THOUSANDS of households have just two weeks to act or risk missing out on a £150 energy bill discount.
Since October 2024, millions of households began receiving the cash through the government’s warm home discount scheme.
The discount, in most cases, is applied automatically if you’re eligible.
It’s knocked off your energy bill through your supplier, you don’t get paid the money directly.
Government data shows that the vast majority of people get the payments automatically.
However, data from last winter reveals that 128,000 individuals only received the payment after needing to reach out to the scheme’s helpline.
This is why it’s really important to keep an eye out for letters and make sure you’re getting what you’re entitled to.
If you have received a letter which asks for extra information, you need to respond to these by February 28, 2025, or you’ll miss out.
However, if you haven’t got the letter and you think you should have, you can ring the warm home discount scheme helpline on 0800 030 9322 or write to Warm Home Discount Scheme, PO Box 14127, Selkirk, TD7 9AH.
Again, you’ll need to do this before February 28 or you’ll miss out on this year’s payment.
How is the discount applied?
The method of payment for the warm home discount depends on the type of electricity meter you have.
For those with smart credit or prepayment meters, the discount is automatically applied.
However, households with older, traditional prepayment meters that require a key or card for top-ups cannot receive the discount directly.
Instead, they are issued vouchers to redeem at their local top-up point.
The Post Office began issuing these vouchers on behalf of British Gas, E.ON Next, Ovo Energy, EDF Energy, Scottish Power, and Good Energy from October 21, 2024.
Around 190,000 warm home discount letters have been issued so far, worth a combined £28.5million, The Sun previously revealed.
The deadline to cash in your voucher will be stated in your letter.
This usually varies between 30 and 90 days from the point of issue.
If you’ve lost your voucher or it’s expire, you can contact their supplier to have it reissued.
Who’s eligible for the warm home discount?
Between October and December, the government issued letters to over three million households eligible for the scheme.
These will have told you that:
- You’re eligible and you’ll get the discount automatically; or
- You might be eligible, and you need to give more information.
- You can call the helpline by February 29, 2024 to confirm your details.
To qualify for the Warm Home Discount, you need to claim either the guaranteed credit element of pension credit or a different qualifying benefit form the list below:
- Income support
- Income based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income related employment and support allowance
- Housing benefit
- Universal Credit
- Child tax credit
- Working tax credits
- The “savings credit” part of pension credit
If you weren’t claiming any of the above benefits on August 11, 2024, you won’t be eligible for the payment.
Where someone claims a qualifying benefit, the government will assess their energy costs based on the type, age and size of property.
This means that you may not be considered eligible for the Warm Home Discount if you live in a more energy-efficient property for instance, even if you receive a qualifying benefit.
However, this rule doesn’t apply to recipients of the guarantee credit portion of pension credit.
Even if you weren’t getting pension credit on August 11, thousands of pensioners who applied for the benefit at a later date could still qualify for the £150 payment.
This is because pension credit rules allow first-time claimants to backdate their benefit entitlement by three months.
You will need to have launched your claim by 10 November and then successfully have it backdated to cover the qualifying date for the warm home discount on August 11.
But if you failed to apply before this date, you’ll miss out this winter.
What energy bill help is available?
There's a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill.
Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
