Warm Home Discount (WHD) - Eligibility (2024)

Eligibility

This scheme is open in England, Scotland and Wales, it is not open in Northern Ireland.

Check if you're eligible for the Warm Home Discount

Please note that whilst Ofgem administers the scheme, many queries are best directed to your energy supplier. We are not, for instance, responsible for distributing payments. If you have a query about when you will receive a payment or if you did not receive last year’s payment, please contact your energy supplier.

The eligibility criteria are different in England and Wales compared to Scotland and your energy supplier must be participating in the scheme. You can find a list ofparticipating energy suppliersbelow.

England and Wales

£150 rebate for fuel-poor pensioners (core group 1)

This assists less well-off pensioners with an annual direct discount of £150 from their electricity or gas account. You are eligible for the discount if you receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, and your energy supplier is participating in the scheme. The Department for Work and Pensions works with participating suppliers to identify those who receive Pension Credit. Most eligible Core Group 1 customers are identified in this way and automatically receive this as an annual one-off discount on their electricity or gas bill, between October and March. For prepayment meter customers, see 'How is the discount delivered?’ below for further details of how you will receive the rebate.

£150 rebate to fuel-poor customers (core group 2)

Participating suppliers provide discounts automatically to low-income households that the Government identifies as most likely to have high heating costs. The amount is paid as an annual one-off discount of £150 on your electricity or gas bill, between October and March. You may be eligible under Core Group 2 if you receive certain means-tested benefits or Tax Credits and your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics. For prepayment meter customers, see 'How is the discount delivered?’ below for further details of how you will receive the rebate.

The qualifying means-tested benefits and tax credits are:

  • Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income Support
  • Universal Credit
  • Housing benefit
  • Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits
  • Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)

Property data held by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is matched with the means-tested benefits and Tax Credit data, held by Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC, to identify those on low incomes most likely to be living in homes which are expensive to heat. Where property characteristics are missing, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will use alternative evidence and statistical methods to identify eligible households. Further information on this process (referred to as imputation methodology) can be found in the WHD Guidance for England and Wales.

Scotland

£150 rebate to fuel-poor customers (Scottish Core Group)

The Scottish Core Group assists less well-off pensioners, through a direct discount of £150 into their electricity or gas account. You are eligible for the discount if you receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, and your supplier participates in the scheme. The Department for Work and Pensions works with participating suppliers to identify those who receive Pension Credit. Most eligible Core Group customers are identified in this way and automatically receive their discount between October and March. For prepayment meter customers, see 'How is the discount delivered?’ below for further details of how you will receive the rebate.

If you purchase your energy from a participating supplier and believe you were eligible for this discount which you have not received, you need to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline.

£150 rebate to fuel-poor customers (Scottish broader group)

The Broader Group assists certain low-income households, with an annual direct rebate of £150 to their electricity or gas account.

For prepayment meter customers, see 'How is the discount delivered?’ below for further details of how you will receive the rebate. You may be eligible for the rebate if you receive certain means-tested benefits or tax credits. The standard criteria are based on a variation of the Cold Weather Payments group and low-income working families in receipt of in-work benefits and with a child under 5 or a disabled child. The standard criteria for the Broader Group can be found in the guidance. However, your supplier may have additional eligibility criteria so you will need to check with them if you are eligible and for details on how to apply (some suppliers may publish details of how to apply on their website over the summer months). The number of discounts suppliers can give is limited, so it’s best to check with them as early as possible to see if you’re eligible.

Industry Initiatives

Wider help for fuel-poor customers across Great Britain

Each participating supplier has a spending obligation towards Industry Initiatives. This allows them to help customers who are fuel poor or at risk of fuel poverty through a variety of activities and third parties.

Depending on the supplier’s programme and third-party provider, this can include benefit entitlement checks, debt assistance, energy advice, smart meter advice and energy efficiency measures.

You may be able to benefit under the Industry Initiative element of the scheme even if you don’t buy your energy from a participating supplier. To find out more contact any participating supplier about the Industry Initiatives they offer, note that you don’t have to be an existing customer. If you have any questions on how the Industry Initiative elements operate, you can contact Ofgem at whd@ofgem.gov.uk.

The following energy suppliers are compulsory participants in 2024-25 of the scheme:

  • British Gas Trading Ltd
  • E (Gas and Electricity) Ltd
  • E.ON Next Energy Ltd
  • Ecotricity Ltd
  • EDF Energy Customers Ltd
  • Electricity Plus Supply Ltd (trading as Utility Warehouse)
  • Fuse Energy Supply Ltd
  • Good Energy Ltd
  • Green Energy Ltd
  • Home Energy Trading Ltd
  • Octopus Energy Ltd(trading as Octopus)
  • Octopus Energy Operations Ltd(trading as Octopus)
  • Octopus Energy Operations 2 Ltd (trading as Shell)
  • Foxglove Energy Supply Ltd (trading as Outfox the Market)
  • OVO Energy Ltd (trading as Ovo )
  • Rebel Energy Supply Ltd
  • Scottish Power Energy Retail Ltd
  • So Energy Trading Ltd
  • Tomato Energy Ltd
  • Tru Energy Ltd
  • Utilita Energy Ltd

Some obligated energy suppliers work with ‘white label’ energy providers who themselves do not hold a licence to supply electricity and gas to domestic properties. Instead, they partner with the licensed supplier to offer gas and electricity using its own brand.

This means that those white label providers also offer the WHD to their customers. You can view a full list of these on thegovernment’s website.

In most cases suppliers must provide the Core Groups and Broader Group discounts by 31 March of each scheme year. We encourage suppliers to provide Core Group discounts over the winter months as far as possible to help consumers when they need it most.

Customers on a direct debit are credited £150 to their electricity account or if requested by a customer, to their gas account.

Customers that prepay for electricity or gas are credited against future energy use.

Some customers, for example prepayment meter customers or Core Group customers who have since switched supplier, may receive their discount via a voucher or cheque. In most cases, vouchers can be redeemed at a Post Office or PayPoint shop (however this may vary depending on your supplier). Where such a payment is not redeemed or accepted, suppliers must make at least one reasonable attempt to deliver the rebates to customers and make sure that the voucher is redeemed.

If you are eligible for any of the Core Group 1, Core Group 2 or Core Group in Scotland, you should receive a letter from the Government between November and December. Most eligible households will receive the discount automatically. Your letter will say if you need to call the government helpline to confirm eligibility. The helpline will be open from mid-November until the end of February each scheme year.

If you think you should be eligible for a discount under the Core Groups, but have not received a letter contact the Warm Home Discount team. Contact details can be found on ourContacts, Guidance and Resources page.

Your supplier may invite you to apply directly for the Broader Group if they think you may be eligible. They should also make details of the eligibility available, for instance on their website. If you think you should be eligible for the discount under the Broader Group in Scotland, please contact your supplier for details about their Broader Group scheme.

If you have been told you are eligible for a discount during 2024-25 but have not received it by the end of March 2025, or for any other payment issues, contact your energy supplier.

You can also contact theEnergy Saving Trustfor advice on saving energy and eligibility for support, andCitizens AdviceandSimple Energy Advicefor information on saving money on energy bills.

Finally, there is more information on the support for consumers onour website, including how to switch suppliers.

Core Groups

If you were with a participating supplier on the qualifying date for a scheme year and were eligible under one of the Core Groups, the supplier you were with will be instructed to pay you. You should contact the supplier you were with on the qualifying date to check they still have your contact details and to ask how and when you will be paid the discount, or receive the voucher.

If you were not with a participating supplier on the qualifying date and you have switched to a participating supplier after that date, you will not receive the discount for that scheme year.

The qualifying date is usually in August (we will update with the qualifying date for the 23/24 scheme year once this has been set).

Broader Group – Scotland

If you are eligible to receive the WHD discount with your current supplier and are thinking about changing suppliers, you may wish to check that the supplier you are considering moving to also participates in the WHD scheme and that you are eligible.

If you are successful in applying for a Broader Group discount with one energy supplier, we would suggest you wait until you have received the discount before switching to a new supplier.

Ofgem’s Confidence Code is a code of practice that governs independent energy price comparison sites. This means that sites covered by the Code must inform you whether the supplier you are considering moving to participate in the WHD scheme or not.

Yes, those living in park homes can apply for the Park Home WHD discount. This has been established as an Industry Initiative project.

You can apply for the Park Homes WHD discount if you are resident on a park home site and pay for your electricity through your park, or as part of your pitch fees. If successful, customers will receive a one-off payment of £150 towards their energy bills. This scheme is independently administered by Charis Grants Limited.

Funding for the Park Home WHD scheme is limited and all applications are reviewed in order of date received up until the scheme closes.

For more information please visit the Charis Grants website.

You can read more about our administration of the England and Wales WHD scheme in our guidance: WHD Guidance for England and Wales, and on our Scotland WHD in our WHD Scotland Guidance.

Warm Home Discount (WHD) - Eligibility (2024)

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