With the cold weather continuing across Wales over the weekend, many households are turning the heating up. The good news for anyone worrying about their bills is that many households will be due an automatic £25 payment thanks to the low temperatures.
The cold weather payment scheme runs from November 1 to March 31 and means that people on pension credit, income support and universal credit will receive an automatic £25 payment for every seven-day period in which the average temperatures in their area are below, or forecast to be below, zero degrees.
The scheme is calculated based on weather stations. There are 72 stations across the UK, and if the station which measures your area records (or is forecast for) a continuous below-zero temperature, it doesn't make a difference whether the temperature is actually below zero exactly where you live.
READ MORE: Martin Lewis: 11 ways to save money at Christmas including heating costs, free cash and shopping
You can use the official postcode checker to see if you're due a payment in your area. You should receive the payment if you're on Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, or Support for Mortgage Interest.
Here is the full list of Welsh postcodes that the UK Government says are owed a payment because of the temperatures in the last few days (and the ones forecast for next week):
- NP16, NP26 (Almondsbury weather station)
- LL24-25, LL41 (Capel Curig weather station)
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CH4-8, LL11-14, SY14 (Hawarden Airport weather station)
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HR2-3, HR5, NP7-8 (Hereford-Credenhill weather station)
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LL20-21, LL23, SY10, SY15-17, SY19, SY21-22 (Lake Vyrnwy weather station)
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CF37-48, CF81-83, LD3, NP4, NP11-13, NP22-24, NP44, SA9 (Libanus weather station)
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LD1-8, SA19-20, SY7, SY9, SY18 (Llysdinam weather station)
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SA1-8, SA14-18, SA31-34, SA61-63, SA66-73 (Pembrey Sands weather station)
You should receive the payment automatically but it's worth keeping an eye out to make sure. Areas on the other side of the English border are also included - for instance, postcodes CH1-4 (covered by Hawarden Airport) and English postcodes in HR1-8 (Hereford-Credenhill) will also receive the payment.
With an ice and fog warning issued for Wales heading into next week, the tough weather conditions are set to continue. If you want more money-saving information, you can subscribe to our money newsletter here.
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