A guide to the Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount is a yearly payment that helps qualifying households reduce the cost of their energy bills during the winter months. Use the tabs below to learn more about the scheme, including the changes introduced for the 2022/23 winter season.
The Warm Home Discount is available to credit and pre-payment customers. To be eligible for the scheme, your household must meet the following criteria:
1. Your electricity company (on the qualifying date) must be taking part in the scheme AND
2a. You receive the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC), OR
2b. You meet the low income, high energy costs tests.
Suppliers who have 50,000 domestic customers or more have to provide the 2022/23 Warm Home Discount to eligible customers. That list includes:
• British Gas
• Bulb Energy
• E (Gas & Electricity) Ltd
• E.ON
• Ecotricity
• EDF
• ESB Energy
• Good Energy
• Green Energy (UK)*
• Octopus Energy
• Outfox the Market
• OVO (and Boost)
• Rebel Energy*
• Scottish Power
• Shell Energy
• Utilita
• Utility Warehouse
*These suppliers are voluntary members.
Customers receiving Guaranteed Pension Credit should get the discount automatically (Core Group 1). If you used to automatically receive the Warm Home Discount, you should continue to receive it automatically from your energy supplier.
Customers receiving ‘means-tested’ benefits with high estimated energy costs are also eligible (Core Group 2). The customer must have high estimated energy costs and receive one of the following means-tested benefits:
• Housing Benefit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support (IS)
• Universal Credit (UC)
• Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
• Tax Credits (with a household income below a set threshold)
The government will use information about your home to estimate your household’s energy costs. You’ll be able to check a property’s energy cost score online from November. It is worth bearing in mind that this estimate only considers the characteristics of your home: property type (flat, semi-detached, bungalow, etc.), age, and size (floor area). What you actually pay for your energy is not considered, so some people with high bills will unfortunately miss out.
The Warm Home Discount has increased from £140 to £150 for the 2022/23 winter. If you qualify, which will be confirmed by a letter in the post from Government in November/December, the rebate will be automatically applied to your energy account. In most cases, you’ll receive this rebate by 31 March 2023.
If you don’t qualify under Core Group 1 or Core Group 2 or you don’t purchase energy from a participating supplier, you may still benefit from the Industry Initiatives (e.g., financial assistance payments). Speak to any obligated energy supplier about this. Park home residents should contact Charis Grants Limited.
If the government has any trouble checking whether you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount, you may be sent a letter inviting you to call the dedicated helpline. It is important that you do so promptly to avoid missing out. Contact us if you have any questions about this.
Your supplier (on the date the scheme is launched) must give you the Warm Home Discount, even if you’ve changed to a different supplier after this date. It may be useful to contact them to check they still have your contact details after you have switched.
Your new supplier may choose to pay you the discount but, unfortunately, they do not have to.
