31st March 2024 will see the end of the Energy Bill Discount Scheme. What does this mean for small businesses? The short answer is ‘not alot’.

Due to wholesale energy costs falling way below the levels that the Government set for the scheme to kick in, the scheme had pretty much become ineffective anyway.

Energy prices have now fallen to pre energy crisis levels and so most companies are seeing quotes for their energy that are significantly lower than what they are currently paying. At Tickd we’re seeing more and more customers happy to ‘self-serve’ using our software now that savings can be made.

Chris Shaw, Chair of the Energy Consultants Association, highlighted that the scheme failed to adequately support small businesses and merely served as a symbolic gesture. ‘The EBDS for small businesses became pretty much redundant and was ineffective in supporting the vast majority of small businesses anyway, it felt like a token gesture rather than a scheme to actually help SMEs.’