Overview
- In the Autumn Budget the chancellor announced a one-off £100 Household Energy Payment for homes in council tax bands A–D that will cover about 20 million households and cost roughly £2.5–2.6 billion, with payments due from January.
- Independent analysis with the Resolution Foundation shows the band-based scheme will send about £350 million to the top 20% of households while roughly 700,000 people in the poorest fifth will miss out, even though government estimates say the measure will reach 88% of low-income households.
- The Energy Independence Bill introduced in Parliament would let ministers and suppliers access datasets such as HMRC income and child benefit records, DWP benefits and pensions, NHS data, smart-meter usage and property efficiency ratings to design more precise support schemes.
- The bill also proposes a hydrogen power levy and its impact assessments warn that if future help is funded through bills the costs would fall mainly on those most able to pay and could push some household bills higher, prompting privacy and fairness objections from campaigners and opposition MPs.
- With forecasts of large energy price-cap rises in January and high household arrears, ministers argue quick payment is necessary now while officials say any alternative, data-driven scheme cannot realistically be ready before winter 2028–29.