The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is reminding households across the UK that they may be entitled to extra financial support if they claim certain benefits.
This extra money can help keep homes warm in the colder months and Scots can claim until the end of March.
This comes as the new energy price cap of 54 percent has been announced by Ofgem.
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The UK Government also announced they would be offering a £200 loan to households to help support the high bill increase that is set to hit households from April 1.
The new cap will increase the average energy bill with an extra £693 per year for each household.
As the Daily Record reports, if your home is in a place where temperatures reach freezing for seven days straight, the Cold Weather Payment is triggered.
Already 13,000 Cold Weather Payments have been triggered in 25 postcode areas across Scotland.
This is when an automatic top-up of £25 is triggered when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for a week at any of the 27 weather stations across Scotland.
Between November 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the UK Government paid out almost £100 million in Cold Weather Payments, including 854,000 to households across Scotland around Inverness, Aberdeen and Perth, totalling more than £21 million.
Commenting on the scheme, DWP Lords Minister Baroness Stedman-Scott said: “These additional payments provide support every year to help people experiencing the coldest weather, without anyone needing to lift a finger.
“Cold Weather Payments can be triggered right through to the end of March, giving people facing disproportionately cold weather that extra reassurance over the chillier months.”
What is the Cold Weather Payment?
The Cold Weather Payment is available for people on low income and who receive certain benefits.
They can claim the £25 Cold Weather Payment to help with heating costs when the temperature is recorded or forecasted to reach zero degrees celsius or below for seven consecutive days.
You’ll 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.
It’s also worth noting that Cold Weather Payments do not affect your other benefits.
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’ll be paid automatically.
Find out more about Cold Weather Payments on the GOV.UK website here.
Other help available with rising energy bills
Along with Cold Weather Payment, there are other methods available that you can receive to help with the cost of energy bills.
Winter Fuel Payment
To get the ‘Winter Fuel Payment’, you need to be born on or before September 26, 1955.
You could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills.
You do not need to claim it and the Winter Fuel Payment will be made automatically to your supplier if you are eligible.
You will automatically receive the support if you:
- Receive State Pension
- Get another social security benefit - not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit
If you do not get either of these, or if you live abroad, you may need to make a claim.
If you have received a Winter Fuel Payment before, you do not need to claim again unless you’ve deferred your State Pension or moved abroad.
Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payment
You qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment if both the following apply:
- You were born on or before September 26, 1955
- You lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of 20 to 26 September 2021 - this is called the ‘qualifying week’
The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2021 to 2022 is March 31, 2022.
How much you will get
How much you get depends on your circumstances during the qualifying week. Any money you get is tax-free and will not affect your other benefits.
You can find out how much you will receive on the dedicated GOV.UK pages here.
When you will get paid
Most payments are made automatically in November or December and should have been paid by January 14.
All payments are paid into the account where your benefits are usually made.
If the money has not been paid into your account already, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre here.
How to make a claim
If you have not received a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if any of the following apply:
- You do not get benefits or a State Pension
- You only get Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit
- You get benefits or a State Pension but live in Switzerland or an EEA country
If you have got a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if since your last payment you have either:
- Deferred your State Pension
- Moved to Switzerland or an EEA country
Who does not qualify?
You will not qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment if you:
- Are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- Need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you cannot claim public funds
- Were in prison for the whole week from 20 to 26 September 2021
- Lived in a care home for the whole time from 28 June to 26 September 2021, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Warm Home Discount
You could get £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, 2022.
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.
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.
Pre-pay 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 as early as possible 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.
