Landlords with communal heating systems are required to register for the government’s Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) by 25^th July to cut bills for their residents.  Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to £5,000.

The discounts that these Landlords will receive have to be passed-on to residents, so there is little incentive for landlords to act, and it was reported recently that few had so far done so.

However, the saving for residents could be very substantial and help those facing unaffordable costs in the face of recent energy price rises.  Heat networks customers have often faced much bigger price rises during the energy crisis than domestic gas customers who have been protected by the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) subsidies.

Stephen Knight, Director of Heat Trust, the consumer champion for heat networks, said: “Many heat network customers we hear from are currently facing massive costs for heat and desperately need the discount that EBDS scheme will provide.  However, until their landlord or heat supplier applies for, gets and passes on the discount, they are left unaided and often unable to afford hot water or heat.

“We also urge landlords and other heat suppliers to pass on the benefit of this discount as soon as possible as it will apply to energy used from 1^st April 2023, so landlords can apply it to residents’ accounts straight away.”

NOTE: Link to EBDS application portal here