Energy customers in Scotland claiming certain benefits may be able to get £150 deducted from their electricity bill this winter through the Warm Home Discount scheme. The money is paid directly by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to energy suppliers between October, 2022 and March, 2023.
Eligible households may also be able to get the discount off their gas bill instead - if their supplier provides them with both gas and electricity. However, due to new rule changes this year, many Scottish households might need to apply for the discount and some suppliers have already opened the scheme for applications.
British Gas, Scottish Gas, EDF, Octopus and Shell energy customers in Scotland can now check if they qualify and contact their supplier to make a claim. The UK Government will write to eligible households who are in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit to let them know when the money will be applied to their energy account, however Scots claiming certain means-tested benefits will need to apply directly to their supplier for the discount.
If you’re a credit customer the £150 will be added to your electricity account and if you’re on Pay As You Go/Prepayment, you’ll be sent a voucher that you can use to top-up your meter.
A dedicated helpline will open on November 14 for anyone with queries about the scheme to coincide with the reopening of the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales.
We will update this article with the dedicated telephone number once it has been released.
Warm Home Discount 2022/23 is not yet open in Scotland for customers with:
- Boost
- Bulb - but you can register for it
- E Gas & Electricity
- Ecotricity
- E.on
- E.on Next
- Ovo Energy
- Sainsbury's Energy
- Scottish Power
- So Energy
- SSE
- Utility Warehouse
Members of the Daily Record Money Saving Scotland Facebook group are sharing updates of their own energy suppliers, you can join the conversation here.
The additional financial help with heating bills will be a welcome relief to eligible households following the announcement that the UK Government’s £2,500 Energy Price Guarantee will end in April and not in 2024 as originally planned.
However, the £400 energy rebate will continue until March, providing discounts of £66/£67 on electricity bills this winter.
Do I qualify for the £150 Warm Home Discount?
The eligibility requirements for the Warm Home Discount Scheme have changed this winter. Below is everything you need to know whether you live in Scotland, England or Wales.
People living in Scotland
If you live in Scotland, you qualify if you either:
- get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit - known as the ‘core group’
- are 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.
People living in England and Wales
If you live in England and Wales, you qualify if you either:
- get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit - known as ‘core group 1’
- are on a low income and have high energy costs - known as ‘core group 2’
In both eligibility groups, DWP will make an assessment of your energy costs based on the property you live in. They will then write to you and confirm if you are eligible from November.
If you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit
You qualify for the Warm Home Discount if on August 21, 2022 all of the following applied:
- your energy supplier is part of the scheme
- your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill
- you or your partner are getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit as well)
This is known as being in the ‘core group’ in Scotland and being in the ‘core group 1’ in England and Wales.
How to get the £150 discount
The scheme for both groups - core group and core group 1 - opens on November 14, 2022.
You will 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, but some may have to apply - check with your supplier.
Your letter will say if you need to call a helpline by February 28, 2023 to confirm your details.
If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by March 31, 2023.
Scotland - if you’re on a low income (broader group)
If you do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit you may be able to apply directly to your electricity supplier.
All the following must apply:
- your energy supplier is part of the scheme
- you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
- your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill
DWP advises that your supplier may have additional criteria so you need to check with them if you’re eligible.
Qualifying benefits - Scotland
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
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
In Scotland, your electricity supplier decides who can get the discount. MoneySavingExprt.com has a handy guide to the qualifying criteria for each benefit which you can find here.
The number of discounts suppliers can give is limited, so check with your supplier as early as possible to see if you’re eligible and how to apply. Check with them even if you were eligible for the Warm Home Discount last year.
If you are eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by March 31, 2023.
England and Wales - if you’re on a low income (core group 2)
If you do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you may still be eligible if on August 21, 2022 all of the following apply:
- your energy supplier is part of the scheme
- you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
- your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics
- your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill
This is known as being in the ‘core group 2’.
Qualifying benefits England and Wales
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
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
The scheme for ‘core group 2’ opens on November 14, 2022. You will receive a letter between November 2022 and January 2023 telling you about the discount if you’re eligible.
If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by March 31, 2023.
Warm Home Discount for Park / mobile homes
You apply a different way if you live in a park home.
Applications for winter 2022 to 2023 opened in September.
The scheme is available for permanent residents living in a Park Home in Scotland, England or Wales who pay their electricity bills directly to their park site owner. Applications will be considered on a first come first serve basis.
Find out how to apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount here.
Participating suppliers
The dedicated page on GOV.UK will be updated soon with a list of all participating suppliers, you can find out more on the GOV.UK website here.
To keep up to date with the latest cost of living news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
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