Hard-up households urged to look out for letter with details of £150 free energy bill discount for this winter
HARD-UP households need to keep an eye out for letters arriving on doormats in the coming weeks concerning a £150 energy bill discount.
The Warm Home Discount (WHD) is a £150 reduction on your electricity or gas bill applied by energy firms once a year.
In the vast majority of cases, you will receive the discount automatically and don’t need to apply.
Letters are also sent to households eligible for the discount to let them know when to expect it.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero administers the WHD each year and has confirmed to The Sun that most letters should be received between October and December this year.
If you are eligible and have not received a letter by early January, you should check your energy account to see if it has been credited the £150.
If it hasn’t, you should contact the Warm Home Discount helpline. This number will be available via the Government’s website from October.
Households in England and Wales qualify for the WHD if they fall into two groups – “core group 1” and “core group 2”.
Core group 1 is those receiving the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit who are guaranteed the discount.
Core group 2 is those receiving any number of benefits and having what’s known as a high energy cost score.
The list of benefits that puts you into core group 2 is: Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, the “Savings Credit” part of Pension Credit and Universal Credit.
You may also qualify if your household income falls below a certain threshold and you get tax credits.
Your energy cost score is based on the type, age and size of your property and is assessed by the Government.
Households in Scotland don’t have to apply for WHD if they are on the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
However, if you fall outside this group, you have to apply directly via your energy supplier.
How and when is the WHD paid?
The discount is usually applied between October and March, typically as a credit on your account depending on how you pay for your energy.
The £150 is usually deducted from your electricity bill, but you can also get the money off your gas bill if your supplier provides both your gas and electricity.
You should get in touch with your energy supplier to ask if they will give you a discount on your gas bill.
If you are a direct debit customer or smart prepayment meter customer, you should get the £150 automatically added as credit on your account.
Traditional prepayment meter customers are sent top-up vouchers by post, email or text. You may also receive a cheque.
You have 90 days to redeem any vouchers, but your supplier can reissue you one if it gets lost or expires.
Any vouchers have to be redeemed at your nearest Post Office branch or PayPoint shop.
Other help to pay for energy bills
If you don’t qualify for the Warm Home Discount, you might be able to get help via the Household Support Fund.
The fund was due to close at the end of this month but it has been extended until next spring, with a further £421million added to the pot.
The £421million pot has been shared between councils in England who then have to allocate their portion.
That means what you can get, and who is eligible, depends on where you live.
However, in most cases, help is offered to those who are on benefits, have a low income or are classed as vulnerable.
To find out if you are eligible, contact your local council and see what help is on offer.
You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool on its website.
Beyond the Household Support Fund, you may also be able to get a grant on your energy bills if you have fallen into debt.
A number of energy firms offer help to customers worth up to £2,000 including British Gas, Octopus Energy and OVO.
Why the Warm Home Discount is as important as ever
The Warm Home Discount is back for another year, and it is an important as ever.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains why.
Millions of pensioners have seen their winter fuel payments scrapped this year after the Government made it means-tested.
The up to £300 payment used to be available to anyone of state pension age, currently 66, or older.
However, you now only qualify if you receive one of the following: Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, or tax credits.
The eligibility for the Warm Home Discount is the same, except those on Housing Benefit qualify for the WHD but not the winter fuel payment.
In any case, with energy bills rising from October 1, the WHD has never been more important to thousands of households struggling with the cost of living.
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