THOUSANDS of renewable energy customers will be compensated after being overcharged due to billing errors.
The refund will be good news for customers as more and more people try to cut costs amid the cost of living crisis.
Energy regulator Ofgem today said two renewable energy companies overcharged their feed-in tariff (FIT) generators.
These customers are part of the government’s FIT scheme which encourages the use of renewable energy.
FIT customers get money after selling back energy that they generate.
But customers of Good Energy and F&S Energy have been overcharged with unauthorised payments and received less in FIT payments than they were entitled to.
Good Energy has agreed to refund more than £453,000 to all of its feed-in tariff generators that have been charged this unauthorised administration fee.
These customers will also receive a goodwill payment totalling £200,000.
Each customer can expect to receive £25 back per installation for each charge applied, plus VAT, a 3,3% uplift to the refund and a goodwill payment.
While F&S Energy FIT has agreed to pay £94,040 to all FIT generators plus a £50,000 goodwill payment charge.
These customers can expect either £20 or £100 per installation for each quarterly charge applied, £55 or £100 for each biennial meter verification charge, plus VTA and a good will payment gesture.
The Sun has asked Ofgem for the minimum and maximum amount each F&S customer will get, and we’ll update this article once we know more.
All customers should be completely refunded by the end of November.
Customers will be refunded automatically into the bank account associated with their account – so make sure everything is up to date.
The compensation includes households who use sustainable energy resources such as solar panels, as well as farmers who may have wind turbines.
How to get help with energy bills
If you’re looking for help with your energy bills, there are a few options, depending on your circumstances.
Save up to £700 a year on energy – If you’re aiming to be a bit greener, hard-up homes are being offered money off their energy bills.
Homes with poor insulation and out-dated heating systems will be in line for upgrades that can help bring the cost of their energy bills down by between £400 and £700 a year.
But only the worst performing low-income homes, ranging from Energy Performance Certificate Bands D to G, will be eligible for the new upgrades.
The cash boost forms part of the Government’s “Help to Heat” funding which helps struggling households improve their home’s energy efficiency and subsequently slash their heating bills by £700 a year.
Households will be able to have their homes retrofitted with wall and loft insulation, double glazing, heat pumps and solar panels under the scheme.
Get paid to upgrade your boiler – the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a £450million fund that offers grants to homeowners in England and Wales to purchase heat pumps.
You can apply for £5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump or biomass boiler.
Homeowners can also get £6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump.
In total the scheme is expected to pay for 90,000 installations and will run until the end of March 2025.
Get paid to turn your heating off – households will be offered up to £100 by their energy supplier if they cut their use at peak times.
Those taking part will be able to earn money for switching off their appliances during the night amid blackout warnings.
It is hoped that by paying people to charge their electric cars at off-peak times and firing up backup coal plants it can offset the risk of outages.
Only customers with smart meters will be able to take part.
