As temperatures drop this winter, some people in the UK are eligible for the one-off Warm Homes Discount Scheme, which provides a £150 reduction on electricity bills until March 2025. Only certain energy suppliers participate in the scheme, and the money is not paid directly into the recipient’s bank account. Eligibility for the scheme includes receiving the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit, being on a low income with high energy costs, living in Scotland and claiming certain benefits, and receiving other benefits such as housing benefit, income-related ESA, JSA, Income Support, Savings Credit portion of Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, or Working Tax Credit. If the household income is below a certain cap and either Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit is received, eligibility may also be met.
To qualify for the Warm Homes Discount Scheme without receiving Pension Credit, certain criteria must have been met on August 11 of the year. These criteria include having an energy supplier that is part of the scheme, receiving certain means-tested benefits or tax credits, having a property with a high energy cost score based on its characteristics, and having the electricity bill in the recipient’s or their partner’s name. Energy costs are modelled using an algorithm applied to three property characteristics, which determines whether a property is considered to have high energy costs.
Several energy suppliers offer the Warm Homes Discount Scheme, including Affect Energy (now part of Octopus Energy), Boost Energy, British Gas, Co-op Energy, E, Ecotricity, EDF Energy, E.ON Next, Good Energy, Home Energy, London Power, Octopus Energy, Outfox the Market, OVO Energy, Rebel Energy, Sainsbury’s Energy, Scottish Power, Shell Energy Retail, So Energy, Tomato Energy, Tru Energy, Utilita, Utility Warehouse, and 100Green (previously Green Energy UK). Individuals seeking more information can contact their energy supplier directly or get in touch with the news team via email.
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