The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, or BICS, is open for applications. For eligible manufacturing activity, the scheme is designed to reduce electricity costs by exempting qualifying electricity from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the Capacity Market. Government guidance describes a potential electricity-bill reduction of up to 25%, but this is not a guaranteed flat discount and the actual percentage depends on the electricity price paid by the eligible business. BICS business guidance<\/a><\/p>\n Applications opened on 1 October 2026 and close at 11:59pm on 30 November 2026. Once an application has been submitted it cannot be amended, so the practical question is not simply whether a business has heard of BICS. It is whether the scheme could apply to its manufacturing sites and whether the necessary evidence has been checked before submission. BICS guidance for applicants<\/a><\/p>\n