Households in Northern Ireland will receive a payment totaling £600 to help with energy bills, starting from January 2023.

All Clanmil customers are entitled to this money to cover your energy bills, whether you heat your home with gas or electricity.

If you pay for your electricity by direct debit, you will get the money paid directly into your bank account between 16th January 2023 and 28th February 2023. If you don’t receive the payment, please wait until after 28 February before you contact your electricity supplier.

If you don’t have a direct debit arrangement, you will receive a voucher for £600 from your electricity supplier.

If you are a customer with a standard credit (bill pay) electric account, your voucher will be in the form of a letter containing a barcode, addressed to the named account holder. If you receive a voucher with the incorrect name, you should contact your supplier who will cancel the incorrect voucher and re-issue a new voucher in the correct name.

If you are a customer with a prepay (keypad) electric meter, your voucher will be in the form of a letter containing a barcode, addressed to ‘The Occupier’. You do not need to get it updated to the named account holder.

If your landlord (Clanmil) is the named account holder, but you top up the keypad meter yourself, then you are the intended recipient. The payment is to support energy costs for the household.

Redeeming your voucher

You can only redeem your voucher at a Post Office. They can either deposit the money into your bank or credit union account which is the preferred option as it is the most secure, or they can provide you with the payment in cash. It is worth noting that if you receive the payment in cash and it is then stolen or lost, the payment cannot be repeated.

The items that you need to bring with you to the Post Office to receive your money are:

1. The letter containing the voucher.
2. Proof of address showing you lived in the property between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2023.
3. Your bank card and / or account details (if you are requesting payment into an account)
4. Photo ID – only required if you are redeeming your voucher for cash.
5. Keypad customers must also provide their keypad app or top up card.

Nominating someone on your behalf

If you can’t collect the payment yourself, you can nominate someone on your behalf. Details of how to do this will be included in the letter from your supplier, with a template on the back of the voucher to provide written authorisation for the person you have nominated to redeem your payment. To be able to redeem the payment on your behalf at the Post Office, the nominated person must take:

1. The voucher with completed authorisation.
2. Your photo ID and proof of address.
3. Their photo ID.
4. Your bank account details if the payment is being made into your account.
5. If you are a keypad customer, they must show your keypad app or top up card.

Beware of scams!

• If you get a text, email or phone call about the payments, don’t click on any links or call a number – it’s highly likely to be a scam.
• You will not be asked for your bank details at any point.

You must redeem the voucher by 31 March 2023.

Find out more

If you are a Clanmil customer you can get free, confidential advice from our Money Advice Team by phoning 028 9087 4047 or you can send an email to moneyadvice@clanmil.org.uk

For more information about the payment, visit the NI Direct website at NI Direct: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/help-domestic-energy-costs