Changes to the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme

Louise Clarke, Teagasc Pig Development Officer, highlights changes and offers advice on how to apply to the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme in this article.

Back in January, I wrote about the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS). This scheme was announced as part of Budget 2023. The scheme was designed to help businesses manage the higher electricity and natural gas bills.

Through TBESS, the government was providing up to €10,000 – or €30,000 in some cases – per month to eligible businesses whose energy bills have increased by more than half when compared with the same period last year. The scheme was intended to operate in respect of energy costs relating to the period from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2023.

Changes to the TBESS

However, in March the Minister of Finance announced a number of amendments to the TBESS. All these changes are published on the revenue.ie website and include:

• The extension of the scheme to 31 May 2023.
• An increase in the monthly limit on payments for claim periods from 1 March 2023 onwards.
• The €10,000 monthly limit on payments under the scheme has been increased to €15,000 per qualifying business.
• The €30,000 limit has been increased to €45,000 per qualifying business, in cases where the qualifying business operates across multiple locations.
• A reduction of the energy costs threshold from 50% to 30% with effect from 1 September 2022. The requirement to demonstrate a 50% increase in the average unit price in order to pass the energy costs threshold has been reduced to 30%. This change applies from 1 September 2022 and means that businesses that did not meet the 50% threshold for some or all claim periods from 1 September 2022, may now be able to access the scheme if they meet the 30% threshold. For any business that have already submitted claims, Revenue will automatically reassess the claims based on the revised 30% threshold, therefore those business do not need to amend claims previously submitted. However, for businesses that did not make a claim because they did not meet the 50% threshold, but are now eligible under the revised 30% threshold, they must register for the scheme and submit their claims.
• An increase in the Temporary Business Energy Payment (TBEP) amount from 40% to 50% of a business’ eligible costs from 1 March 2023.
• An extension of the limit for all claims to 31 July 2023.

A qualifying business can make claims for the September 2022 to April 2023 claim periods and the facility to make claims for the May 2023 claim period will open in due course. Revenue will automatically reassess claims using the new 30% energy costs threshold. A business will not need to amend claims previously submitted to take account of the revised threshold. Processing of claims using the revised threshold commenced 24 April 2023. A business will receive a notification in their Revenue Online Service (ROS) inbox if any additional payment is due.

How do I apply for the scheme?

TBESS is being administered by Revenue on behalf of the Government. The easiest way to apply is through the Revenue Online Service (ROS). This is a two-step process. Step one is registration and step two is to make a claim. Both of these are accessible through revenue's on-line system, ROS. You must register via ROS before claims can be submitted. When registering for the scheme you will need to include details of the business and information on the relevant electricity and gas connections. For more information on the TBESS, revenue has published guidelines on the operation of the scheme, with examples of the energy cost threshold, the eligible costs, and the amount that can be claimed. You can access this information here.

This article first appeared in the Teagasc Pig newsletter for April.