An estimated 22 million households across the UK will see their energy prices rise from April 1 as Ofgem’s 54% price cap comes into effect.
In real terms, this means the energy price cap for average annual consumption on the standard tariffs will rise by £693 to £1,971 per year, while homes on pre-payment meters will see an increase of £708 to £2,017.
But some people may have missed out on crucial financial support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) during the winter months and only have until close of business today (March 31) to check and claim if they are eligible for either a Cold Weather Payment or help directly towards their heating bills through the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
Both these support funds close on March 31 and while payments should have been made automatically into eligible benefit claimants accounts, mistakes can happen - especially if you recently changed your bank account or energy supplier, if yours went bust.
Below is everything you need to know about eligibility and claiming - due to the deadline on these funds, it’s probably best to contact DWP as soon as possible to query or make a claim.
What is a Cold Weather Payment?
People on a low income and in receipt of certain benefits can claim the £25 Cold Weather Payment to help with heating costs when the temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, colder than zero degrees Celsius across seven consecutive days.
You get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather from now until March 31, 2021.
After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. It’s paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.
Postcodes that have triggered Cold Weather Payments this winter:
- AB34
- AB35
- AB36
- AB37
- PH10
- PH11
- PH18
- PH19
- PH20
- PH21
- PH22
- PH23
- PH24
- PH25
- PH26
- IV4
- IV6
- IV7
- IV13
- IV14
- IV 15
- IV16
- IV23
- IV24
- IV63
Who is eligible for Cold Weather Payments?
You may be eligible for Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:
Pension Credit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest
You can read the full details for eligibility for each of these on the GOV.UK website here.
How to claim Cold Weather Payments
You do not need to apply. If you’re eligible to get a Cold Weather Payment, you should have been paid automatically, but if your postcode is listed and you didn't receive a payment, contact DWP today.
You can also check if you can get a payment in your area.
Find out more about Cold Weather Payments on the GOV.UK website here.
Warm Home Discount
You might already have received £140 off your electricity bill for winter 2021 to 2022 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme which opened in October.
The money is not paid to you - it’s a one-off discount on your electricity bill, between October and March 31, 2022.
Last month, only a few energy suppliers were still offering this discount, however, if you're energy supplier collapsed after October and you were moved to a new supplier, you may have slipped through the net so it's worth checking to make sure you're not missing out.
Am I eligible?
There are two ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme:
- You get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit - known as the ‘core group’
- 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.
Prepayment or pay-as-you-go meters
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 will get the discount if you’re eligible, for example it may be a voucher you can use to top up your meter.
How to apply
Your electricity supplier decides who can get the discount.
The number of discounts suppliers can give is limited. Check with your supplier today to see if you’re eligible and how to apply - check with them even if you were eligible for a discount last year.
Your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by March 31, 2022.
Energy suppliers
For the full list of participating energy suppliers, visit the dedicated page on the GOV.UK website here.
This page also has details on what will happen if you qualify but your energy supplier is no longer trading.
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