Warm Home Discount
You could get £140 off your electricity bill for winter 2019 to 2020 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
The Warm Home Discount is offered by the government through energy suppliers with more than 250,000 customers. It reduces your electricity bill if you are a customer of one of the larger suppliers and are also eligible.
The Warm Home Discount is £140 and comes off your electricity bill total between October and March. Getting the discount won’t affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment. The scheme is set to run until 2020.
Who is eligible for the Warm Home Discount?
You may qualify automatically for the Warm Home Discount if on 10th July 2016 (the ‘qualifying’ day) your supplier was part of the scheme, you or your partner’s name was on the bill and you were either:
- Aged 75 or over and are receiving the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you receive Savings Credit)
- Aged 75 or under and are only getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (you won’t qualify for this if you are also getting Savings Credit)
If you don’t qualify automatically you must apply. Each energy supplier has their own eligibility for the scheme – including low income, welfare benefits, age and disability. Talk to us if you need help.
How to claim the Warm Home Discount if you might qualify
If you believe you might qualify for the discount, you can fill in an application form online at your electricity supplier’s website or call them. If you need help, we can do this for you. Please note: this year schemes open around August and close when each supplier has allocated their funds, so it is best to apply as soon as they open. Unless you qualify automatically, you will need to apply for the scheme every year.
How is the Warm Home Discount received?
The money isn’t paid to you directly. A one-off discount of £140 (inclusive of VAT) is taken off your electricity bill total if you qualify for the scheme automatically or have successfully applied. In the future, if you have dual fuel, you will be able to decide if you’d like this taken off your gas account instead. If you are on a pre-payment meter, you can still qualify for the discount and your supplier will tell you how they apply it.