Government lays out detail of energy support for businesses

The government has unveiled its new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will support non-domestic businesses for six months from October.

The government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers in the UK whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

The scheme will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial six-month period for all non-domestic energy users. The savings will be first seen in October bills.

Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “I understand the huge pressure businesses, charities and public sector organisations are facing with their energy bills, which is why we are taking immediate action to support them over the winter and protect jobs and livelihoods.

“As we are doing for consumers, our new scheme will keep their energy bills down from October, providing certainty and peace of mind.”

The government said it will be reviewing the operation of the scheme in three months to inform decisions on future support after March 2023.