The Warm Home Discount is worth £150 and is provided as a direct discount on your gas and electricity bill, rather than a payment into your bank account
Millions of households are due to receive a £150 discount off their energy bill this winter if they claim certain benefits.
The Warm Home Discount is provided as a direct discount on your gas and electricity bill, rather than a payment into your bank account. If you’re a prepayment customer, you should receive a voucher.
But in order to receive the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales, you must be claiming one of the following benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
- Housing Benefit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
If the benefit is in your name, then you need to be named on your electricity bill in order to get the Warm Home Discount automatically. Energy suppliers will check customer records from August 24.
Someone might not be named on their electricity bill if they have recently moved house and changed supplier. The Warm Home Discount is normally paid in October or November.
If you live in England and Wales, you should receive the Warm Home Discount automatically – meaning you shouldn’t need to apply.
If you live in Scotland, the payment is automatic if you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, but for other benefits, you’ll need to apply through your energy supplier.
There is no equivalent Warm Home Discount scheme in Northern Ireland. It is estimated that over six million people will be eligible for the Warm Home Discount this winter.
It comes after the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which is charge of funding the Warm Home Discount, confirmed it will remove the high-cost-to-heat threshold for the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales.
This is a score that determined whether a property is considered to have high energy costs, as this used to be a qualifying criteria for getting the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales.
It comes after energy bills fell by 7% from July. The average household paying by direct debit has seen their yearly bill reduced from £1,849 to £1,720.
If you have a prepayment meter, the average yearly bill has gone down from £1,803 to £1,672. The yearly charge for someone who pays on receipt of bill has reduced from £1,969 to £1,855.
Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “We took decisive action earlier this year to expand the Warm Home Discount, giving more working families certainty and peace of mind before winter.
“I now want to make sure as many eligible households as possible get £150 off their energy bill, putting more money in their pockets as part of our Plan for Change.
“If you know someone who might be eligible – please start spreading the word to family and friends, encouraging them to check they are named on their energy bill.”
