The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding for Northern Ireland (EBSS AF NI) will provide a £600 support payment to those households in Fermanagh who do not have a direct relationship to a domestic energy supplier and who therefore have not been able to receive a support payment directly via their electricity supplier including partially or wholly self-funded care home residents who meet the eligibility criteria.

Millcroft and Millverne care homes have been identified as being eligible for the EBSS AF NI pilot phase.

The EBSS AF pilot is being used to test digital systems and the end-to-end user journey of the application process. As Millcroft and Millverne are located in BT74, residents of these care homes are able to apply for their £600 support now if they are eligible. The scheme opened to all eligible households across Northern Ireland by the end of February.

Applications can be made online via the GOV.UK webpage, where eligible residents will need to complete a short application form. This page can be found by searching “Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically in Northern Ireland” into the search bar on GOV.UK or in an internet search engine.

We will not be providing a link to this webpage in any of our communications to limit the risk of fraud, where a fraudulent link could be inserted instead. The government will never contact individuals directly to ask for personal details. However, in some cases, the local authority will contact applicants to request more information.

For those without online access, the contact centre helpline can be reached on 08081753894 where a representative will guide them through the application process.

For those who are unable to complete an application themselves, they can receive support from trusted family members, friends, or carers if needed. If completing an application via the contact centre helpline, applicants can provide verbal consent or provide proof of Power of Attorney or a Court Protection Order, to allow a trusted individual to apply on their behalf.

Once applications have been processed, personal details will be shared with our contracted delivery partner who will verify the application. Eligible households will then receive their £600 support from the government into their bank account in a single, non-repayable, instalment. The exact date that an eligible household will receive support will depend on when the application is made and when the payment can be processed by our contracted delivery partner.

Any queries regarding the application process, please contact the contact centre helpline on 08081753894.

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