EDF has today announced measures to help vulnerable customers cope with the ongoing energy crisis through a £40 million winter support package.

The energy supplier’s focus is on reducing standing charges for those hardest hit.

Daily standing charges for electricity have surged by 107% since April 2021, with an 8.2% increase in gas charges for direct debit customers.

This crisis has pushed many EDF residential customers into unsecured debt, with a 36% increase this year.

EDF’s partner, IncomeMax, has also seen a 44% surge in requests for government financial support from in-work households referred by the supplier.

To provide relief, EDF is allocating over £15 million to support those in need.

About £7.5 million will reduce standing charges to pre-crisis levels (April 2021) for at least 260,000 Warm Home Discount Core Groups 1 and 2 customers.

This reduction, active for the first quarter of 2024, lowers daily charges to an average of 56p from 87p, covering January to March.

Philippe Commaret, Managing Director for Customers at EDF, said: “Hard pressed households that cut back on their energy use to save money shouldn’t face their hard work being undone by these higher and regressive daily charges.

“The current system means those with smaller homes, who use less power, pay proportionately more. That is not right. And that’s why we’ve decided to roll back standing charges for at least 260,000 customers to their pre-crisis levels this winter.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/09/29/edfs-40m-winter-support-slashes-standing-charges/