Ministers have ruled out giving consumers a one-off payment to help with fuel bills, the BBC has learned.
The government had planned to unveil a a package to alleviate soaring gas and electricity bills this week.
But Whitehall sources said the focus of ongoing talks with energy firms was now on improving energy efficiency, not cutting costs in the short term.
A government spokesman said ministers were looking at "long-term" savings.
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This followed reports of a conversation involving the most senior civil servant at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) and energy companies.
The Sunday Times reported last month that Permanent Secretary Sir Brian Bender had been overheard by other passengers on a train discussing a plan to help "ordinary people" by creating "a fuel rebate for everybody on child benefit".
At the time Number 10 confirmed that discussions were ongoing but said that no decisions had been reached.
Last week Business Secretary John Hutton declared that "the era of cheap energy is over".
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said ministers were likely to defend their plan to promote energy efficiency by arguing that it will help reduce bills not just this year but in the longer term.
One source claimed that consumers would be "better off" than they would have been if given cash help.
However, those Labour MPs and activists who have argued for a windfall tax on the energy companies are likely to regard this outcome as a significant disappointment.
A DBERR spokesman told the BBC it was "important people make savings on bills for the long term and not just now".
(BBC)
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