£400 energy bill support paid to households

The £400 energy bill support was paid to almost all households, with the first monthly instalments going out in October 2022 and the full amount taken off bills by December 2022¹. The support was delivered through energy suppliers, and different suppliers paid it in different ways¹.

The scheme applied to almost all households, but there were exceptions. Households whose energy bills are included in their rent, and people who live in park homes, were not covered in the same way¹. The timetable lists the £400 reduction as a December 2022 item, alongside a £300 cost of living support payment to pensioners¹.

The £400 came alongside other cost of living payments during 2022. From 14 July, first payments of £326 went to people in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA, income-based JSA and Income Support, with Tax Credits recipients paid in September¹. A second cost of living payment of £324 was paid between 8 and 23 November to people in receipt of Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit, with a likely payment in December to people in receipt of tax credits and no other income-related benefit¹. A £150 cost of living support payment went to people in receipt of disability benefits on 26 September¹.

Separately, Wales launched a £200 energy bill support scheme on 26 September 2022 for people in receipt of means-tested benefits, disability benefits or carers benefits, paid through councils¹. An earlier Wales £200 energy grant scheme closed to applications on 28 February 2022¹.

Why it matters for households

The £400 was a fixed reduction applied to energy bills rather than a cash payment, so it reduced the amount households owed their supplier across the winter of 2022 to 2023¹. Because suppliers delivered it in different ways, the timing and appearance of the reduction on a bill varied by supplier¹.

Two groups did not receive the support in the same form: households whose energy costs are bundled into their rent, and people living in park homes¹. For those households, the reduction did not appear on an energy bill in the usual way.

The £400 sat alongside other 2022 cost of living payments, including the £326 and £324 payments for people on certain means-tested benefits and the £150 payment for people on disability benefits¹. Eligibility for those payments depended on which benefit a household received and when¹. The Warm Home Discount and other help with energy bills guide covers other support, and the benefits hub sets out how benefit payments work.

What happens next

The timetable lists the £400 reduction under December 2022, with the first monthly instalments having begun in October 2022¹. No further dates for the scheme are given in the timetable beyond that period¹.