The help comes from the Warm Home Discount scheme – which is run by the Department for Energy and Net Zero – and gives households a £150 discount on their electricity bills
Brits claiming certain benefits will be getting a £150 discount on their energy bills this winter.
The help comes from the Warm Home Discount scheme, which is run by the Department for Energy and Net Zero. The scheme provides households claiming certain Department for Work and Pension benefits with a £150 discount on their electricity bills between October and March. This year’s scheme opened this week on October 14.
Unlike other support payments, your energy supplier does not directly deposit the money into your bank account but instead into your energy account. Pre-pay customers are also sent top-up vouchers.
Who can get the £150 Warm Home Discount?
If you or your partner receive the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit during the qualifying week, the £150 discount is automatically applied – so you do not need to do anything to get the help. In England and Wales, this is known as “core group one,” and in Scotland, this group is the “core group.”
You may also automatically get the Warm Home Discount if you are on a low income, claiming certain benefits, and have high energy costs. If you live in England and Wales, this is known as being in the “core group two.” Most people living in England and Wales will not need to apply for help, but some in Scotland will. You will need to contact your energy supplier to apply.
The qualifying means-tested benefits include:
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
- Housing benefit
- Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits
- Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
This year’s qualifying date is August 11 – this means you need to be claiming the relevent benefit on this date to get the discount. You will receive a letter about the scheme between now and early January 2025 if you’re eligible, or if you need to provide more information.
If you don’t get the letter by January 2025 but you think you’re eligible, you can contact the government’s Warm Home Discount phone line on 0800 030 9322. However, you must do so before February 28, 2025. If you want to find out whether you qualify, you can also contact the helpline. You can find out if you’ve received the Warm Home Discount by checking your energy bills – it should be automatically applied and will be on your energy account.
What energy firms pay the Warm Home Discount?
With the £150 discount, it’s also important to know that only certain energy suppliers are part of the scheme. This means if your energy supplier is not signed up, then you will not be eligible for the discount. According to the DWP website, the following suppliers are taking part in this year’s Warm Home Discount scheme:
- Affect Energy (now part of Octopus Energy)
- Boost Energy
- British Gas (including Scottish Gas)
- Co-op Energy (now part of Octopus Energy)
- E (gas and electricity)
- Ecotricity
- EDF Energy
- E.ON Next
- Good Energy
- Home Energy
- London Power
- Octopus Energy
- Outfox the Market
- OVO Energy
- Rebel Energy
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- ScottishPower
- Shell Energy Retail
- So Energy
- Tomato Energy
- Tru Energy
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse
- 100Green (previously Green Energy UK).
It’s important to note that some providers require re-application for the Warm Home Discount if you switch energy suppliers during the scheme period and you can only get it once.
