Latest news

• Energy Price Guarantee Scheme, including changes announced in the autumn budget
• Read about the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and where to get support if you’re worried about the cost of energy. 
• If you have need more information about redeeming a voucher for your traditional prepayment meter, follow this link for our FAQs.
• Alternative Fuel Payment
• Get the latest details about why the cost of energy is rising across the industry. 
• Find out why it’s best to stay with your current energy supplier. 
• Controlled power outages
• Read our advice about how to save energy at home. 
• Do I need to give a meter reading?

Government Energy Price Guarantee 

17 November update following the government’s autumn budget: We’re aware that the Chancellor announced changes to the Energy Price Guarantee. These will not come into effect until April 2023. We will contact customers nearer the time, when we have more information.

Here is how the scheme currently works:

In addition to the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount (more on this below), the government has announced an additional discount on the rate per unit of energy.   

The Government Energy Price Guarantee is a discount on the unit rates of energy provided by the government to help with the high costs of bills. Like the Energy Bills Support Scheme, you don’t need to apply for the discount and you don’t need to pay it back, it will be applied automatically and you will receive it from October 2022.

This discount will be in place for two years. It will initially be 17p/kWh for electricity and 4.2p/kWh for gas, but may differ depending on your tariff. It will be reviewed every three months in line with Ofgem’s energy price cap.

We are contacting all our customers with details about how the discount will be applied to their tariff. In the meantime, you can read more about the Government Energy Price Guarantee here.

Energy Bills Support Scheme 

For all information please read our blog.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme is a government discount of £400 that households will receive off their energy bills. You don’t need to apply for the discount and you don’t need to pay it back. You will start to receive the discount from October 2022.

Your £400 discount will be spread across 6 months:

How you’ll receive your discount depends on how you pay for your energy. We’ll be in contact with customers soon with more information to confirm exactly how you’ll receive your discount.

• Fixed Direct Debit customers will have the discount deducted from their monthly Direct Debit.
• Variable Direct Debit, Pay on receipt of bill, or regular cash payment customers will have a credit added to their account in the first week of the month.
• Smart prepayment customers will have the money added directly to their meters within the first week of the month. You’ll be able to see this as a credit on your smart prepayment account.
• Traditional prepayment meter customers will receive their Energy Bills Support Scheme payment as a voucher within the first two weeks of the month. You will receive this by email if we have your email address, or post. Vouchers can only be redeemed at the Post Office, within three months of the date you receive them.

For more information about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, please read our blog or visit the governments dedicated support page

Alternative Fuel Payment

As announced by the chancellor during the autumn budget statement, a new scheme called the Alternative Fuel Payment is currently being designed. This will provide support to customers who do not use mains gas to heat their home and will consequently not be receiving an EPG discount through a gas bill. This support will be delivered to these customers via an additional payment made through their electricity bills. The precise details of the scheme are yet to be finalised, but we will keep our customers informed of any developments.

What to do if you’re worried about paying for your energy

If you’re struggling to afford your energy, it’s really important you seek help. Let us know by calling us or emailing hello@goodenergy.co.uk. We will do what we can to support you, for example by getting you set up on a monthly payment plan that you can afford.

There’s also lots of independent support available if you’re struggling with energy, including from Citizen’s Advice. They are the official source of free and independent energy advice. Visit their website or call them on 0808 223 1133

You can also contact National Energy Action if you’ve built up a debt with your energy bills. Call 0800 304 7159, Monday to Friday 10.00am-12.00 noon

Controlled power outages

Sometimes, there is a higher demand for electricity across the UK than supply. This can be more likely to happen during the winter when we tend to use more power at peak times of day.

To maintain the electricity network when there is a shortage, National Grid and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) can introduce controlled power outages. These events are rare, as other measures, such as instructing heavy industrial energy users to switch off or reduce, are implemented first.

However, if an energy shortage is particularly extreme, the government can approve the use of controlled power outages. This reduces national demand and will mean that any shortage of electricity does not lead to the entire national grid losing power.

What are ‘Rota Load Block Alpha Identifiers’?

To make controlled power outages as fair as possible, the country is split into 18 areas (or ‘blocks’), which can be temporarily ‘turned off’ for short periods. The affected areas will be rotated so that no single area in the UK is left without power for too long. These areas are assigned letters called ‘Rota Load Block Alpha Identifiers’.

What should I do during a controlled power outage?

An event such as this will be communicated across all media channels. If this happens, the best thing to do is to check the website powercut105.com, where the most up to date information will be available. This will include your identifier, whether you can expect an outage and if so when.

The website also tells you who your network operator is, which is also listed on your bill. Your network operator is responsible for ensuring electricity is delivered to your home — speak to them if you have a critical need for continuous electricity supply such as for medical requirement.

You can visit the website or call 105 if you experience a power cut at any time to be connected to your network operator.

Energy saving tips

• Turn off appliances: Electronic devices still use electricity when they are on standby can cost over £100 a year.
• Use a smart thermostat and put your heating on a timer
• Ensure your home is well insulated
• Switch to more energy efficient appliances is to swap your lightbulbs to LEDs, which use 85% less energy
• Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need
• Wash your clothes at 30 degrees

Read more about how to save energy.