The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2024

Statutory Instruments

2024 No. 442

ENERGY

The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2024

Made

26th March 2024

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(1)

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 9(1) and (2) and 11(1) and (2) of, and paragraph 4 of Schedule 1 and paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to, the Energy Prices Act 2022(1).

In accordance with sections 9(6), 11(6) and 26(4) of that Act, a draft of these Regulations was laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and come into force on the day after the day on which they are made.

(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Amendment of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme Regulations 2023

2.  In the Energy Bills Discount Scheme Regulations 2023(2), in regulation 17 (qualifying heat suppliers: applications for certificates)—

(a) in paragraph (4), after “must” insert “, on or before the application end date,”;

(b) after paragraph (9), insert—

“(10) For the purposes of paragraph (4), “application end date” means a day specified in Chapter 3 rules as the last day on which a qualifying heat supplier may apply for a QHS certificate.”.

Amendment of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023

3.  In the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023(3), in regulation 17 (qualifying heat suppliers: applications for certificates)—

(a) in paragraph 4, after “must” insert “, on or before the application end date,”;

(b) after paragraph (9), insert—

“(10) For the purposes of paragraph (4), “application end date” means a day specified in Chapter 3 rules as the last day on which a qualifying heat supplier may apply for a QHS certificate.”.

Amanda Solloway

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

26th March 2024

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Energy Bills Discount Scheme Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/453) (the “EBDS Regulations”) and the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/454) (“the EBDS NI Regulations”).

Regulation 17 of the EBDS Regulations and regulation 17 of the EBDS NI Regulations impose a duty on certain qualifying heat suppliers to make an application for a QHS certificate in respect of the relevant heat network. Regulation 2 amends regulation 17 of the EBDS Regulations to provide a last date, to be specified in rules, on which such an application may be made. Regulation 3 makes the same amendment to regulation 17 of the EBDS NI Regulations.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

(1)

2022 c. 44.

(2)

S.I. 2023/453.

(3)

S.I. 2023/454.