[DebF_EONNext]

What is the E.ON Next Warm Home Discount?

The E.ON Next Warm Home Discount (WHD) is there for those on a lower income who may be struggling with high energy costs over the colder winter months. It's a one off rebate of £150 that is credited to your electricity. Whoever supplied your energy on 13 August 2023 will be responsible for administering the discount.

Who's eligible for the Warm Home Discount?

In England and Wales there are two core groups eligible for WHD. There's no need to apply regardless of what Core Group you fall into as your eligibility will be identified by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). WHD will then be applied automatically to those that are eligible.

Core Group 1: This includes low income pensioners in receipt of the Guarantee element of Pension Credit.

Core Group 2: This includes those in receipt of a means tested benefit with the highest heating costs. Eligible benefits include:

• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Income based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income Support
• Housing Benefit
• Universal Credit
• Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits
• Pension Savings Credit (PCSC)

Things are slightly different in Scotland if you're part of the core group you will be credited automatically however the broader group will have to apply.

Core Group: This includes low income pensioners in receipt of the Guarantee element of Pension Credit

Broader Group: If you receive a means tested benefit or tax credits then you may be part of the broader group, you will need to apply for WHD. Applications are not open yet this is expected to open in mid - late October, we will keep this thread updated when applications open for the year. You will be able to apply through your online account.

How is the Warm Home Discount rebate paid?

• Credit customers - You will receive this as an adjustment on your account.
• Smart Pay as You Go customers - This will be applied directly to your meter.
• Prepayment customers - You will receive a voucher in the post. You must take this along with your key to the Post Office where the £150 will be applied directly to your prepayment key.

When will the Warm Home Discount be applied?

WHD will be applied to eligible accounts from November 2023 anytime up to the end of March 2024. Eligibility for the Core groups will be identified by DWP. You should receive a letter from them confirming eligibility. If you think you might be eligible but don't receive a letter then you will need to contact DWP for further information as we will not have any further details.

What if DWP hasn't contacted me but I think I'm eligible?

If you haven't heard from DWP by January 2024 you should either contact DWP directly or you can find out more details on the government's dedicated page for Warm Home Discount.

What if I switch suppliers or move home?

Core Group:
If you are in one of the Core groups then whoever supplied your energy on 13 August 2023 will be responsible for the discount so even if you've switched after this date they will still have to make the payment.

If we were your supplier on 13 August 2023 and you have changed suppliers or moved home we will usually send this as a cheque or post office voucher depending on your meter type. If however there's still an outstanding balance on your account then we will use this towards your account balance to help you pay this off instead. If you've moved we will need your new address to do this.

Broader Group:
If you're in the broader group and switch before WHD has been paid then you will need to contact your new supplier to see if you can apply again with them as their criteria may be different. Please keep in mind that we are unable to transfer applications between suppliers so you will need to contact your new supplier to start a new application.

Warm Home Discount applications are linked to your address so if you move before payment has been made then your application will be closed and you will need to re-apply at your new address.

** UPDATE **

Warm home discount applications are now open for customers who live in Scotland. You can apply by logging in to your online account and clicking "Apply for the Warm Home Discount" on the dashboard this will take you to the application form. It will look like this on the dashboard:



If you need support filling this in please contact an energy specialist and they will be able to complete the form with you.

[DebF_EONNext]

Applications for the E.ON Next Warm Home Discount 23/24 have now opened for customers in Scotland 13/10/23 folks 😊 This thread has now been updated with the relevant information.

[meldrewreborn]

@DebF_EONNext

This was a hot topic last year as the scheme was substantially revised , expanded but eligibility criteria changed which excluded those on disability grounds. The scheme criteria this year is the same as last year (and will be on current plans for several more years) so perhaps recipient are more in the know than they were. But of course people move home and their eligibility can change so its best to keep up to date on all this - for better or worse as they say.

[DebF_EONNext]

You are right @meldrewreborn the biggest changes happened last year however it's good to keep everything up to date though, this could be the first year someone has ever had warm home discount for instance, so always best to try and keep things relevant to now 😄

[TerryMc]

@DebF_EONNext
Does this mean I will not be eligible again this year?
Last Winter, although like this year, I fell into Core Group 2, but I didn't receive my automatic discount. I had been receiving the discount in previous years when I had to apply myself, and I have had no changes at all. I am 64, still disabled and live in a 150-year-old end terrace flat with cold outer walls. It takes a bit to keep it warm so since last Winter have tried to cut down on using the heating as not receiving the WHD I needed to save on bills as much as possible as we are not getting any help this winter directly from Government either.
Is the eligibility the same or have they updated it this year so those who lost out last Winter will be able to get it again?

[meldrewreborn]

@TerryMc

the rules are the same as last year, so you need to be in the core group in a home in the right council tax band and be in a high energy cost home. All 3 conditions have to be met and the process is said to be fairly automated - there is no application process. If nothing has changed for you from last year, then I suspect you will not qualify again. All you can do is wait and then appeal in January.

[DebF_EONNext]

Hiya @TerryMc 👋

If you want to find out more about eligibility criteria you might find the government Warm Home Discount information page helpful 😊. As mentioned above the eligibility side of things is determined by DWP and not the energy suppliers, if you are eligible they will inform us and we will then apply the payment automatically.

[meldrewreborn]

The largest group disadvantaged when the WHD was changed last year were those who received disability benefits. The exclusion of that criteria was deliberate to allow the discount to be focused on low income families as one of the main priorities.

[retrotecchie]

@meldrewreborn

Instead, those on disability payments were given a separate 'cost of living payment' cash award directly from the DWP totalling £900. The first tranche was paid in March, the second payment is due this autumn (that is, anytime now) and a third payment in spring 2024. So in actual fact, those folks disadvantaged on the WHD benefit were more than compensated for the change in eligibility.

So consider the disability payments as covering what you lose on the WHD, and a goodly chunk on top. In some cases, with very specific criteria, it was possible to qualify for both.

And if you qualified for both the WHD (discount off your bill), the DWP payment AND were off the gas grid and entitled to the AFP, then over the last 12 months and coming 6 months, you would be better off to the tune of around £1250.

You'd be even better off if you happened to live in Wales and received the Welsh Government off-grid Heating Support Payments. Another £200.

Oh, but you could even go one better than that. If you have a shared household with multiple unrelated occupants, and they split bills and are each responsible for a proportion of the heating bills and each received a suitable qualifying benefit, you were each entitled to claim. For instance a situation such as a disabled person and a resident full-time carer. The person on disability benefits qualified by dint of their disability payments and the carer was entitled by dint of receiving Carers Allowance. So add another £200 on to that.

And everyone got the £400 EBSS hand-out.

I appreciate that every situation is different and, as a carer for a disabled person myself, I'm aware of a lot of the hassle of form filling and jumping through hoops, and I wouldn't wish the pain of a PIP reassessment appeal on anyone.

But the disabled didn't dip out, and in a fair few cases, very much dipped in.

[meldrewreborn]

@retrotecchie.

Thank you for explaining that. It’s another truism that benefits once introduced are only very rarely reduced, and negative changes in entitlement are frequently criticised while improvements are quietly forgotten as though they never happened.

it’s human nature I suppose. But I’m pleased that I don’t personally have to claim such payments, as when I’ve helped others including relatives it has reminded me of an old image of trying to land a telling blow in a boxing match in a vat of rice pudding- very tough to achieve anything.