What is the Warm Home Discount scheme?
The Warm Home Discount for the 2022-2023 winter season is set at £150, and takes the form of a one-off discount on your electricity bill if you are eligible for the scheme. The scheme opens in November 2022.The discount is not given directly to you, but applied automatically to your energy bill between October and March. Effectively, the government uses data to tell suppliers which customers to apply the discount to. You can ask for your supplier to apply the discount to your gas bill instead, if you pay for both fuels with them.
You can also get the Warm Home Discount if you're on a prepayment or pay as you go meter. Your supplier will decide how the discount is applied, but it's often in the form of a voucher you can use to top up your meter.
Energy Industry Initiatives
As well as the direct Warm Home Discount of £150, some suppliers offer a type of indirect Warm Home Discount scheme known as Industry Initiatives.These initiatives provide customers with the services of a third party to help reduce the cost of your energy. This can include advice about energy saving and help with reducing energy debts. Industry Initiatives can be taken up even if your energy supplier does not offer the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Am I eligible for the Warm Home Discount scheme?
The Warm Home Discount, like the Social Tariff scheme it replaced, is designed to help those who are vulnerable or may need help covering their energy bills during the winter months, when energy bills tend to be the most expensive.So who gets the Warm Home Discount?
Core Group 1
You are automatically eligible for the Warm Home Discount if on 21 August 2022you were in receipt of the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit as well). This group was formerly referred to as the 'core group' of those eligible.Aside from being eligible, you also have to check that your supplier participates in the scheme (small suppliers especially may not offer it) - we've listed these suppliers below. You must also check that your name (or your partner’s) appear on the electricity bill.
Core Group 2
Formerly called the "broader group", this group is comprised of those who don’t fall into Core Group 1 but may still be able to get the Warm Home Discount. This is because some suppliers also offer the discount to a ‘broader group’ of customers, such as low income households, especially those with young children.In these cases, each supplier has its own eligibility criteria and a limit on how many discounts it will pay out. The standard requirements are:
- You're on a low income
- You receive at least one of the following means-tested benefits: Income Support; Income-based Jobseekers Allowance; Income-related Employment & Support Allowance; Housing Benefit; Universal Credit; Child Tax Credit; Working Tax Credits; Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC).
Your home must meet also new ‘high energy cost’ rules. This is where data around floor area, property age and property type is used by the government to identify households that are likely to have high energy costs.
Our interactive tool below can help you find out if you could be eligible for the Warm Home Discount and other government schemes.
What energy discount schemes am I eligible for?
How can I claim the Warm Home Discount?
Core Group 1 and 2
There is no need to apply for the Warm Home Discount anymore - your supplier will automatically apply the discount to your bill if you are eligible.To find out whether you qualify, you can call the government Warm Home Discount phone line on 0800 731 0214 between 14 November 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Which energy suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount?
Previously, any supplier with more than 250,000 customers had to offer the Warm Home Discount scheme to the core eligible group. As of 2020, this was extended to suppliers with more than 150,000 customers. Some smaller suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount to their customers voluntarily.The following suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount in the 2021-2022 season:
- Affect Energy (Octopus Energy)
- Atlantic (SSE)
- Boost
- British Gas
- Bulb
- Co-op Energy (Octopus Energy)
- E Gas and Electricity
- Ecotricity — core group only
- EDF
- E.ON Next
- Green Energy — core group only
- Great North Energy — core group only
- London Power (Octopus Energy)
- M&S Energy (Octopus Energy)
- Octopus Energy
- OVO Energy
- Powershop
- Qwest Energy (Octopus Energy)
- Roar Power (Octopus Energy)
- Sainsbury's Energy
- Scottish Hydro (SSE)
- ScottishPower
- Shell Energy (formerly First Utility)
- So Energy
- Southern Electric (SSE)
- SSE
- SWALEC (SSE)
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse
Please note that some providers require re-application for the Warm Home Discount if you switch energy supplier.
If your energy supplier is not listed above but you’re in an eligible group, you can get the discount by switching to a supplier that offers the Warm Home Discount. If you don’t want to switch, ask your supplier whether they offer extra support through Industry Initiatives instead.
What happens to my Warm Home Discount if I switch suppliers?
Although switching your energy supplier is usually a simple and effective way of reducing your bills, you should check your supplier's rules regarding the Warm Home Discount and switching.If you have already received the discount, then you could be fine to switch suppliers. But if you're still waiting for it, then there could be complications in switching supplier, and you could risk not receiving your discount.
If you think you might not be eligible for the Warm Home Discount but you need to cut your bills, do a quick energy comparison online to see how much you could save on your energy supply.
Additional help for vulnerable energy customers
As well as the Warm Home Discount, there are other financial assistance programmes available for energy customers. Claiming the Warm Home Discount doesn't affect your eligibility for these schemes.The Cold Weather Payment is a government payment when temperatures drop below zero for a sustained amount of time. Although it isn't paid out very often, it is worth keeping a note of. Learn more about the Cold Weather Payment on our dedicated guide page.
If you were born on or before 26 September 1955, you may also be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment or winter fuel allowance. The winter fuel payment is a tax-free payment of between £100 and £300 to help certain groups of people pay for their heating over winter. Whether you qualify or not depends on your circumstances, which in turn will determine how much you are entitled to.
There may also be energy efficiency grants available to you. Qualifying for these grants means you can get your home insulated for free. Home insulation is a great way to both cut your energy bills as well as waste less gas and electricity.
Use our interactive tool above to check your eligibility for the Warm Home Discount and other schemes.
You can also make small changes around the home and make adjustments to your energy behaviour to see savings on your bills. Get free energy-saving tips now.
