Northern Irish households are set to receive a single government payment of £600 from January to help with paying their energy bills.

Direct debit customers of energy suppliers will receive the payment straight into their bank account, the government has stated.

For the remaining 500,000 households that pay either with a prepayment meter or quarterly will be sent vouchers to redeem the cash.

How the energy payments would be given to Northern Ireland was a sticking point for a while, with the rest of the UK receiving their payments of £400 from October.

The reason Northern Irish homes are receiving £600 is a combination of two payments, the original £400 and an extra £200 due to the high number of families that still use oil to heat their buildings.

Northern Ireland has a different energy market to the rest of the UK, with separate rules and regulations – which is why there has been a long delay in working out how payments would be made.

The UK government will deliver the payment in the absence of Stormont, the Northern Irish Parliament.

Chris Heaton-Harris, Northern Ireland Secretary said he welcomed the move but “would have liked to have seen Northern Ireland parties deliver this, as part of a restored executive.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2022/12/22/ni-homes-to-receive-600-to-help-pay-energy-bills/