Money is available to help people with their winter fuel bills but the deadline is nearing
Thousands are at risk of missing out on an essential £150 discount from next week. The Warm Home Discount scheme, established by the Government in April 2011, is designed to assist those on low incomes or receiving pensions throughout England, Scotland, and Wales with their winter energy costs.
The programme aims to provide necessary support during the colder months. However, the discount is not automatic and must be applied for with the deadline for doing this landing on Friday, February 28.
It’s important to note that applications must be made through your energy supplier, with the payment being made directly to the provider rather than the claimant. The Warm Home Discount Scheme’s eligibility criteria were updated in 2022, which means some people may no longer qualify, while others may need to apply as they won’t automatically receive the discount.
Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount
If you’re a credit customer, the £150 will be credited to your electricity account, and if you’re on Pay As You Go or Prepayment, you’ll receive a voucher to top-up your meter. Here’s a summary of the scheme and eligibility rules.
To be eligible for the £150 credit, you must have been in one of the qualifying scenarios on 11 August 2024. A detailed guide to eligibility can be found on the GOV.UK website.
For those living in England and Wales, qualification also depends on specific conditions. In both eligibility groups, the DWP will assess your energy costs based on your residence.
If you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you could receive the Warm Home Discount as long as you received the payment on the qualifying date in August. This is referred to as being part of the ‘core group’ in Scotland and ‘core group 1’ in England and Wales.
While most qualifying households will receive an automatic discount, some may need to apply directly – it’s advisable to check with your supplier. A letter will specify if you need to call a helpline by February 28 to confirm your details.
All the energy suppliers participating
A complete and up-to-date list of participating energy suppliers can be found on GOV.UK. These include:
- 100Green (formerly Green Energy UK or GEUK)
- Affect Energy – see Octopus Energy
- Boost
- British Gas
- Bulb Energy – see Octopus Energy
- Co-op Energy – see Octopus Energy
- E – also known as E (Gas and Electricity)
- Ecotricity
- E.ON Next
- EDF
- Fuse Energy
- Good Energy
- Home Energy
- London Power
- Octopus Energy
- Outfox the Market
- OVO
- Rebel Energy
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- Scottish Gas – see British Gas
- ScottishPower
- Shell Energy Retail
- So Energy
- Tomato Energy
- TruEnergy
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse