Warm Home Discount Scheme 2024 | Check Your Eligibility + How To Apply
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The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 payment to help older adults and people on a low income with their energy costs during the winter months. The Warm Home Discount scheme was reformed for the winter of 2022/2023, meaning that even if you weren’t previously eligible, you could be now.
Here, we’ve explained whether you’re eligible, how to claim and which energy suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount.
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In this article:
- What is the Warm Home Discount?
- How much does the Warm Home Discount pay?
- Check if you’re eligible
- How to claim the Warm Home Discount
- When is the Warm Home Discount available?
- Which energy suppliers offer this scheme?
- Will I still be eligible for the Warm Home Discount if I switch suppliers?
- Other energy discount schemes you could be eligible for
- Can you claim the Warm Home Discount in a care home?
What Is the Warm Home Discount?
Having been first introduced by the government in April 2011, the Warm Home Discount is a scheme that helps eligible customers in England, Wales and Scotland pay their energy bills during the winter months.
This is a one-off, £150 discount that will be automatically applied to your electricity bill.
The Warm Home Discount is mainly aimed at people who receive their state pension or are on a low income. Your energy supplier also needs to take part in the scheme for you to be eligible (the scheme itself is funded by participating suppliers).
The Warm Home Discount scheme for Winter 2023 to 2024 has now closed. The scheme will re-open in October 2024, and more information can be found through the official GOV.UK page.
How Much Does the Warm Home Discount Pay?
For the winter of 2023 to 2024, the Warm Home Discount was worth £150. This money wasn’t paid to eligible people, but was instead subtracted from your electricity bill between October 2023 and March 2024.
If your supplier provides your gas and electricity, you may instead be able to get this discount on your gas bill. In this case, you’d be known as a dual-fuel customer. Get in touch with your supplier to see if this is something you’re able to do.
If you use a prepayment or pay-as-you-go meter, you’ll likely be given this £150 as a top-up voucher.
Check If You’re Eligible For the Warm Home Discount
Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount changed in April 2022. Now, if eligible, you’ll either be classed as part of a ‘core group’ or the ‘broader group’ (in Scotland).
To qualify, you’ll either need to claim the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit or receive a different qualifying benefit. You’ll also need to be registered with one of the participating energy suppliers. If you claim one of the other qualifying benefits, your energy costs will be assessed to determine your eligibility.
If you disagree with a decision made about your eligibility, this can be challenged by getting in touch with the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 107 8002.
From October 2023, you can also check if you’re eligible for the Warm Home Discount through GOV.UK.
If you live in England and Wales
Two core groups in England and Wales are eligible for the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Core group 1
You or your partner will be classed as part of core group 1 if either of you receives the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
You or your partner also have to be named on the energy bill and your energy supplier needs to be partnered with the scheme.
Core group 2
You could be eligible as part of the second core group if you receive one of the following benefits:
- Child Tax Credits or Working Tax Credits
- Housing Benefit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- The Savings Credit part of Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
If you fall within core group 2, receiving one of these qualifying benefits doesn’t mean you’ll definitely qualify for the Warm Home Discount. Your energy supplier will check to see if you’re within the most fuel-poor households category.
If you live in Scotland
Two groups in Scotland are eligible for the Warm Home Discount. These are the core group and the broader group.
Core group
You or your partner will be classed as part of the core group if either of you receives the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
You or your partner also have to be named on the energy bill and your energy supplier needs to be partnered with the scheme.
Broader group
You’ll be a part of the broader group if you live in a low-income household but you don’t receive Pension Credit. In this case, the following needs to apply for you to be eligible:
- You or your partner are responsible for a child under five, or you have a disability, or your child is disabled
- You receive one of Income Support, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Universal Credit (with earnings less than £1,418 a month) or Child Tax Credits (with earnings less than £17,005 a year)
- Your energy company is partnered with the scheme
Pre-pay or pay-as-you-go meters
People who use a pre-payment or pay-as-you-go electricity meter can also qualify for the scheme.
If this applies to you, get in touch with your electricity supplier. If eligible, they’ll tell you how to get the discount. You may be given a voucher that can be used to top up your meter.
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How To Claim the Warm Home Discount
If you’re in the core group 1 or 2 in England or Wales, or the core group in Scotland, there’s no need to apply for the Warm Home Discount anymore. If eligible, your supplier will automatically apply the discount to your electricity bill.
If you’re in the broader group in Scotland, you do need to apply. Get in touch with your energy company to find out when applications open. In some cases, the scheme will have more applicants than places, so be sure to apply as early as possible.
To find out if you’re eligible, you can also call the Warm Home Discount phone line on 0800 107 8002.
If you live in a park (mobile) home
Over 250,000 UK residents - mainly older adults - currently live in park homes. These are detached bungalow-style homes located within a private estate. These properties are all movable in one or two pieces.
When living in a park home, the application process for the Warm Home Discount scheme is slightly different.
When Is the Warm Home Discount Available?
The Warm Home Discount scheme opens once a year in either September or October. It then runs until the end of March the following year.
Which Energy Suppliers Offer the Warm Home Discount Scheme?
Originally, energy suppliers with over 250,000 customers were required to offer the Warm Home Discount to anyone within the core eligible group. This number of customers was lowered to 150,000 in 2020, while other smaller suppliers would also voluntarily offer the scheme to their customers.
The following energy suppliers offered the Warm Home Discount for 2022/2023:
- Affect Energy (who are part of Octopus Energy)
- Atlantic (who are part of SSE)
- Boost
- British Gas
- Bulb
- Co-op Energy (who are part of Octopus Energy)
- E Gas and Electricity
- Ecotricity (to their core group only)
- EDF
- E.ON Next
- Green Energy (to their core group only)
- Great North Energy (to their core group only)
- London Power (who are part of Octopus Energy)
- M&S Energy (who are part of Octopus Energy)
- Octopus Energy
- OVO Energy
- Powershop
- Qwest Energy (who are part of Octopus Energy)
- Roar Power (who are part of Octopus Energy)
- Sainsbury's Energy
- Scottish Hydro (who are part of SSE)
- ScottishPower
- Shell Energy
- So Energy
- Southern Electric (who are part of SSE)
- SSE
- SWALEC (who are part of SSE)
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse
If you’re within one of the eligible groups but your energy supplier isn’t listed above, you can claim the discount by switching to one of the suppliers participating in the scheme.
British Gas Warm Home Discount
British Gas paid all of their eligible customers for the winter of 2023 to 2024.
If you were eligible and paid your energy bill monthly by Direct Debit or upon receiving your bill, the discount will have been added as credit to your electricity account. This will have shown up as a ‘Warm Home Discount’ on your bill.
If you were eligible and you pay online, you have a pay-as-you-go electricity meter, a key or a card, you will have instead been sent a Post Office voucher. This will have included instructions on how to claim this credit.
EDF Warm Home Discount
If eligible, EDF will have provided your £150 discount by the end of March 2024.
For people on a meter, the way they issue this discount works slightly differently:
- If you’re on a credit meter, the discount will have been credited directly to your account
- If you’re on a prepayment meter, you will have received a voucher, along with instructions explaining how to redeem it
- If you’re on a smart pay-as-you-go meter, the discount will have been directly credited to your meter
E.ON Warm Home Discount
If E.ON is your energy supplier, you will have received a payment on your electricity account between November 2023 and March 2024.
If you have a prepayment meter, you will have instead been sent a top-up voucher that can be redeemed.
Shell Warm Home Discount
Information for the Warm Home Discount scheme through Shell can be found here.
For 2023/2024, Shell provided an extra £150 credit to eligible customers in England, Wales and Scotland who received the Warm Home Discount, meaning you could have received a total of £300.
SSE Warm Home Discount
Customers living in England and Wales don’t need to apply for the discount through SSE.
Successful applicants within the Scottish broader group will have received their discount before the 31st of March 2023.
Utilita Warm Home Discount
You don’t need to apply for the payment if you live in England or Wales. Utilita is told by the government who qualifies for the scheme, and they’ll then automatically make the payment to eligible households.
Utilita is awaiting information from the government for the 2023/2024 Warm Home Discount. They expect to send payments for this year between December 2023 and February 2024.
Will I Still Be Eligible For the Warm Home Discount If I Switch Suppliers?
While switching your energy supplier can be a really effective way of reducing your bills, it may also affect your eligibility for the Warm Home Discount, as not all energy suppliers provide it.
Before switching suppliers, be sure to check their rules regarding the Warm Home Discount. You may be fine to switch suppliers if you’ve already received the discount, but there could be complications if you’re still waiting for it.
To work out whether switching suppliers will have an overall financial benefit, we’d recommend using an energy comparison tool such as Uswitch.
Some providers also require you to re-apply if you switch energy suppliers.
Other Energy Discount Schemes You Could Be Eligible For
Cold Weather Payment - You’ll be given £25 for every seven consecutive days where the temperature in your area is recorded as 0°C or below. This is aimed at people who receive Pension Credit or a different means-tested benefit
Winter Fuel Allowance - A one-off, annual payment for people born on or before the 25th of September 1957 (above the State Pension age). How much you could get depends on your personal circumstances
£900 Cost of Living Payments - A series of tax-free payments to help you with ever-increasing living costs. This is broken down into £301, £300 and £299 payments
Can You Claim the Warm Home Discount In a Care Home?
If you live in a care home, you aren’t able to claim the Warm Home Discount. This is because eligibility is linked to your energy provider, and these bills are usually covered by the home itself.
Similarly, if you live in a care home and claim any of Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, you won’t be able to claim a Winter Fuel Payment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Warm Home Discount affect other benefits you receive?
The Warm Home Discount doesn’t affect similar benefits such as the Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment. This discount also doesn’t affect any cost of living payments you’ve received or are due to receive.
Do PIP claimants qualify for the Warm Home Discount?
Receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) doesn’t automatically qualify you for this discount. Instead, eligibility is largely determined by whether you receive Pension Credit or are on a low income. PIP is a disability benefit, so isn’t linked to your income.
What month do you apply for the Warm Home Discount?
This scheme opens every year in September or October. It then runs until March of the following year. There’s no need to apply anymore. Instead, your energy supplier will automatically apply the discount to your bill if you’re eligible.
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