The Government's Warm Home Discount scheme gives households claiming certain benefits a £150 discount on their electricity bills between October and March each year.
Households eligible for this year’s Warm Home Discount only have until Thursday (29 February) to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The Warm Home Discount has run since 2011 and aims to help households most at risk of fuel poverty. The majority of the eligible recipients will get the concession automatically.
In England and Wales, you’ll qualify if you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, or if you are on a low income and have high energy costs.
For those in Scotland, you’ll receive the discount if you have the same credit elements, or you are on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme.
There’s a different scheme in Northern Ireland, called the Affordable Warmth Scheme.
Eligible households in England, Wales and Scotland should have received a letter telling them when the discount will be applied. If you receive the letter, you can contact the Warm Home Discount Helpline on 0800 030 9322 and confirm your details to see if you are eligible.
You have until this Thursday (29 February) to make that call, and the Government has provided an eligibility checker for households to use ahead of the deadline.
If you have not received a letter and believe you are eligible for the discount, you need to contact the DWP before the end of Thursday.
DWP guidance says: “If you do not get a letter and you think you’re eligible, you must contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme before February 29, 2024.”
The support covers winter 2023 to 2024, and eligible households will see the reduction applied to their energy bill up until 31 March 2024. If you have a prepayment meter, you’ll be sent a top-up voucher.
Energy bills are set to fall from April, when the new energy price cap of £1,690 takes effect.
