The government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) for businesses will end today, 31st March.

However, a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) will run from April 2023 to April 2024 for eligible non-domestic consumers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The previous scheme, which supported businesses and public sector organisations with discounted wholesale gas and electricity prices, was announced in September last year.

Eligible non-domestic customers that have been facing significantly inflated gas and electricity prices due to global price pressures have been benefiting from the scheme since 1st October 2022.

According to data from consultancy Cornwall Insight, businesses that locked in fixed energy contracts during the peak of last year’s energy market may face a significant increase in their bills.

The forecast indicates that these businesses could experience a surge of up to 133% in their bills starting from April.