29 January 2024 , 09:51
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Low income households are being urged to apply for energy help worth £150 before an upcoming deadline.
Under the Warm Home Discount scheme, you could get £150 off your electricity bill. The money is usually added to your energy account, rather than as cash in your bank account, or you'll be given a top-up voucher if you're a prepayment meter customer.
You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead, but you'll need to contact your energy supplier to ask. Some people will receive the discount automatically - if this is you, then you should have recieved a letter by early January.
But if you believe you're eligible and you've yet to get a letter, then you need to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 030 9322 by February 29, 2024. You should first check if your energy supplier is signed up to the scheme - check our full list below.
If your supplier is on the list, you should get the payment automatically if you, or your partner, receive the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit - this is known as “core group one”. You, or your partner, need to have been claiming Pension Credit on the qualifying date, which for this winter is August 13.
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You should also get the discount automatically in England and Wales if you claim certain benefits and have high energy costs. Again, the qualifying date for you to have been receiving benefits is August 13. You can check if you're eligible to receive the discount using the Gov.uk Warm Home Discount online tool.
Benefits that qualify you for the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales are:
Housing Benefit
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income Support
"Savings Credit" part of Pension Credit
Universal Credit
You could also qualify if your household income falls below a certain threshold and you get:
Child Tax Credit
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Working Tax Credit
If you live in Scotland and you claim benefits, you’ll need to apply for the Warm Home Discount through your supplier under the “broader group” criteria. Your electricity supplier may have extra eligibility criteria, as it is up to them who gets the discount in Scotland.
The Warm Home Discount scheme is not available in Northern Ireland.
Warm Home Discount - full list of energy suppliers
- British Gas / Scottish Gas
- EDF
- E.on / E.on Next
- Octopus Energy - CLOSED
- Ovo / Boost
- Sainsbury's Energy
- Scottish Power - CLOSED
- Shell Energy - CLOSED
- So Energy
- Utilita - CLOSED
- Utility Warehouse