Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount Scheme is an initiative from the government that helps low-income and vulnerable households with a discount on their electricity bills over the winter. People on law incomes can apply for it and most energy companies are now taking applications.
It’s a one-off discount of £140 administered by your energy supplier – providing your energy supplier participates in the scheme. It isn’t a cash payment, but comes as a reduction in your energy bill.
If you’re on a pre-pay meter, you can still get the discount. Your provider will tell you how you can get it, perhaps through a voucher or other facility.
Eligibility
There are 2 ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme:
- you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit – known as the ‘core group’
- you’re on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme – known as the ‘broader group’
How you apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme depends on how you qualify for the discount.
Pre-pay or pay-as-you-go meters
You can still qualify for the discount if you use a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter.
Your electricity supplier can tell you how you’ll get the discount if you’re eligible, for example a voucher you can use to top up your meter.
The eligibility criteria are specific to the energy supplier, but you might qualify if you receive any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit
- Or your gross annual household income is less than £16,190
In addition, you must also be in receipt of one of the following:
- Have parental responsibility for a child aged 5 or under
- Child Tax Credit
- Disabled Child Premium or Element
- Disability, Enhanced Disability or Severe Disability Premiums
- Disability Living Allowance (For an adult or child within the household) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance (For an adult or child within the household) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Pensioner Premium, Higher Pensioner Premium or Enhanced Pensioner Premium
Energy suppliers that are part of scheme
The following suppliers are part of the scheme:
- Angelic Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- Atlantic – see SSE
- Avro Energy
- Beam Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- Boost
- Bristol Energy – only if you’re eligible for the ‘core group’
- British Gas
- Bulb Energy
- Citizen Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- Co-operative Energy
- E (Gas and Electricity)
- Ebico – see Robin Hood Energy
- Economy Energy has closed – use OVO
- EDF Energy
- E.ON
- Extra Energy has closed – use Scottish Power
- First Utility – now Shell Energy
- Flow Energy
- Fosse Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- GB Energy – see Co-operative Energy
- Great North Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- Green Network Energy
- Green Star/Hudson
- Liverpool Energy Community Company (LECCy) – see Robin Hood Energy
- Lumo
- npower
- Octopus Energy
- Our Power has closed – use Utilita
- OVO
- Powershop – see npower
- Ram Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- Robin Hood Energy – only if you’re eligible for the ‘core group’
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- Scottish Gas – see British Gas
- Scottish Hydro – see SSE
- ScottishPower
- Shell Energy (previously First Utility)
- Southern Electric – see SSE
- Spark
- SSE
- SWALEC – see SSE
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse
- White Rose Energy – see Robin Hood Energy
- Your Energy Sussex – see Robin Hood Energy
