£150 off your UK energy bill this winter: What you need to do before 23 August
Key Points
- Around six million British households qualify for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter.
- Eligible customers must be named on their electricity bill by Sunday 23 August to receive it automatically.
- Around 250,000 Scottish households will get the rebate automatically for the first time.
- Qualifying benefits in England and Wales include Housing Benefit, income-related ESA, Pension Credit and Universal Credit.
- The scheme will continue to 2030/31, alongside the VAT cut on electricity bills from 1 October.
Around six million households across Britain will get £150 off their energy bills this winter, but they must appear by name on their electricity bill by Sunday (23 August) to receive it automatically.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed on Friday (31 July) that energy suppliers will use customer records as they stand on 23 August to work out who qualifies for the Warm Home Discount.
Households where the billpayer receives means-tested benefits qualify for the rebate, which suppliers apply directly to electricity accounts over the winter.
People who have recently moved house are the most likely to miss out, because the account may still sit in a previous occupant’s name.
Customers on prepayment meters who top up using a key or card also need to check their household account carries their name.
In England and Wales, the qualifying benefits are Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit and Universal Credit – the same list as last winter. Around 250,000 households in Scotland will receive the discount automatically for the first time this year.
The government expanded the scheme last year, scrapping the previous requirement that limited eligibility to certain property types. That change brought nearly a million additional families with children into the scheme last winter.
“Families will be worried about their energy bills this winter and our focus is on giving them breathing space, as we continue to work to bring down bills,” said Miatta Fahnbulleh, Energy Secretary. “If you know someone who might benefit, please start spreading the word and encourage them to check they are named on their energy bill.”
Other changes to bills
The reminder follows the removal of VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1 October, one of the Prime Minister’s first decisions in office, which takes £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap.
Last year’s Budget removed an average of £150 of costs from energy bills, a reduction already factored into bills for the years ahead.
The government confirmed earlier this year that the Warm Home Discount will run to 2030/31, giving eligible households the £150 rebate for the rest of the decade.
Ministers also point to the Warm Homes Plan, which aims to cut energy use and lift households out of fuel poverty.
