Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount is an annual £150 discount on your electricity bills. It's designed for those who find it difficult to meet their winter energy costs.

Scotland's scheme is separate from that in England and Wales. The Warm Home Discount isn't available in Northern Ireland.

Read on to find out more about the scheme, how it works, and whether you're eligible for it.

Who gets the Warm Home Discount?

The Warm Home Discount is currently available for two groups of people:

1. The core group 

If you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you're in this group. In most cases, your energy supplier will identify you automatically and write to you telling you how to get the discount.

You'll need to be a customer of an energy supplier that is part of the Warm Home Discount scheme. Your name (or your partner's) will need to be on the electricity bill.

2. The broader group (now called core group 2)

If you are on a low income and your property has high energy costs (based on its type, age and floor area), or you get certain means-tested benefits, you might qualify in this group. 

Each energy supplier has its own eligibility criteria, which are approved by the energy regulator Ofgem, so you should check with your provider to see whether you meet its requirements.

If you live in England or Wales and are eligible for core group 2, you should be identified automatically and your energy supplier should let you know how you will get the discount. 

If you live in Scotland and are eligible for this broader group you do still need to apply for it through your energy supplier. 

Find out more about Warm Home Discount eligibility and applications at GOV.UK.

Gas and electricity suppliers have some discretion over which of their customers make up the broader group and how many to help, based on their market share.

You can still get the Warm Home Discount if you have a prepayment (also known as pay-as-you-go) meter. 

If you're considering switching energy supplier, check that your new supplier will pay your Warm Home Discount if you're eligible for it before changing provider. Use the list below or ask the supplier. 

Is the Warm Home Discount only for pensioners?

No. Energy companies also pay the Warm Home Discount to a broader group of people who have difficulty paying their energy bills. 

The core eligibility group is those who receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit. Pensioners are eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment too.

How do I get the Warm Home Discount?

Core group

If you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you're in the core group. Your energy supplier should identify you automatically and write to you.

You should get the letter between October 2023 and early January 2024. If you haven't had it by early January contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme helpline on 0800 030 9322 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). 

The letter might confirm that you'll get the discount automatically and don't need to do anything. 

Or it might ask you to give more information. If so, you'll need to call the helpline by 29 February 2024.

Broader group

If you're in the broader group, also called core group 2, and live in England or Wales your energy supplier should identify you automatically and write to you to tell you how to get the discount. You should get a letter between October 2023 and early January 2024.

If you're in the broader group, now also called core group 2, and live in Scotland, you'll need to apply for the discount with your energy supplier. The number of discounts they can give is limited so it's worth contacting them as early as possible.

You might be able to get the discount paid off your gas bill instead if you buy both gas and electricity from the same provider. Ask your supplier if they can do this.

Prepayment energy meters and park homes

If you have a prepayment meter, your energy company will confirm how you'll get the discount. It might be a voucher you can use to top-up your meter, for example.

If you live in a park home, the process is different. You can apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount via Charis.

When will I get my Warm Home Discount?

The scheme for the winter 2023/24 period is now open. 

You should get the discount off your electricity bill by 31 March 2024. You'll need to stay with the provider until it's paid.

Which energy companies pay the Warm Home Discount?

Large energy companies (with more than 150,000 domestic customers) must pay the Warm Home Discount, and many smaller energy suppliers offer it too.

For Winter 2023/4, these suppliers are part of the scheme.

• Affect Energy - see Octopus
• 100 Green (formerly GEUK) 
• Boost
• British Gas
• Co-op Energy - see Octopus
• E
• Ecotricity
• E.on Next
• EDF
• Good Energy
• London Power - see Octopus
• Octopus Energy
• Outfox the Market
• OVO
• Rebel Energy
• Sainsbury’s Energy
• Scottish Gas - see British Gas.
• Scottish Power
• Shell Energy
• So Energy
• Utilita
• Utility Warehouse

Suppliers with more than 250,000 domestic customers must offer the discount to both the core and broader groups.

You can find out more about these energy suppliers, including what their customers really think of them, by reading our advice on the Best energy suppliers for 2023. 

If your supplier isn't listed, ask it whether it offers the Warm Home Discount before you switch.

If I switch energy supplier, what happens to my Warm Home Discount?

If you switch away from a supplier that offers the Warm Home Discount to a supplier that doesn't, you'll lose your Warm Home Discount (even if you're in the core group). 

If you qualify for the Warm Home Discount in the broader group with your current supplier and want to switch, check first that you would still qualify in your new supplier's broader group.

If my energy supplier closes, what happens to my Warm Home Discount?

If your energy supplier closes, your account will automatically be transferred to a new supplier chosen by Ofgem.

You should continue to get the discount from the new supplier. 

It's unlikely that Ofgem will choose a replacement supplier that is too small to have to pay the Warm Home Discount. It says it takes into account the supplier's ability to make Warm Home Discount payments when it's choosing a replacement company.

You should get the discount automatically. The Department for Work and Pensions works with energy suppliers to identify customers who get Pension Credit and therefore qualify.

Energy companies have different criteria for their broader groups and some smaller firms don't make payments to those in the broader group at all. 

It's important to ask your new supplier if you will qualify as soon as you find out which company you're being moved to, because the number of discounts paid by each supplier to their broader group customers may be limited.

More information on the Warm Home Discount is available from the government's website at Gov.uk.