Lyons announces opening date for Home Heating Oil Support Scheme
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced the opening date for the Home Heating Oil Support Scheme.
The £100 oil voucher scheme will open for applications from around 340,000 eligible households across Northern Ireland on September 9, 2026.
Minister Lyons said: “I am making this advance announcement to help eligible people get ready to make their application.
“My officials have worked at pace to put in place a fair and robust system to help hard-pressed families and individuals who are struggling to meet heating oil costs.
“I would encourage anyone who may be eligible, or those assisting them, to review the eligibility criteria online and ensure they are ready to submit an application when the scheme opens.”
One voucher per address will be payable where applicants use oil as their main source of heating and receive a qualifying income-related benefit, or a disability benefit, or have an annual income for single people or couples of less than £30,000 after allowable deductions.
The £36.4million scheme comprises £17.2million allocated by the UK Government and an additional £19.2million provided by the Executive.
Minister Lyons continued: “I am pleased to have secured Executive support for additional funding to help meet the immediate pressure of rising oil costs, but this measure does not go far enough.
“I will be pressing for funding support for the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy to bring meaningful, lasting change for people living in fuel poverty.
“I will also be making an announcement later in the year on changes to the Discretionary Support Scheme to ensure fuel grant assistance is available to those in need, regardless of the type of home heating they rely on.”
The scheme will open for applications on September 9, 2026 and will close on March 31, 2027. Anyone who wishes to apply should ensure they do so within that timeframe.
To apply or for more information on the scheme go to nidirect (www.nidirect.gov.uk/oil-support-scheme).
Those needing more assistance can contact staff across the Jobs and Benefits network or contact the Home Heating Oil Support Scheme helpline on 0800 072 0266 from September 9th onwards. The Department’s Make the Call and Veterans Support Line NI services will also be ready to provide support.
The Department is also working with partners across the advice and oil sectors to provide additional support.
Advice NI’s Matt Cole said: “We have been in close contact with officials from the Department for Communities and appreciate the commitment to developing an application process that should make claiming a payment as fair and straightforward as possible.
“As always, the independent advice network stands ready to assist those who need help. As such, anyone who wants to check their eligibility, who needs support with making an application, or who encounters any problems with their claim, can get in touch for free, impartial advice.”
Raymond Gormley, Consumer Council, said: “The Consumer Council encourages all eligible households to apply to the £100 Home Heating Oil Support Scheme. With continued pressure on household budgets, this support can make a valuable contribution towards the cost of a fill of home heating oil.”
David Blevings, Director of the NI Oil Federation, said: “We welcome the Home Heating Oil Support Scheme as this will assist consumers in reducing their oil bills as we go into the winter months.
“While the oil price has fallen back from the initial spike, the situation is still volatile, and this assistance will be greatly appreciated by those who qualify for this support.”
Eligible groups identified as most vulnerable to increased heating oil costs include:
- Households in receipt of income-related benefits, including Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Income Related Employment and Support Allowance;
- Households in receipt of disability benefit, including Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Armed Forces Independence Payment, the Constant Attendance Allowance element of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, the Constant Attendance Allowance or Mobility Supplement element of the War Pension Scheme; and
- Single people and couples (including pensioners) with an annual household income of less than £30,000 (net of allowable deductions).
Further details are available at:
www.nidirect.gov.uk/oil-support-scheme
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Oil Payment welcome, but energy efficiency must remain a priority says Allen
East Belfast Ulster Unionist MLA and Communities Spokesperson Andy Allen MBE has welcomed confirmation that £100 home heating oil payments will begin reaching households from September, but said the length of time taken to get to this point shows why a framework needs to be in place so future support can be delivered more quickly.
Andy Allen said: “This support will be welcomed by the many thousands of oil-dependent households who have been struggling with the cost of heating their homes.
“While £100 is a modest amount given the scale of the pressures many individuals and families have and continue to face, it will still provide some help, and I want to see it reach people as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
“But let’s be honest about the timescale.
“The spike in oil prices happened months ago. Families were making impossible choices at the height of that crisis, and only now, with winter approaching, are payments beginning to flow.
“Support that comes long after the immediate pressure has passed inevitably loses some of its value.
“I fully recognise the complexity involved in putting a scheme like this in place. There is no central register of home heating oil users, eligibility had to be worked through, legislation progressed and safeguards put in place.
“But many of these same challenges were evident in 2022, and here we are again.
“That is why the framework developed through this scheme needs to be retained and built on. We should make sure the work that has gone into designing the scheme is not lost once these payments are made. The processes, safeguards and lessons learned should leave us better placed to respond quickly if households face a similar shock in future.
“Northern Ireland’s reliance on home heating oil means we are particularly exposed when oil prices rise sharply and we need to be better prepared for that.
“This payment, alongside the electricity support of over £50 expected from October, is welcome. But households are still facing much wider pressures, from food and housing costs to childcare and other everyday bills.
“A one-off payment will help, but it does not take those pressures away. That is why it is imperative that the Northern Ireland Executive does all it can to support households and tackle the underlying pressures driving up the cost-of-living.
“Energy efficiency measures must play a much bigger part in the answer. The Warm Healthy Homes Strategy sets out the direction, but the important thing now is delivery.
“We need to see more homes properly insulated, heating systems improved and support targeted at those households struggling most with their energy costs. Reducing household energy bills for the long term must be the priority, rather than relying on emergency support every time prices rise.
“The reality is that £100 will go towards helping with the immediate pressure, but it will not go very far. Improving the energy efficiency of someone’s home can reduce their bills for years.
“We need to be able to respond quickly when prices spike, but the longer-term aim must be to reduce the number of households that need emergency support in the first place.
“Finally, a word of caution. Schemes like this often attract scammers.
“I would urge people to be wary of calls, texts, emails or social media posts asking for bank details or a payment to ‘release’ their support. If in doubt, check directly with the Department for Communities or the Consumer Council, and please look out for elderly or vulnerable neighbours who may be targeted.”
