ESA + SDP

tcellmutation
tcellmutation Online Community Member Posts: 259 Empowering
in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Received a letter today saying my ESA is going from £198.60 to £204.75 per week. That’s an extra £319.80 per year. That’s quite a bit increase!

Comments

  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    It will obviously help but is still only a 3% increase when inflation is running at close to 6% so sadly it is unlikely to enhance your lifestyle.
  • tcellmutation
    tcellmutation Online Community Member Posts: 259 Empowering
    edited February 2022
    My PIP has gone from £608.60 to £638.40. That’s an extra £247 per year. Landlord increased rent by £100 per month so applied for DHP and got an extra £125 per month for the next 6 months. In August last year I managed to secure a fixed rate electricity (all electric at my place) tariff until Aug 31st 2023! Just before the prices went crazy! Time to save!
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    tcellmutation said: In August last year I managed to secure a fixed rate electricity (all electric at my place) tariff until Aug 31st 2023! Just before the prices went crazy! Time to save!
    That was fortunate timing for you.
  • tcellmutation
    tcellmutation Online Community Member Posts: 259 Empowering
    calcotti said:
    tcellmutation said: In August last year I managed to secure a fixed rate electricity (all electric at my place) tariff until Aug 31st 2023! Just before the prices went crazy! Time to save!
    That was fortunate timing for you.
    I almost went for a different deal that was offering a free Alexa device. That would have put me in a very different place financially 
  • tcellmutation
    tcellmutation Online Community Member Posts: 259 Empowering
    Down side is I’ve ordered an electric car but can’t get a home charger installed so I’ll be at the mercy of public chargers at crazy rates
  • tcellmutation
    tcellmutation Online Community Member Posts: 259 Empowering
    edited February 2022
    woodbine said:
    Three bits of good news, £200 credit on your electric bill in Oct 2022, although its not a grant and will be repaid later when hopefully prices come down, also £40 a year off gas for five years, and a £150 grant for everyone in bands A-D for council tax.
    Add all that to the 3.1% benefits uplift and the news could be worse.
    Just got £140 Warm Home Discount from Shell applied to my account.

    My app hasn’t been working recently so I’ve not been able to check my usage. They gave me £20 in compensation. Booked for my smart meter display to be replaced but the engineer canceled so they gave me another £30.

    Cheeky tho as when shell credit your account with any discount, in order for your bills to come off of the credit you have, you have to stop your direct debit which then stops the daily standing charge discount. So now I’ve canceled the direct debit in order to use the credit on my account and my daily standing charge has gone from £0.28p per day to £0.43p per day.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    edited February 2022
    woodbine said:
    Three bits of good news, £200 credit on your electric bill in Oct 2022, although its not a grant and will be repaid later when hopefully prices come down, also £40 a year off gas for five years, and a £150 grant for everyone in bands A-D for council tax.
    The £150 rebate on Council Tax is very poorly targeted. There are many who will not need this and the same amount of money better targeted could provide more help to those most in need.

    I think you have misunderstood the energy bills. My understanding is a £200 credit will be applied to electric bills in Autumn 2022 but customers will then have to pay this back at £40/annum for five years from 2023. (The £200 is therefore an imposed loan. Ironically my cash flow will be worse off as a result because I am on a fixed tariff until 2023 so will get hit by having to repay £40/annum just at the time I can expect a massive hike in my energy bills!)

    Am not aware of any credits for gas bills.
    Millions to receive £350 boost to help with rising energy costs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
  • MarkM88
    MarkM88 Online Community Member Posts: 3,119 Connected
    I wonder how the £200 will be handled in regards to pre-payment as I know a fair few people that still pay this way. Will they just directly add it to their balance on the meter? 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    MarkM88 said:
    I wonder how the £200 will be handled in regards to pre-payment as I know a fair few people that still pay this way. Will they just directly add it to their balance on the meter? 
    Millions to receive £350 boost to help with rising energy costs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
    The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will consult on how best to deliver the energy rebate, for example how to ensure that domestic customers on different payment methods and supplier contracts benefit.
    I note that there's also reference to existing proposals expanding eligibility for Warm Home Discount but I can't see any details on that.

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