From today, MILLIONS of people will start getting help with their £150 energy bills.
As part of the Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme, they will get £150 taken off their energy bill between now and March 2023.
About 2.8 million people can get £150, which is £10 more than last year.
Households in England and Wales don’t have to fill out an application to get the discount. If they get certain benefits, they are automatically eligible.
But unlike England and Wales, people in Scotland who are eligible for the discount will have to apply for cash instead of a discount.
The department in charge of the program, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will open a Warm Home Discount hotline later this month so that people can confirm or ask questions about their eligibility.
As long as you were getting certain benefits on or before Sunday, August 21, your energy provider will automatically give you the discount.
Since it’s a discount, you don’t get any money directly. Instead, the money you saved will be taken off your energy bill.
Here’s how to find out if you qualify and what other help is out there.
Am I Eligible?
To qualify, you must receive one or more of the following benefits:
Income support
◾ Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
◾ Income-related employment and support allowance
◾ Housing benefit
◾ Universal Credit
◾ Child tax credit
◾ Working tax credits
◾ Pension credit guaranteed
◾ Pension credit savings credit
You won’t be able to get the payment if you weren’t getting any of the above benefits on August 21.
But thousands of pensioners could get the Warm Home Discount now even if they had already gotten the pension credit.
All of the rules for pension credit allow first-time claimants to get their benefits three months early.
So, you’ll need to start your claim by November 18 and then get it backdated to August 21 to qualify for the Warm Home Discount.
How Do I Get The Price Cut?
People in England and Wales no longer have to apply for the Warm Home Discount.
If your electricity provider is part of the Warm Home Discount scheme and you qualify, you will get the payment on its own.
Energy regulator Ofgem says that some people may have to call a Government helpline to make sure they are eligible.
The money won’t be given to you directly. Instead, it will be put toward your electricity bill. Most of the time, this takes place between October and April.
The following energy providers have signed up for the scheme, according to the gov.uk website:
◾ Affect Energy – see Octopus Energy
◾ Atlantic – see SSE
◾ Boost
◾ British Gas
◾ British Gas Evolve (formerly known as British Gas X) – see British Gas
◾ Bulb Energy
◾ Co-op Energy – see Octopus Energy
◾ E (Gas and Electricity)
◾ Ecotricity
◾ E.ON
◾ E.ON Next
◾ EDF
◾ GEUK (Green Energy UK)
◾ Good Energy
◾ London Power
◾ M&S Energy
◾ Nabuh Energy
◾ Octopus Energy
◾ Outfox the Market
◾ OVO
◾Rebel Energy
◾ Sainsbury’s Energy
◾ Scottish Gas – see British Gas
◾ Scottish Hydro – see SSE
◾ ScottishPower
So Energy
◾ Southern Electric – see SSE
◾ SSE
◾ Swalec – see SSE
◾ Utilita
◾ Utility Warehouse
What Do I Do if I’m In Scotland?
If you live in Scotland and meet the WHD requirements, you may need to fill out an application.
Whether or not you need to fill out an application depends on your energy provider and whether or not you meet certain criteria.
So far, British Gas, EDF, Octopus, and Shell Energy have opened applications for customers in Scotland.
What Other Kinds Of Help Is Available?
If you don’t qualify for the WHD or want to see if you could get more money, here are some options and what you can do:
Talk to your energy company. If you are behind on payments or know you will be soon, talk to your energy company.
They might be able to help with things like a review of your payment plan, new payment plans, or breaks in your payments.
Think about a hardship fund. Your energy provider may be able to connect you with charitable trusts and funds.
You can ask your supplier what’s available, but the application process is very detailed.
Payments for cold weather: These start on November 1 and go through the winter.
The money is meant to help people pay for heating their homes when the weather gets cold.
You get £25 for every seven-day period during this time when the average temperature is below 0°C.
From November 1, you can use the government’s tool to check if your area has received a cold weather payment by entering your postcode.
Check first to see if you qualify.
Winter Fuel Payment: This is for people who are:
- were born before September 25, 1956, and
- lived in the UK for at least one day between September 19 and September 25, 2022, which is called the “qualifying week.”
In November or December, most payments are made automatically. You should get paid by January 13, 2023, so check your bank account regularly.
Millions of people who get Universal Credit could get a free $10 bonus to help them through the holidays.
Even though it’s not a huge amount, it still helps after the cap on energy prices was raised.
It will be paid on its own.
Energy bill discount: On October 1, millions of homes started getting a £400 discount on their energy bills.
Your energy provider will give you the money in the form of six discounts between October and March of next year.
In October and November, homes will get a £66 discount on their energy bills. In December, January, February, and March, they will get a £67 discount.
Cost of living payment of £300 for pensioners – In November, a “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” of £300 will be given to eight million households.
It will be given to people who already get the Winter Fuel Payment, which gives people over state pension age between £100 and £300 to help pay for heating costs.
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