Apply now to get £140 off your energy bill via the Warm Home Discount – but hurry as many schemes are closing
Households on a low income and in receipt of certain benefits may be able to get £140 off their energy bill under the Warm Home Discount scheme. But many major suppliers have now closed their schemes for 2021/22 and only Bulb, E.on, E.on Next, and So Energy are still accepting applications – so apply as soon as possible to ensure you don't miss out.
Below we round up how the warm home discount works and which suppliers' schemes are still open.
For more help finding free cash for your home, see our Housing and Energy Grants guide.
You can get £140 off energy bills under the Warm Home Discount scheme – but some will need to apply for it
The Warm Home Discount scheme requires suppliers with a certain number of household customers to help vulnerable people in the UK pay for their energy. The money isn't paid to you – it's a £140 rebate applied to your electricity bill between October and March. If you're on a prepay meter, you'll usually be sent a top-up voucher.
There are two ways in which you can qualify, and crucially one set of customers will need to apply for the cash:
If you get pension credit, the payment may come automatically (this is known as the 'core group'). If you get the guarantee credit element of pension credit you should get the warm home discount automatically, provided your energy supplier is part of the scheme (all firms with more than 150,000 customers will offer it) and your name (or your partner's) was on your energy bill as of 4 July 2021.
You will get the discount from whichever supplier you were with on this date, whether you've switched away from it since or not (if you've since switched away from that firm, Ofgem advises you to check with your old supplier how it'll be paid).
You should have received a letter between October and December 2021 confirming when the £140 will be deducted from your energy bill. The letter may also ask you to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline to confirm your details. The helpline can also be used if you need assistance, or if you've not received your letter. Call 0800 731 0214.
On certain benefits? You may qualify, but you must apply (this is known as the 'broader group'). If you’re on a low income and on certain means-tested benefits you may be eligible to apply for the Warm Home Discount (all firms with more than 250,000 customers will offer it), but in this scenario, it won't be paid automatically and you'll need to apply to your energy provider. The full eligibility criteria are as follows.
If you have an annual household income of £16,190 or less and you get child tax credit, or you receive income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance, or you receive income-related employment and support allowance, you're eligible if you have any of the following:
- A disability premium
- A pensioner premium
- A disabled child premium
- Child tax credit that includes a 'disability' or 'severe disability' element
- Parental responsibility of a child aged under five living with you
If you get universal credit and have earned £1,349 or less in at least one month since October 2020, you're eligible if you have any of the following:
- The 'limited capability for work' element (with or without a 'work-related activity' element)
- The 'disabled child' element
- Parental responsibility of a child aged under five living with you
Apply for the Warm Home Discount now as suppliers are beginning to close their schemes
If you're part of the 'broader group' of households that need to apply for the Warm Home Discount it's worth getting in your application as soon as possible as it's generally delivered on a first-come, first-served basis, with each supplier having a limited pot of cash to distribute.
The below table explains which providers' schemes are open for applications. You can click on the supplier's name in the table below to take you to the application page.
Supplier Click on the supplier's name to apply for the Warm Home Discount scheme | Can I apply now? |
|---|---|
Boost |
|
British Gas(Also apply via British Gas for British Gas Evolve or Scottish Gas, and for Bluegreen, MoneyPlus Energy, Neon Reef, People's Energy, PFP Energy, Social Energy, and Zebra Power once you've been transferred over) |
|
Bulb (Bulb has gone into 'special administration' but it's currently still operating as normal, including accepting warm home discount applications.) |
|
E |
|
| |
E.on Next (Also apply via E.on Next for Npower or Sainsbury's Energy and Enstroga, Igloo Energy and Symbio Energy once you've been transferred over) |
|
EDF(Including former Utility Point customers) |
(Now closed for applicants) |
Octopus Energy (Also apply via Octopus Energy for Affect, Avro Energy, Co-op Energy, London Power, M&S Energy, Qwest Energy or Roar Power once you've been transferred over) |
|
Ovo Energy |
(Now closed for applicants) |
Scottish Power |
|
Shell Energy(Also apply via Shell for Daligas, Goto Energy, Green Supplier Limited, and Pure Planet once you've been transferred over) |
|
| |
SSE (Also apply via SSE for SSE Atlantic, Scottish Hydro, Southern Electric and Swalec) |
(Now closed for applicants) |
Utilita |
(Now closed for applicants) |
Utility Warehouse |
(Now closed for applicants) |
Table correct as of 08 February 2022.
– Ecotricty, Green Energy UK and Outfox the Market also provide the Warm Home Discount (WHD) but only to households eligible under the 'core group', which means you can't apply for these suppliers' schemes.
You may still be able to apply for WHD if your supplier has gone bust
Regardless of whether or not your now defunct supplier offered the scheme, you may still be able to apply to the Warm Home Discount. What matters here is:
Whether you're eligible. This doesn't change if a supplier goes bust, so if you could apply with your old supplier, it's almost certain you'll be eligible with your new one.
The size of the firm, as the smallest don't offer it. As we mentioned above, most small firms don't offer the Warm Home Discount, it's only those with more than 250,000 customers that let you apply under the broader group category. So If you were with a smaller firm that has gone bust, there is a silver lining here – you're more likely to get the Warm Home Discount, as you'll be moved to a bigger supplier.
If you are eligible under the broader group category, you will need to apply via your newly appointed energy supplier as soon as your account is set up. You'll also need to reapply to your new supplier if you had already successfully applied to your old provider that's no longer trading.
For those who are part of the core group; you don't need to do anything as Ofgem has confirmed that your new supplier will have to pay core group customers where the exiting supplier hadn’t already done so.
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10 September 2024
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