ONE million Shell Energy customers are to receive a £400 discount off their energy bills from October.
Shell Energy will pay its customers the discount in six instalments to help with rising costs this winter.
Shell Energy has said that customers that pay their energy bills by direct debit will receive the rebate as an automatic discount off their bills.
The news comes just under a week after the new Prime Minister announced a price freeze on the cost of gas and electricity for the next two years.
The new Energy Price Guarantee means a typical family will not pay more than £2,500 a year on bills.
However the cap only limits the amount firms can charge customers, households could still pay more than this amount depending on their energy usage.
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The price freeze includes the £400 energy rebate that Shell Energy customers will receive between October and March 2023.
Customers will get a discount worth £66 in October and November.
A £67 discount will then be provided every month between December and March 2023.
Customers that pay their energy bills by direct debit will receive the rebate as an automatic discount off their bills.
British Gas, Bulb, EDF Energy, E.ON, E.ON Next, Scottish Power, Octopus Energy, Ovo Energy, Utilita and Utility Warehouse have also now confirmed how they’ll pay their customers.
We explain how Shell Energy customers will receive the energy bill support depending on their payment method.
If you pay by monthly direct debit. you’ll automatically receive the discount as a reduction to your monthly payment.
For example, if your monthly Direct Debit amount is £200, we’ll deduct £66 in October and November, then £67 from December to March.
This leaves you £134 to pay for the first two months, then £133 for the remaining four months.
If your monthly Direct Debit is collected three working days after the discount is applied, you’ll see £66/67 deducted from your payment.
If your monthly Direct Debit amount is collected more than three working days before the discount is applied, you’ll see £66/67 deducted from your payment the following month.
If you pay by variable Direct Debit, or when you receive your bill, the discount will be applied to your energy account each month.
The discount will appear on the bill as an extra payment, so you’ll owe £66/67 less than you normally would.
If you’re billed before the energy discount is applied, the discount will be added to your next bill.
If you’re on a smart prepayment meter with dual fuel, each monthly payment will be split 50/50 across your electricity and gas meters.
You’ll receive the payment on your smart meter in the first five working days of each month.
In the event that your smart meter has stopped communicating with Shell Energy, they may send you a code by email or SMS. You can then enter this code to top up your meter.
Alternatively, Shell Energy will send you a voucher each month through the post. You can then redeem this at any PayPoint outlet.
If you’re on a traditional prepayment meter, you’ll receive a voucher by post, which you can redeem at any PayPoint, Payzone, or Post Office branch.
If you prefer, you can ask the shop assistant to split the discount between your electricity and gas meters.
Vouchers will be issued within 11 working days from the start of each month. Each voucher is valid for three months, with a final expiry date of 30 June 2023.
From October the first, all households will start to receive a £400 energy bill discount.
The payment will be dished out by your energy supplier and will be split across six discounts between October and March next year.
Households will receive a £66 energy bill discount in October and November and a discount worth £67 in December, January, February and March.
In November, a £300 one-off “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” will be paid out to eight million households.
It will be given to those who already get the winter fuel payment – which is worth between £100 and £300 for those over state pension age.
Millions of households are in line to get the £150 Warm Home Discount between December and March 2023.
There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.
British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
The British Gas Energy Trust has previously paid struggling households up to £1,500 – and you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for this help.
Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:
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If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
