While those living in conventional homes with standard electricity meters are set to receive their second monthly payment of £66, concern is growing among some of the many hundreds of thousands of households who receive their electricity through a shared supply that they will see nothing of the money has been promised to them. The government told campaigners that an announcement on how they would be paid would be made within “weeks, not months”. The energy bill support scheme, announced by then-chancellor Rishi Sunak in February, provides a £400 rebate to households through reduced household electricity bills spread over six months between October 2022 and March 2023. While payments are arriving for those who live in standard homes and pay for their energy with direct debt, the system has had problems getting the money to other groups. Last week it emerged that people with pre-paid meters were struggling to use vouchers to get their help, while those whose homes rely on shared electricity and local sub-meters – a private cable supply, as it’s called – are still in the dark. about how they will be helped. The problem mainly affects those who live in recent housing with a communal electricity supply. These tenants are usually billed by their landlord or management company according to the amount recorded by a sub-meter. It’s a similar story in most of the 180,000 or so homes in the UK, and many large houses converted into sunbeds. The Guardian was contacted this week by the owner of one of the 63 flats at the Horizon View complex in Westward Ho! in Devon. Sue Ellis said: “While most of the flats are holiday lets and are not entitled to payments, there is a core group of older people, many with serious underlying health problems, who live here full time but are not getting the £400 they have all been promised. “I understand that this is because while each apartment has its own gas meter, all electricity is supplied centrally by one company. Concerned for my elderly neighbours, I asked our local MP about it, but heard nothing more than an admission.’ Stephen Knight, director of the Heat Trust, the national consumer protection scheme for heat networks, says he has discussed the issue with ministers and has been told a resolution is weeks away. “Traditionally there was a good reason why some buildings had a central electricity supplier. They usually had solar panels or other productive capacity, allowing residents to share in the benefits. Ministers have promised to look into this matter, but so far no details have emerged on how this team will be paid.” A government spokesman said: “We know this is a difficult time for people across the country, including those on shared electricity, so they will get help with their energy bills through the Energy Bill Relief programme. We have recently passed legislation which means that private network suppliers must pass on the savings they receive through the system to residents. “In addition, those using shared electricity will also receive £400 in support through a scheme set up for those without a home electricity meter which we will be announcing shortly.”
