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Warm home discount
Get £150 off your energy bill each winter
Updated 8 March 2023
Under the warm home discount scheme, you could get £150 off your electricity bill each winter. We've full info below on who can get it, if you need to apply, and when to expect the rebate.
Also see: Energy Bills Help | Energy Grants | Energy Saving Tips | Cheap Prepaid Gas & Elec | Low Income Grants | Debt Help
What is the warm home discount?
The Warm Home Discount scheme is available to millions of households in the UK. It requires energy suppliers with more than 50,000 customers to help vulnerable people pay for their energy over winter. If eligible, you'll get £150 knocked off your electricity bill – and you'll keep getting it every year, provided you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
Although it's typically deducted from your electricity bill, you may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead, as long as your supplier provides both your gas and electricity. You'll need to contact your supplier to find out if the discount can be applied to your gas bill instead.
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In England and Wales? You should get it automatically if you're eligible
After a shake-up of the warm home discount scheme in 2022, households in England and Wales who are eligible should get the discount automatically – previously, some had to apply to get it. But given the changes, many that used to get it, will now miss out. So do check the eligibility criteria below.
Minister promises to look at complaints after MSE identifies 10,000s may be falling through eligibility cracks
Due to changes to the scheme, tens of thousands of financially vulnerable people are likely slipping through eligibility cracks. After direct contact between MSE founder Martin Lewis and energy secretary Grant Shapps, the minister has promised he will look into the complaints. See our Warm Home Discount news story for more.
Are you eligible for the warm home discount?
If you're in England or Wales, you should get it if you qualify under the following criteria:
- Get pension credit? You should get it automatically. If you or your partner receive the 'guarantee credit' element of pension credit, and your name (or your partner's) is on your energy bill, you should qualify for the discount as part of what's known as 'core group 1'.
- On certain benefits and have "high energy costs"? You should get it automatically. If you receive certain means-tested benefits, such as income support or universal credit, and you have "high energy costs", you'll qualify for the discount. This is as part of what's known as 'core group 2' (see full eligibility criteria).
If you qualify, and providing your supplier is part of the scheme, you should receive a letter (usually sent between November and January) confirming when the £150 will be deducted from your bill.
You can check if you're eligible to receive the discount using the Government's new online tool.
What are "high energy costs"?
To work out if your home has high energy costs, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and energy suppliers will look at data on the age, type (for example, semi-detached or detached), and floor area of your property, to decide if it's likely to be expensive to heat, or how energy-efficient it is. If the VOA is missing information, it may use your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) – assuming you have one. Each year, the Government will set out what the criteria for "high energy usage" will be.
The issue with this new criteria, is that many older homes don't have an EPC, and paying to get one would cost you most of the £150 rebate. We've more details on the complaints and issued that have recently been raised, in our Warm Home Discount news story.
How to challenge the decision
The deadline to challenge a decision has now passed for the 2022/23 warm home discount.
If you think your energy costs assessment isn't accurate, you can usually challenge it by getting in touch with the Warm Home Discount helpline or in writing. We'll update this guide with details when the scheme opens again next winter.
You'll be asked for evidence, which can include an EPC or Land Registry data (though there's a £3 fee).
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How and when will I get the £150?
How you get the discount depends on how you pay for your electricity. However you pay, the £150 will almost always be a discount on your bill, not a cash payment.
- If you're on a standard credit or smart prepayment meter. You'll get an automatic one-off £150 discount on your electricity bill, sometime between October 2022 and March 2023. You'll receive a letter confirming your discount, and it should be applied to your bill by 31 March 2023.
- If you're on a traditional prepayment meter. You'll be sent a top-up voucher, by post, email or text, though some may get a cheque. You've 90 days to redeem the voucher, but your supplier can reissue it if you lose it or it expires. You'll need to redeem the voucher at the Post Office or a PayPoint shop. In most cases, you'll need proof of identity, such as your passport or driving licence.
Live in Scotland? Most still need to apply – don't miss the deadline
In Scotland, the warm home discount has stayed the same as previous years – despite the shake-up of the scheme in England and Wales. This means many households still need to apply to get the £150 discount, and thousands still haven't done so this winter.
Payments are made on a first come, first served basis, with a limited pot of cash to give out, and some suppliers are starting to close their schemes now. So apply as soon as possible to ensure you don't miss out.
Who is eligible?
In Scotland, eligibility is split into two groups, but only some get the rebate automatically:
- If you get pension credit, it should come automatically. To be eligible for the automatic payment, you or your partner will need to receive the 'guarantee credit' element of pension credit, and your name (or your partner's) will need to be on your energy bill as of the 'qualifying date' – which for 2022/23 was 21 August 2022. This is known as the 'core group'.
You should get a letter between November and January letting you know when to expect your discount. If you need help, or haven't received your letter, you can call the Warm Home Discount helpline. We'll update this guide with details when the scheme reopens for 2023/24.
- On certain benefits? You may qualify, but you MUST APPLY. If you don't qualify for the above, you can still apply providing you get certain benefits, such as income support or income-related employment and support allowance (see full qualifying info below), under what's known as the 'broader group' criteria. If you're eligible, you'll need to apply directly to a participating supplier.
Live in a park home? You need to apply
If you permanently live in a park home in England, Wales or Scotland, you probably don't have a direct electricity account with a UK energy company. But that doesn't mean you can't get the warm home discount. If eligible, you'll get £150 into your bank account to help towards your winter fuel bill.
The scheme is managed by Charis Grants on behalf of energy suppliers. You need to apply via its website. Funding is limited and applications are processed on a first come, first served basis, so make sure you apply as early as possible to receive your payment by 31 March.
Who is eligible for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount?
Anyone living in a park home in England, Wales or Scotland and receiving pension credit will qualify for the £150 payment.
If you don't receive pension credit, you'll need to qualify per the table below:
Eligibility for Park Homes Warm Home Discount
| You'll need to be in receipt of one of the following: | TABLE_CELL_STYLE | You'll need to have one of the following: |
Pension credit OR |
||
|
- Income Support - Income based Jobseekers Allowance - Income related Employment & Support Allowance - Universal Credit - Child Tax Credit (and income below £17,005/year) - Household income (before tax and deductions) less than £17,005/year |
TABLE_CELL_STYLE TABLE_CELL_STYLE TABLE_CELL_STYLE TABLE_CELL_STYLE PLUS |
In receipt of: - state pension - disabled child element of universal credit or child tax credits - disability or pensioner premiums - disability benefits
Or: - deemed to have limited capability for work (as part of Universal Credit) - responsible for a child under 18 years of age - in possession of a medical or maternity exemption certificate |
When you apply, you'll need to provide details of the benefit(s) you receive, plus income details for you and other members of your household.
How will the £150 be paid?
If you're eligible, Charis Grants will request your bank or building society details (account number and sort code) which you can usually find on your debit card. It'll then make a bank payment to you by 31 March 2023.
Other help available
If you don't qualify for the £150 warm home discount, or you need more help with your energy bills, we've got lots of information on what help is available and how to access it. See our Struggling with your energy bills? guide for more or get Debt advice. We've also got loads of Energy Saving Tips that could help bring down your bills.
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
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