Government Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme
The Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme II was announced in Budget 2023. Domestic electricity customers will get €600 credit to help reduce electricity bills.
The Government approved the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme II, paving the way for three payments of €183.49 (excl. VAT) to be credited to all domestic electricity accounts. This is in recognition of pressures on households due to the exceptional rise in energy prices. Three payments of the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment will be made, in the November/December 2022, January/February and March/April 2023 billing cycles.
How do I sign up?
There is no need to sign up, the scheme will be automatic and apply to all domestic electricity accounts.
Customers do not need to contact their suppliers. For credit pay (billpay) customers, the credit will be applied automatically to your account and will appear on your bill. For Prepay customers, suppliers will send a direct notification (either a letter or an email) to explain how you can redeem the credit.
The credit is applied to your bill as €183.49 with a VAT rate of 9%. This equates to a benefit of €200 after VAT.
(Credit applied before VAT, as it should appear on bills, equates to €200 after VAT)
Example of credit being added to a bill
Bill Before Credit | Bill After Credit | Difference |
---|---|---|
Standing Charge € 28.00 | Standing Charge € 28.00 | |
PSO €13 | PSO €13 | |
Usage €200 | Usage €200 | |
Government Electricity Credit -€ 183.49 | ||
Total €241.00 | Total €57.51 | |
VAT @ 9% €21.69 | VAT @ 9% € 5.17 | |
Total Billable Amount €262.69 | Total Billable Amount €62.69 | €200 benefit |