reduce fuel poverty

• enable affordable warmth and

• improve the housing stock.

To find out more, visit the Sustainability and Greener Living pages.

From October, a £400 non-repayable grant will automatically be paid by energy suppliers to utility bill payers.

A £650 non-repayable grant will be paid by the Department for Work and Pensions in two instalments (July and during the Autumn) to people in receipt of:

• Universal Credit
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Credit
• Pension Credit

A £150 non-repayable grant will be paid in September by the Department for Work and Pensions to people in receipt of:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• War Pension Mobility Supplement

An additional £300 winter fuel payment will be made during the Autumn by the Department for Work and Pensions to pensioner households.
Cambridgeshire County Council has a Household Support Fund designed to help a range of people with financial assistance and other types of support. More details can be found at: Household Support Fund - Cambridgeshire County Council.

Energy Bill Rebate payments are made on the assumption that the recipient is the liable Council Tax payer and that, on 1 April 2022, the property:

1. Is valued in Council Tax bands A to D (or Band E where a Disabled Band Reduction has been granted)

2. Is someone’s sole or main residence

AND

3. Council Tax is payable, or an exemption class N, S, U or W has been applied (if applied, this will show on your Council Tax bill).

The Energy Bill Rebate is provided to support all of the residents of the household.

If the property does not meet the criteria, you are required to notify the council, and to repay the money