How to find out if you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount scheme

James Hockaday
Updated
Woman In Gloves With Laptop And Bill Trying To Keep Warm By Radiator During Cost Of Living Energy Crisis
The government is offering the £150 'Warm Home Discount' as it faces criticism for cutting winter fuel payments. (Getty Images) (Daisy-Daisy via Getty Images)

Around three million households on low incomes and pensions stand to benefit from a £150 payment by the government to help with their energy bills this winter.

For most energy suppliers, new claims for the Warm Home Discount scheme will open next month, although a handful of companies in Scotland have opened the scheme early.

It comes as the government continues to face criticism, including from within the Labour Party, over its decision to restrict winter fuel payments by making them means-tested, which the Treasury has claimed it has been forced to do after inheriting a £22bn "black hole" in public finances left behind by the previous Conservative leadership.

Here, Yahoo News explains how to check if you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount and how to claim the payment.

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off, yearly payment of £150 to help people on a low income or pension with their energy costs over the winter.

Usually, the payment is deducted from your electricity bill, but you may be able to get it off your gas instead if you have the same supplier for both.

If you’re eligible, your supplier will apply the discount to your bill, meaning the money is not paid directly to you.

According to British Gas, those who qualify for the winter 2024/25 payment should have their discount applied by the end of March 2025 at the latest.

In England and Wales, which has its own version of the scheme, those who are eligible should get the discount automatically.

You can qualify for the discount if you either receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or if you are on a low income and have what the government terms "high energy costs". You can check if this applies to you by using the Warm Home Discount online tool from October.

The rules are a bit different in Scotland, where most people still need to apply for the discount themselves.

If you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you’ll automatically get a letter telling you about the discount if you’re eligible, but otherwise, you'll need to apply directly through your supplier.

You may be eligible for the discount in Scotland if you or your partner get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits, and if your name, or your partner's name, is on the electricity bill. Your supplier may also have some additional eligibility criteria, so if in doubt, you should check with them.

In Scotland, payments are made on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limited supply of funds available. Some suppliers north of the border have already opened for applications this year.

There is no Warm Home Discount scheme in Northern Ireland, but you may be able to apply for the Affordable Warmth scheme instead.

You can still qualify for the discount if you use a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter.

Instead of having the £150 knocked off your bill, you could receive a voucher, provided at your local Post Office, which you can then use to top up your meter.

If you live in a mobile home, you'll have to apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount, which again is paid out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Only certain energy suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount, meaning you could still miss out on the payment even if you meet the other eligibility criteria.

The following suppliers are part of the scheme:

  • 100Green (formerly Green Energy UK or GEUK)

  • Affect Energy – see Octopus Energy

  • Boost

  • British Gas

  • Bulb Energy – see Octopus Energy

  • Co-op Energy - see Octopus Energy

  • E - also known as E (Gas and Electricity)

  • Ecotricity

  • E.ON Next

  • EDF

  • Good Energy

  • London Power

  • Octopus Energy

  • Outfox the Market

  • OVO

  • Rebel Energy

  • Sainsbury’s Energy

  • Scottish Gas – see British Gas

  • ScottishPower

  • Shell Energy Retail

  • So Energy

  • Tomato Energy

  • TruEnergy

  • Utilita

  • Utility Warehouse

If the electricity supplier you were with stops trading, for example, if the company collapses, you may still be eligible for a Warm Home Discount after Ofgem appoints a new supplier for you.

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