You could get £150 off your electricity bill for winter under the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead if your supplier provides you with both gas and electricity. Contact your supplier to find out.
The discount will not affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment.
There are 2 ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme:
Core group 1
you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit - known as the ‘core group’
Core group 2
The qualifying means-tested benefits are:
Housing Benefit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income Support
the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit
Universal Credit
Plus, your home must meet the new ‘high energy cost’ rules. The government will use data from the Valuations Office Agency (VOA) to identify households that are likely to have high energy costs, using the following three benchmarks – Floor area, property age and property type.
Unfortunately, you will no longer qualify if your are in receipt of Personal Independance Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
You could also qualify if your household income falls below a certain threshold and you get either:
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit
Check if you’re eligible for the discount online.
You’ll receive a letter between November 2022 and January 2023 telling you about the discount if you’re eligible.
Most eligible households will receive an automatic discount. Your letter will say if you need to call a helpline by 28 February 2023 to confirm your details.
If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31 March 2023.
Contact the Warm Home Discount helpline if you do not get the letter by mid-January 2023 and you think you’re eligible.
You’ll need to call the helpline before 28 February 2023.
Warm Home Discount helpline
Telephone: 0800 107 8002 or 0800 731 02 14
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
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.
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.
You apply a different way if you live in a park home.
Park homes applications open in the autumn. Find out how to apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount.
Contact Charis Grants for more information about the scheme.
Charis Grants can only answer questions about the Park Homes Warm Home Discount.
For help with this information contact us on 01922 626693 or email info@ryecroftnrc.org