If you live in England or Wales, you don’t need to apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme anymore.

I live in England or Wales

Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount scheme gives a one-off payment of £150 to those who are potentially struggling to pay their energy bills during the cold winter months.

Don’t forget, if you live in England or Wales and are eligible for the payment, you won't need to apply as the Government will automatically tell us who to pay. If you think you’re eligible but haven't received confirmation, please contact the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 030 9322.

Who can get the Warm Home Discount?

There are two groups eligible for the Warm Home Discount; Core Group 1 and Core Group 2. The DWP haven't confirmed the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount yet, please check the GOV.UK website for all the latest updates.

If you meet the criteria for these groups and have a live electricity supply with us on the qualification date (11 August 2024) – we’ll let you know if you’re eligible by early December. If you’re live with another supplier on 11 August 2024, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.

How and when will I get the payment?

In England and Wales, if you’re eligible for the payment, you don’t need to apply. The Government carries out checks using data it holds on your household and benefits to decide who receives the £150. They then tell us who to pay.

Your Warm Home Discount payment will be sent in different ways depending on how you pay for your energy. Please check how you’ll be receiving your payment below.

If you’re a PAYG customer with a smart meter:
You’ll receive your £150 straight onto your electricity meter in two payments (both worth £75) - one in December, and one in January. Want to move to gas? No problem, you can do this using Transfer Credit in My Utilita – easy.

If you’re a PAYG customer and you don’t have a smart meter:
You’ll receive two vouchers (both worth £75) - one in December, and one in January. Then you’ll just need to visit your local PayPoint store to redeem the vouchers.

If you’re a Credit customer, or you pay on receipt of a bill:
You’ll receive your £150 payment when we send you over your January bill.

It's important your details are up to date with us. Specifically, your name must match our records exactly as they appear on the DWP's database. If your name changes, or there's a mismatch - you need to tell both us and the DWP as soon as possible as inconsistencies could affect your payment.

Give us a call on 01962 679 056 if you need to change the name we have on record for you. If you need to update any other details, the easiest way to do this is via My Utilita.

FAQs

Will I still get the Warm Home Discount if I switch supplier?

We’ll be responsible for your payment If you have a live electricity supply with us on the qualification date (11 August 2024), and you meet the criteria. If you’re live with another supplier on this date, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.
What happens if I move house?

It’s super important customers in England and Wales follow the usual change of tenancy process and give us their forwarding address, so they can receive the rebate.
How can I find out what benefits I receive?

You can head to the Government website and sign into your account to find out what benefits you currently receive by visiting www.gov.uk/browse/benefits.
Why is the scheme different in Scotland to England/Wales?

The Warm Home Discount (WHD) Scotland will run alongside the expanded and reformed WHD for England and Wales. The changes that are being implemented in England and Wales cannot be directly replicated in Scotland because the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data, which we will use to identify homes in Core Group 2 which are high cost to heat, does not apply in Scotland and the Scottish Assessors (the Scottish equivalent of the Valuation Office Agency) do not collect equivalent data in Scotland.
How do I know if my home meets the ‘high energy cost’ rules?

The Government will use data from the Valuations Office Agency (VOA) to identify households that are likely to have high energy costs, using the following three benchmarks – Floor area, property age and property type.
Floor area
Larger floor area leads to higher energy costs, therefore low-income households with a larger floor plan will have greater challenges meeting their energy needs.
Property age
The age of a property is a strong indicator of energy requirements. Older properties are more likely to have lower energy ratings, whereas new builds tend to have lower energy costs.
Property type
The type of the property will impact energy usage, for example detached houses are more costly to heat as they have more external walls.
I used to apply in the Broader Group, what now?

The new Core Group 2 replaces the Broader Group from previous scheme years. To qualify for the Warm Home Discount payment, your home must meet the new ‘high energy cost’ rules and you’ll need to meet eligibility criteria outlined by the DWP. The eligibility criteria hasn’t been confirmed for the Warm Home Discount yet, please check the GOV.UK website for all the latest updates.
Can I move my Warm Home Discount payment between meters?

Yes! My Utilita users can make use of our Transfer Credit feature to move funds between meters.

Simply head to the Payments section of the My Utilita app and select Savings. From here, you can select your meter and the amount you’d like to transfer to your savings. Once this is complete, use any funds from your savings to top-up the meter of your choice.

Important: Your selected meter balance will need to be above £7 as you’ll need at least £5 remaining on your meter – this leaves a minimum transfer amount of £2. Alternatively, if you haven’t submitted an up to date meter reading, you may not be able to use this feature.

Please leave up to 30 minutes for the transfer to complete. If credit hasn’t been transferred after this time, contact customer services.
My benefits have changed recently, will this affect my eligibility?

If your benefits change, this could affect your eligibility, and if you get the Warm Home Discount Payment or not. To be eligible, you must meet the benefits criteria on the qualifying date.

We’ve confirmed directly with all our customers who will be getting the payment in Core Group 1 or Core Group 2.

For more information you can visit GOV.UK, which will include an online tool for checking your eligibility and information on how to contact the helpline.
I live in the borders; how will I know if I am eligible in England & Wales or Scotland?

If you think you may come under Scotland rather than England and Wales, you can use the Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD). The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) use this database for determining Scottish postcodes for the Core Groups.
How do I access the online eligibility checker?

The Government online eligibility checker will be available from mid-October 2024. The tool will be available at GOV.UK.

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Don’t forget, if you live in England or Wales, you don’t need to apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme anymore.

The Government carries out checks using data it holds on your household and benefits to decide who receives the £150. They then tell us who to pay. More information can be found on their website.