Warm home discount confusion.

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  • mathewsmith's Avatar
    Level 1
    Ok, So I am confused. I have received a letter from the DWP saying "We are pleased to tell you that you qualify for a discount of £150 to help you with the cost of your energy bill."
    My confusion stems from the fact I am not the named bill holder and I do not have a partner. The Gov website states: your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill, to qualify.
    I do hope they do not think my 87 year old mother is my partner!
  • 11 Replies

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    retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    Best Answer
    @mathewsmith

    The energy company knows who you are and where you live. The same would apply to the DWP for your mother. The data matches...job's a good'un.

    I'm sure it's a 'generic' letter rather than specifically worded to your actual circumstances. So long as one resident qualifies, then it should be all sorted.

    I'm in the same situation. My other co-resident qualifies, I am the bill payer. We aren't married and she's not me Mam!

    Last edited by retrotecchie; 19-11-22 at 12:32.
    Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player. I DON'T work for or on behalf of EON.Next, but am willing to try and help if I can. Not on mains gas, mobile network or mains drainage. House heated almost entirely by baby dragons.
  • mathewsmith's Avatar
    Level 1
    @retrotecchie

    It even says on the EON NEXT web page that you have to be a named account holder or partner of to qualify.
    I do not meet either of those criteria, if your partner qualifies that's fine as they are your partner and you are named account but neither of those are applicable to me.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @mathewsmith

    Well in that case, somehow you've 'dipped in'. We haven't had our letter yet, so we eagerly await to see what ours says.

    The system is mostly administered by DWP to determine qualification. Perhaps the DWP have you down in their records somewhere in regards to your mother?
  • PeterT_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    @mathewsmith

    Very interesting to hear this actually...

    As the WHD scheme has changed this year, as @retrotecchie has said, the DWP must have some info to tie you to your mother.

    Either way, this year, the scheme is determined based on certain means tested benefits as well as how much energy the home uses (we're not 100% sure on how they determine this, we believe its the EPC rating of the home as this is accessible information to them)

    As they have your name and your address, this will be applied to your mothers account before March 31st if the bills are in her name.
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  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    Its probably been matched just by address, not by name. As @retrotecchie says the first determination is by DWP, then by the energy company. Core group get it automatically, but others have to have a high cost home (energy wise) based on data from the Valuation Office Agency. But the pot at each company is finite and once it's all been allocated that's it. There could even be cases where homes would qualify with company A but not with company B. It's a new form of the post code lottery - at least nobody has paid to enter.

    Who at the property qualifies with one of the eligible benefit criteria (might not be just one!). Who is the account holder? I do love puzzles.
    Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @PeterT_EONNext

    EPC is nothing to do with it. The determination of 'high heating cost' property is done by the Valuation Office Agency. Only around 19 percent of houses have an EPC. New builds, for which it is compulsory, or houses that have changes hands in the last ten years or so.

    The VOA data covers around 98% of homes in the UK as part of the determination of Council Tax bands, etc. The few homes that aren't on their database will have their hard to heat homes assessment based on age, location, type of construction, on or off the gas grid, etc. EPC will be used in a very few limited circumstances.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @meldrewreborn

    I also suspect the 'first come, first served' basis for Core 2 might also be based on the first two letters of your NI number as I hear the assessments are being carried out in alphabetical order....

    As my partner's name and NI number is down at the very bottom of the alphabet, I somehow suspect we will dip out. We're entitled, but the pot is empty by, say, N. 😝

    Edited to say well, we qualify. I've never considered myself to be 'entitled' to very much...
    Last edited by retrotecchie; 19-11-22 at 13:25.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @retrotecchie

    I think not - its the property rating that will determine the cut off line.

    NI numbers were not issued in any particular type of sequence.

    Incidentally do you know what the last letter of an NI number was for - many moons ago?
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @meldrewreborn

    I thought it was a check digit, but could be wrong.

    I know that 'temporary' NI numbers used to be the first two letters of your surname, your d.o.b. in six digit format, then your gender (M or F) as the last letter. I suspect in these woke times, the last bit no longer applies.