British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme
BICS eligibility.
Application
support.
Manufacturing in Great Britain? InnoFund helps you understand whether your sites could qualify for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, organise the evidence and prepare for an application. Start with what your factory produces and how it uses electricity.
- Site-level review
- Evidence-led support
- Finance and operations connected
The first application window
The essentials.
Before you apply.
Guidance checked 19 October 2026. Scheme delivery remains subject to the relevant legislation. Eligibility and the value of relief depend on your circumstances. Read the current government applicant guidance.
Start with the factory
A clear position.
A practical next step.
A large electricity bill is a reason to investigate BICS. It does not, by itself, establish eligibility. The scheme connects the activities at a manufacturing site, the products made there and the electricity attributable to qualifying production.
We help bring the operational and financial information together, identify the questions that need resolving and explain the basis of an application. Each site needs its own assessment, even within the same group.
- Understand the activity
- Identify the legal entity, manufacturing sites and products actually made.
- Connect the records
- Bring production information, electricity bills and meter details into the same review.
- Resolve the gaps
- Make missing evidence, shared supplies and existing relief visible early.
- Explain the calculation
- Keep a working that another person can follow from the source records.
Evidence with a purpose
Finance and operations.
One explainable application.
The useful evidence tells a connected story about the business, its production and its electricity use. We help organise that story around the current requirements.
Business and sites
Know who is applying.
Company details, site addresses and supply arrangements establish the scope of the review.
Products and production
Show what the factory makes.
Eligible classifications need production evidence, such as completed production logs or ERP records.
Electricity supply
Reconcile the consumption.
Meter identifiers and the required electricity bills connect the activity with the grid supply.
Allocation and support
Keep the reasoning visible.
Document the eligible electricity calculation, shared-meter position and any existing EII relief.
Bring the right records together. Annex A specifies the evidence needed, including the most recent six consecutive months of available electricity bills within the preceding 12 months. Check the government evidence requirements.
Could your site qualify?
The starting points
for a BICS review.
The government checker can give an initial indication. A complete assessment still needs the applicable company, sector, product, electricity and evidence conditions to be met.
A manufacturing site in Great Britain
BICS applies in England, Scotland and Wales. A Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland site requires a separate review of relevant arrangements.
A registered company and eligible activity
Check Companies House registration and the published eligible sector classifications against the business's real manufacturing activity.
Eligible manufactured products
Identify the relevant six-digit Harmonised System product codes and retain records that demonstrate production.
The electricity threshold
At least 33 MWh of annual grid electricity use is required at the site. The specified six-month evidence period must show more than 16.5 MWh.
An eligible electricity calculation
Calculate the proportion attributable to qualifying manufacturing using the required methodology. The result determines the exemption tier.
A clear existing-support position
Identify EII certificates, shared meters and landlord billing arrangements so the appropriate adjustments can be made.
Understand the benefit
Three policy costs.
Not the whole bill.
BICS provides exemption from specified indirect costs within electricity supply. The percentage is not a general discount on every charge, and it does not create a gas or water discount.
The exemption tier, the relevant electricity, supplier charges and start dates all matter when estimating value. We help separate those assumptions so the potential benefit can be understood.
Renewables Obligation
Exemption from the covered Renewables Obligation costs is scheduled from April 2027.
Feed-in Tariffs
Relief from covered Feed-in Tariff costs is also scheduled from April 2027.
Capacity Market
Capacity Market relief is scheduled to follow from October 2027.
Other electricity charges
Other bill components remain payable. A 100% policy-cost exemption does not mean free electricity.
How we can help
From a site review
to a supported application.
Start early enough to request missing records, resolve differences and review the calculation before the application window closes.
- 01
Establish the likely position
Review the sites, products, electricity supplies and existing support against the scheme's starting conditions.
- 02
Bring the evidence together
Agree the information needed from finance, operations, facilities and any landlord or third-party bill payer.
- 03
Prepare and review the calculation
Explain the eligible manufacturing proportion, applicable tier and any meter or EII adjustments before completing the application.
- 04
Plan for implementation
Keep the decision and evidence together, check supplier treatment and give ongoing declarations and changes an owner.
The exemption tiers
A percentage with
a specific meaning.
The tiers below apply to the calculated eligible manufacturing proportion under the current guidance. Exemptions concern the covered policy costs, with further adjustments where required.
0% exemption
25% or less eligible electricity
A calculated eligible manufacturing proportion of 25% or less receives no BICS exemption.
50% exemption
More than 25%, below 50%
A proportion above 25% but below 50% falls into the 50% exemption tier.
100% exemption
50% or more eligible electricity
A proportion of at least 50% falls into the 100% exemption tier for the covered policy costs.
Check the adjustments
Shared supplies and EII support
Existing EII exemptions and shared-meter arrangements affect the final treatment. The same electricity costs cannot be exempted twice.
Part of the wider energy picture
Review the opportunity.
Keep the schemes distinct.
InnoFund’s energy and utility service connects energy relief and compensation advice with electricity, gas and water procurement support.
BICS is one route within that review. Climate Change Levy relief, EII support and indirect carbon-cost compensation have their own requirements. An R&D tax relief claim does not establish BICS eligibility.
- Assess each scheme against its own eligibility tests
- Keep bill relief and procurement assumptions separate
- Connect the review with your wider business plans
BICS, explained
Questions before you apply.
We can help identify which questions need resolving for your sites, products and electricity arrangements.
Discuss BICS eligibilityWhen does the first BICS application window close?
Applications close at 11:59pm on 30 November 2026. Allow time to obtain the required records and review the calculation before submitting.
Is BICS the same as the British Industry Supercharger?
No. The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme and British Industry Supercharger are separate measures. Existing EII support must be identified and taken into account in the BICS calculation.
Does every manufacturer qualify?
No. Manufacturing status or a high electricity bill alone is insufficient. The published company, site, sector, product and electricity criteria must be checked.
Does a 100% exemption mean free electricity?
No. It concerns the covered policy costs on the relevant electricity after the applicable methodology and adjustments. Other electricity charges remain payable.
Can we apply if a landlord pays the electricity supplier?
Potentially. The supply arrangement, underlying bills, meter information and consumption evidence need review. The corresponding financial benefit must be passed through by the third party. Agree the billing arrangements early. Read the government third-party guidance.
Do our products need to be exported?
No. The applicant guidance confirms that importing or exporting is not required. The manufactured products must still meet the relevant eligibility requirements.
When would the relief start, and is there an extra payment?
RO and Feed-in Tariff relief is scheduled from April 2027, with Capacity Market relief from October 2027. An additional payment in 2027 has been announced for eligible applicants in the 2026 window; further delivery details are to follow. Do not budget for a guaranteed amount or receipt date. See the government announcement.
Is the application the end of the process?
No. Current guidance includes ongoing responsibilities such as annual declarations and a second-year eligibility review. Keep the evidence, decision, supplier correspondence and any changes in production or metering under review.
Your next step
Start with your site.
Know the next step.
Tell us where you manufacture, what you produce and how your electricity is supplied. We can help you understand the information needed to assess BICS and prepare for the 30 November 2026 deadline.
- Your sitesStart with the actual operations
- Your evidenceUnderstand the information needed
- Your next stepDiscuss the appropriate support