Applications 01/10/2026 to 30/11/2026 · England, Scotland and Wales · No mid-year entry
The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme exempts eligible manufacturers from three policy levies that sit on every unit of imported electricity. For an electricity-intensive site that is worth up to around 20% of the bill.
Eligibility is assessed site by site and turns on your SIC code, your product codes and how much of each site’s electricity goes into eligible manufacturing. Year 1 has a single fixed window, and if you miss it the next entry point is the following delivery year.
YEAR 1 TIMETABLE
- 01/10/2026 — Window opens. Businesses submit information to DBT to support identification of eligibility.
- 30/11/2026 — Window closes. Fixed and time-limited for Year 1. Longer windows are expected from Year 2.
- 08/01/2027 — Eligibility confirmed. DBT aims to process all eligible businesses and notify suppliers and settlement bodies.
- 01/04/2027 — RO and FiT exemption starts. Suppliers apply the exemption to eligible supply from the start of the levy year.
- 01/10/2027 — Capacity Market exemption starts. Administered through the Electricity Settlements Company.
WHAT BICS ACTUALLY DOES
A levy exemption, not a grant.
Your supplier passes the indirect cost of three government schemes through to you as part of your business energy costs. BICS removes those costs for businesses DBT identifies as eligible. There is nothing to spend and nothing to install. The saving arrives as a lower bill.
Relief is pro-rated at 0%, 50% or 100% depending on how much of a site’s electricity goes into eligible manufacturing, and it is applied at MPAN level rather than company level. A group with five sites can end up with a different answer at each one.
Eligible businesses are also due a one-off retrospective payment covering the period between April 2026 and the scheme going live.
The eligibility period runs for five years with a review point at the end of Year 2 and an annual declaration in between.
ELIGIBILITY: FOUR QUESTIONS
1. Is your SIC code on the eligible list?
DBT published the final Annex A list of eligible SIC and HS product codes on 08/07/2026 and has said it does not intend to change it for 2027. You need an eligible SIC code and an eligible product code, not just one of the two.
2. Do you manufacture, or do you distribute?
The scheme is for manufacturers. Businesses that hold stock, factor or distribute are not eligible however their SIC code reads. Where a business does both, what matters is the activity behind the electricity.
3. Do you already hold an EII or Supercharger certificate?
You cannot hold BICS and the British Industry Supercharger for the same costs. If you already have EII certification this becomes a scheme choice rather than an application, and the Supercharger is often worth more because it also covers CfD and network charge compensation.
4. What share of the site's electricity is eligible manufacturing?
This sets your band and it is where most of the value is won or lost. Offices, warehousing, EV charging and non-eligible production all dilute the share. Understanding where and how energy is being consumed can also support wider carbon reduction planning across your organisation.
WHAT WE DO
We prepare the application and defend the band.
Eligibility screen. SIC and HS product code verification against Annex A, manufacturer test, and a check against the existing DESNZ exemption list.
Band assessment. Site by site, MPAN by MPAN, using half-hourly data to work out which pro-rating band each site lands in.
Evidence pack. Consumption records, sub-metering, process versus non-process split, and the documentation to support the share you are claiming.
Submission. Application built and filed inside the window, with the DBT correspondence handled.
Ongoing. Annual declaration, the Year 2 review point, and monitoring that suppliers are applying the exemption to your bills.
Adjacent relief. Where BICS is not the right answer, we will say so and identify other energy procurement and sustainability opportunities you may be leaving on the table.
