A new Government scheme will see energy prices for non-domestic energy customers, including businesses, cut to protect them from rising energy costs.

Through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme the Government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices. The support is equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

Businesses do not need to take any action or to apply to the scheme to access the support - it will be automatically applied to bills.

It will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022 as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. Running for an initial six months, the scheme will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.

For businesses which are not connected to either the gas or electricity grid, equivalent support will also be provided for customers who use heating oil or alternative fuels. Further details on this is yet to be announced.