Supply Suspension Scheme

Customers can sign-up at any time during the Scheme.  If you sign up after the start date, your application will still be processed but the reliefs offered by the Scheme cannot be back-dated to 1st May.  Under the applicable rules, customers can only avail of the Scheme from the date the relevant networks company includes them in the Scheme.

Customers participating in the Scheme will continue to receive monthly bills from Energia   The Scheme provides customers with temporary reliefs from energy and network charges, but several other charges will remain on your bill, including PSO and standing charges.

Customers should continue to pay their bills as they fall due and if you are experiencing difficulties, please contact our Commercial Credit Control team for assistance [email protected].
 

The CRU has set an expected duration for this Scheme of 3-months (from 1^st May) but they are to keep this under review and will adapt it to prevailing circumstances. 

At the end of the Scheme, customers will again be billed for all applicable energy and network charges on a monthly basis, including for any energy used during the Scheme that was not billed (e.g. where a customer submitted meter read).  Where meter reads have not been submitted by the customer during the Scheme, this will include any residual consumption at the site(s).     

The COVID-19 Supply Suspension Scheme is part of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities’ (CRU) response to the unique and extraordinary circumstances presented by COVID-19.  The objective of this response is to support Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to manage the costs associated with their energy connection when temporarily closed as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.  For eligible customer who avail of the Scheme, no energy or network charges will be billed for their business premises supply point for the duration of the Scheme.

The eligibility criteria for the Scheme have been set by the CRU.  Any business customer that meets all the following criteria is eligible to apply for a COVID-19 Supply Suspension Scheme:

• the customer is not an essential service provider, as defined by the Government in the context of COVID-19
• the customer was trading before the 13th March 2020
• the customer’s premises have been closed as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions and will remain closed for a continuous period from 28th March 2020 and the date the relevant COVID-19 restrictions are lifted
• the customer is in one of the following categories: Electricity: DG5 or DG6, Gas: NDM I&C (Non-Daily Metered Industrial & Commercial)

The CRU Decision Paper setting out all of the requirements of the Scheme is available here

Yes, customers who are no longer eligible for the Scheme or who no longer want to participate in the Scheme are required to complete a Scheme Opt-Out Application Form; the Form is available here.
Customers who opt-out of the Scheme, will do so from the date their application is processed by ESBN &/or GNI.  This will be automatically reflected in your next monthly bill.  For all other customers, participation will automatically cease after the relevant duration of the Scheme has elapsed; i.e. 3-months from 1^st May.   
 

The scheme will be available for 3 calendar months from 1 May to 31 July inclusive.

This will be kept under review and will be adjusted to adapt to changes in the prevailing circumstances.  If there are any changes in the duration of the Scheme announced by the CRU, we will notify you by email.

The Scheme commences on 1st May and is expected to be in place for 3-months (May, June and July).  It is intended that applications that are received today will be provided to the network companies for processing and inclusion in the scheme tomorrow.
 

Due to restrictions in the market systems, customers participating in the Scheme cannot switch supplier during the Scheme or do so until a verified meter reading for the site has been obtained. 

The CRU has set several requirements for participation in this Scheme, including a declaration of eligibility and customers’ consent.  Alongside these requirements are some Terms and Conditions associated with participation in the Scheme.

A copy of the relevant Terms and Conditions are available here.

Participation in this Scheme will have no bearing on your credit rating.  However, it is important that you continue to pay your monthly bill and if you require assistance with managing this at the present time, please contact our Commercial Credit Control team: [email protected].  We understand the demands COVID-19 is placing on your business and we are here to assist you with finding workable solutions.

Participation in the Scheme does not affect your Supply Contract, and this will remain in force for the duration of the Scheme.

All the information you will need to make an application is on your Energia bill. If you need any assistance in understanding your bill, please refer to our online guides:

Understanding My Electricity Bill

Understanding My Gas Bill
 

Having provided your application to the relevant network company, Energia will be notified daily of the customers that have been included in the Scheme.  Once we are notified of your inclusion, we will let you know by email.
 

Given the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, your bills for April will most likely have been based on an ESBN or GNI estimate of your consumption, as opposed to an actual meter reading.
To avoid the problems with this approach during these extraordinary times, businesses will have no energy or network charges billed for their business premises supply point from the date they are included in the Scheme and for such time as the Scheme remains in place.

Yes, the eligibility requirements for the Scheme do not require you to have zero consumption.  To account for any residual consumption and to avoid a cumulative bill for this consumption at the end of the Scheme, we encourage customers to submit a monthly meter read.  If you submit a meter read during the Scheme, the energy charges in your monthly bill will reflect the low level of consumption recorded.

Yes, this Scheme only commences on 1^st May. 

We understand the demands COVID-19 is placing on your business and we are here to assist you with finding a solution.  If you are experiencing difficulties, please contact our Commercial Credit Control team for assistance [email protected].

It is necessary that the relevant electricity and/or gas account holder applies to participate in the Scheme.

To assist you with understanding your bills during the time you are registered for the COVID-19 Supply Suspension Scheme, it is important to note the following features of the Scheme.

1. Customers can only receive the benefit of the Scheme from the date they are included in in the Scheme by ESBN/GNI.  This is a requirement set by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.  

What does this mean: If you were included in the Scheme in mid-May, you will only receive the benefits of the Scheme from that date (i.e zero consumption) but the first part of the month will include an ESBN/GNI estimate of your consumption over those days.  

2. The network companies (ESBN/GNI) have resumed meter reading and customers remain liable for all recorded consumption at the site.  It is a requirement of the Scheme, as set by the CRU, that businesses remain closed for the duration of the relevant public health advice. 

What does this mean: If an actual meter reading records consumption at your site during the Scheme, this will be included and charged in your bill.  If there is significant consumption at the site, you should review your eligibility for the Scheme.   

3. The Scheme provides customers with relief from network standing charges and, where appropriate, capacity charges.  As customers’ start and end dates for the Scheme will differ, Energia will apply a one-off credit to customers’ bills in the month immediately after the Scheme ends or the customer leaves the Scheme whichever is sooner.

What does this mean: You will continue to be charged a standing charge and capacity charge (if applicable) on your bill.  The standing charge on your bill incorporates a number of charges not included in the Scheme, as well as the network standing charge.  At the end of your participation in the Scheme, a full reconciliation of the eligible reliefs – network standing charges and capacity charges (if applicable) – will be undertaken and a credit covering the full duration of your participation in the Scheme will be applied to your bill.     
We understand this continues to be a difficult time for you and your business, and our Commercial Credit Control team – [email protected] – remains available to assist you with payment difficulties you may be experiencing.
 

Where possible, you should supply a current meter read as part of your application for the Scheme.

While your business is closed, the site may still be using small amounts of electricity and/or gas for purposes including; security, lighting, refrigeration and/or heating.  To avoid being billed for this consumption at the end of the Scheme, monthly meter reads will assist with managing the costs associated with this low level of consumption.  If you submit a meter read during the Scheme, the energy charges in your monthly bill will reflect the low level of consumption recorded.

You are not required to submit a meter reading as part of your application.

A meter reading is requested so that an up to date record of your consumption can be logged before the reliefs of the Scheme are applied.  This is particularly useful at the end of the Scheme when your business is reopening.

While this Scheme is part of the CRU’s response to COVID-19, it was primarily designed to address an issue with energy and network costs being estimated by the network companies at a time when meter reading activity is suspended and many businesses are closed.  This matter only arises for certain sites and therefore the following are only eligible for the scheme: DG5 and DG6 electricity sites and NDM I&C (Non-Daily Metered Industrial & Commercial) gas sites.