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Alternative Fuel Payment - Not Eligible?

  • 15 February 2023
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D
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  • DMGM
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Finally got through to OVO support this morning - and (not entirely unexpectedly) have now been told my account is NOT flagged to receive the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment automatically … 
I know that there WILL eventually be a process to apply manually - although heaven knows how much longer that means we’ll be waiting to receive funds originally promised last October … but I’m at a loss to know why our account hasn’t been automatically flagged as eligible and wonder how many others are in the same boat.

We have lived at the same address for almost 30 years
Our supply was moved to OVO from SSE last summer - we had been with SSE for many years - therefore we clearly have a relationship with an energy provider.

There is no main gas to the village - this is confirmed by the inclusion of our postcode on the list of off-gas-postcodes compiled by X0serve 
(Link to Xoserver provided in this government document:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1130933/domestic-alternative-fuel-payment-scheme-suppliers-guidance.pdf
Download directly from here: 
https://www.xoserve.com/media/fadn4tnc/off-gas-live-postcodes- 2022.xlsx?term=Off-gas )

Our central heating runs on oil and like many others I have long-standing accounts with several large, local and national heating oil suppliers. Since this is the only form of central heating we have ever had in three decades at the property this WILL have been confirmed in the most recent census information.

Clearly I don’t fall into the houseboat or park-home dwelling, totally disconnected from the network category so I’m both puzzled and frustrated by now having to wait even longer for the support announced 5 months ago to help over winter - and jump through whatever hoops lay ahead in order to apply for this payment. I’m also worried that since I clearly DO NOT fall into any of the categories that would require me to apply manually, the system / form or whatever is eventually launched won’t be designed to fit those in the same position as us - since clearly we SHOULD have been picked up automatically … I guess that question will be answered when the application process opens at the end of the month 
https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/alternative-fuels

I do appreciate that if OVO haven’t been informed that we’re eligible there’s only so much they can do - but my question is WHY have we not been flagged as eligible and how many others are in the same position ? 

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Best answer by HMW 2 March 2023, 13:46

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41 replies

Emmanuelle_OVO
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Hey @DMGM,

 

Really sorry to hear this,

 

Unfortunately we don’t have any say in the eligibility process, this is dealt with by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). 

 

On the GOV website it says:

 

*You may be eligible for a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) if both the following are true:

  • your household is not connected to the mains gas grid
  • you use alternative fuels as your main form of heating

This is on top of the £400 from your electricity supplier.

You’re eligible for this payment if the main way you heat your home uses:

  • tank or bottled gas
  • liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
  • oil
  • wood
  • solid fuel*

 

As your home is heated by oil I would have also assumed you’d be deemed eligible. There will be a process to challenge this and we’ll update threads about this topic with the link once the BEIS have provided it. 

 

Hope this gets sorted for you as soon as possible. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
D
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Thanks - I hope so too 

K
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I think this one will run for a while and prove quite controversial.

A friend of mine in a neighbouring village in North Norfolk with no gas supply, is recorded as heating her home by electric storage heater supplimented by log burner, has already received her AFP credit through Bulb on the 13th.

I’m not suggesting that the supplier is the difference but the selection criteria and how it was recorded by ONS and reviewed by the BEIS to make these awards, seems to be less than consistent or prone to error.

I suspect there may be quite a few people having to take individual action when the manual claim process is made available towards the end of February. There are also some people who may have received the payment who didn’t meet the criteria which may also lead to perceptions of unfairness or certainly confusion…. 🤔

 

D
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I think this one will run for a while and prove quite controversial.

I suspect there may be quite a few people having to take individual action when the manual claim process is made available towards the end of February. There are also some people who may have received the payment who didn’t meet the criteria which may also lead to perceptions of unfairness or certainly confusion…. 🤔

 

Couldn’t agree more … in all honesty I’m at a loss to work out on what criteria we failed to qualify for the automatic payment … as far as I can tell we tick all of the boxes ! I guess time will tell what hoops we’ll be required to jump through at the end of the month if and when the manual application system is launched … I have several neighbours in the village who I know won’t even attempt to tackle online applications so I guess may very well miss out on what was touted as ‘automatic for most’ 

D
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I think this one will run for a while and prove quite controversial.

 

Couldn’t agree more … in all honesty I’m at a loss to work out on what criteria we failed to qualify for the automatic payment … as far as I can tell we tick all of the boxes ! 

Having already confirmed our postcode on the Xoserve list - I can now also confirm that ONS census data also confirms that only 4% of homes in our postcode are heated by mains gas (and heaven knows which they are ! the pipeline doesn’t enter the village!) … so again - baffled by how we’ve been deemed ineligible for the automatic payment !

D
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Discovered today that two neighbouring properties (not with Ovo) received their payment automatically - another neighbour, also not with Ovo but also not with the same supplier as the others, has not received the payment - this makes NO SENSE - if the automatic eligibility is by postcode and census since we are all in homes built at the same time, sharing a postcode and powered the same way - the Government website now has a link to apply for the payment …. but the link goes to Page Not Found !! 

D
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Applications now not opening until ‘early March’ https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/alternative-fuels !!!

 

Jeffus
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Applications now not opening until ‘early March’ https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/alternative-fuels !!!

 

Not surprised. The EBSS form took from October to today to setup…

Interesting the EBSS manual payments will take up to 6 weeks to get a response and actual payments may take longer.

 

You’ll be told about the progress of your application by email or letter. You should get a response within 6 weeks.

R
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We are in central Northumberland and no gas main within 20 miles in any direction. OVO confirm we are not entitled to the AFP.  It’s turning into a farce and as we all suspect we’ll be bounced from one to the other and get nowhere quickly.

Emmanuelle_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Hey @Ruby22,

 

Sorry to hear this, we get a list of meter point administration numbers from the Government, we don’t determine who gets deemed eligible.

 

 

Unfortunately we don’t have any say in the eligibility process, this is dealt with by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). 

 

 

There will be a process to challenge these decisions on the Gov website, I’ll update this thread as soon as it become available.

 

Hope this helps. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Jeffus
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Martin Lewis is collecting cases to talk to the government about if you want to add yours to the list

 

C
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Also flummoxed by whatever decision criteria has meant we haven’t automatically received the AFP payment. No gas locally, postcode on the XOserve list  and just been told I will have to apply manually - when OVO customer services get the forms.

😏

Jeffus
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Also flummoxed by whatever decision criteria has meant we haven’t automatically received the AFP payment. No gas locally, postcode on the XOserve list  and just been told I will have to apply manually - when OVO customer services get the forms.

😏

The government process certainly hasn't been perfect... 

The latest date for the manual process is  early March

https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/alternative-fuels

MPs where told the same form for manual EBSS payments would be used. If this is correct it will be via this form, but anything can change obviously. I suspect it will be a different form. 

https://www.gov.uk/apply-energy-bill-support-if-not-automatic

To set some expectation the manual process for the EBSS takes up to 6 weeks to get a reply, then 10 days for a payment. 

H
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Updated on 22/06/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO

Think you are eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payment but didn’t receive it? 

 

The scheme is closed now. We’ll update when further information arises for this winter.

 

You can still check out the GOV website here. If you cannot check online, call the helpline:

 

Telephone: 0808 175 3287
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

 

We are in central Northumberland and no gas main within 20 miles in any direction. OVO confirm we are not entitled to the AFP.  It’s turning into a farce and as we all suspect we’ll be bounced from one to the other and get nowhere quickly.

Are you sure OVO said you were not entitled to the AFP as they don’t make this decision?  It may be that, like me, your postcode was simply not on the government list and therefore we have to apply manually when the application process opens (early March - still waiting!)  See below from government website:

https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/alternative-fuels

If you use alternative fuels for heating

You may be eligible for a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) if both the following are true:

  • your household is not connected to the mains gas grid
  • you use alternative fuels as your main form of heating

This is on top of the £400 from your electricity supplier.

You’re eligible for this payment if the main way you heat your home uses:

  • tank or bottled gas
  • liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
  • oil
  • wood
  • solid fuel

Most homes that are eligible for this payment will get it automatically as a credit on their electricity bills from February 2023.

You may not get the payment automatically if your home is either:

  • in an area which is mainly connected to the gas grid
  • not connected to either the gas or the electricity grid

If you do not get this payment automatically

You may have to apply for this payment through the AFP Alternative Fund if you do not get it automatically - for example, because you do not have a contract with an electricity supplier.

Applications will open in early March.

Blastoise186
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Looks like the form is now open: https://online.apply-for-energy-bill-alternative-funds.service.gov.uk if you’re after EBSS Manual Applications.

For the other one (AFP manual applications) it’s listed at https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/alternative-fuels but we’ve not seen it open yet.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
Firedog
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… WHY have we not been flagged as eligible and how many others are in the same position ? 

You’ll see that there are several criteria for assessing eligibility. One that isn’t mentioned in so many words - and I’ve no idea whether it is - is the property’s Energy Performance Certificate. Please have a look at yours: Find an energy certificate - GOV.UK

My house is off the gas grid and F-rated, but the main heating source is shown as Electric storage. I guess that this leads to the assumption that my heating already benefits from the Energy Price Guarantee by virtue of using cut-price (!) electricity. 

I’ll point out that I stopped using electric heating a long time ago because of the cost and I now use (increasingly expensive) firewood exclusively. We’ll see what comes out of an appeal once applications open later this month.

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
D
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… WHY have we not been flagged as eligible and how many others are in the same position ? 

You’ll see that there are several criteria for assessing eligibility. One that isn’t mentioned in so many words - and I’ve no idea whether it is - is the property’s Energy Performance Certificate. Please have a look at yours: Find an energy certificate - GOV.UK

 

Martin Lewis is collecting cases to talk to the government about if you want to add yours to the list

We are in central Northumberland and no gas main within 20 miles in any direction. OVO confirm we are not entitled to the AFP.  It’s turning into a farce and as we all suspect we’ll be bounced from one to the other and get nowhere quickly.

 

 

We’ve been in the same property for 30 years - there is no EPC - several neighbours have been here for many years as well - Eon have paid, EDF and OVO haven't … same postcode, same heating, same length of time residing in the property … online form still not available to apply manually - I’m checking regularly ! … don’t have Twitter - is there another way to contact Martin Lewis ?

G
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OVO have confirmed that we are eligible for the £200 AFP, as we are an ‘off grid’ household, using domestic heating oil. We have a direct debit with OVO and all information suggested it would be paid by the 28th February 2023, it’s now the 6th March and no payment has been received from OVO … why the delay, some answers would be appreciated!

 

 

Jeffus
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OVO have confirmed that we are eligible for the £200 AFP, as we are an ‘off grid’ household, using domestic heating oil. We have a direct debit with OVO and all information suggested it would be paid by the 28th February 2023, it’s now the 6th March and no payment has been received from OVO … why the delay, some answers would be appreciated!

 

 

Hi @Gdbliss did you get an email from OVO saying they were going to pay the £200 directly? 

G
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@Jeffus … no, so I contacted OVO customer services, who confirmed we were eligible

Jeffus
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@Jeffus … no, so I contacted OVO customer services, who confirmed we were eligible

Unfortunately this forum is basically customers helping each other out, no one here can check your account. 

Ultimately you will have to contact OVO

https://help.ovoenergy.com/#contact_us_container

https://www.facebook.com/ovoenergy

 

It could be that although you are eligible, you will have to actually apply via the government form

https://www.gov.uk/apply-alternative-fuel-bill-support-if-not-automatic

I would contact OVO again to double check if they are going to pay. If not then apply via the government form. 

 

 

Jeffus
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https://www.gov.uk/apply-alternative-fuel-bill-support-if-not-automatic

@DMGM 

G
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@Jesse … thanks for the info, I understand this is a forum for OVO customers, so the wording of my initial post was probably incorrect and should have asked if others had received the payment already and/or if other OVO customers were still waiting, like us!

D
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https://www.gov.uk/apply-alternative-fuel-bill-support-if-not-automatic

@DMGM

Thanks Jeffus - I really appreciate you taking the time to forward this link - our application has now been submitted (fairly painless once I’d located and photographed a recent oil invoice to prove I’d spent money on alternative fuel this winter) - apparently, if approved, the payment will be made by our local authority now rather than electricity supplier … but it might take 6 weeks - fingers crossed it’s somewhat quicker than that - I’ll need to order more oil before then ! Thanks again for the link.

 

Jeffus
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@Jesse … thanks for the info, I understand this is a forum for OVO customers, so the wording of my initial post was probably incorrect and should have asked if others had received the payment already and/or if other OVO customers were still waiting, like us!

No worries @Gdbliss 

In case it helps

We have seen other posters have received the payment in their bank account. 

I think from memory the only ones we have seen who haven't had the payment are ones that didn't get the email from OVO. 

This is what OVO have previously said about the payments

All Alternative Fuel Payment Direct Debit refunds are due to be bulk triggered on 13-14th February for OVO and 14th-15th February for SSE. They should then take about 3 working days to land in the respective bank accounts. 

Obviously i don't know but I fear the OVO person you chatted to could possibly have been confused. The government form for manual applications was launched in the last few hours, but i would double check with OVO before using it.

Let us know how you get on chatting to OVO in case it helps other customers. 

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