Warm Home Discount Scheme

The Warm Home Discount Scheme 2020/21 is now open. Before applying for the scheme please check your eligibility below.

What is the Warm Home Discount scheme?

Set up in 2011, the scheme gets energy companies and the government working together to provide financial support to customers who are in, or at risk of being in, fuel poverty. It means that we can offer qualifying customers a rebate of £140 on their winter electricity costs.

How do I apply?

First, check whether you’re eligible to apply for the scheme with our eligibility criteria below. If you feel you are, you will need to fill out the application form on the right. Our scheme is first come first served and even if you received the discount last year you will need to apply again for this year’s scheme.

Eligibility criteria

Some people will automatically qualify for the Warm Home Discount and are in what is called the Core Group. If you fall into this group, you will receive a letter direct from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If you receive a letter, you do not need to contact us and your rebate will be automatically applied to your account by 31 March 2021. For more information about the Core Group, see below.

If you do not receive a letter from DWP, you may be eligible to apply for the Broader Group. You can check your eligibility below.

The rebate payment

If you successfully qualify for the 2020/21 scheme, you will receive your £140 fuel rebate by 31 March 2021.

Core Group

You may qualify for this energy discount if you or your partner are a Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit) customer and the account holder or partner of the account holder on 5th July 2020 (the qualifying date). The Government will write to those who are potentially eligible for the winter 2020/2021 discount in autumn 2020. To find out more about the eligibility criteria, please visit this page.

The Broader Group

A limited number of Warm Home Discount Scheme rebates each winter are paid to certain other customers in vulnerable groups - this scheme is called the Warm Home Discount Scheme Broader Group. You can register for this below if you receive one of the following means-tested eligible benefits:

  1. In receipt of the State Pension Credit with Savings Credit only (unless already qualifying as part of Core Group*). (*Householders aged 65 or over and in receipt of Pension Guarantee plus Savings elements of Pension Credit, OR any age but on Pension Guarantee Credit only will be eligible under the CORE GROUP and will be notified by letter directly by DWP).

    2. OR

  2. You or your partner living with you receive one of the following benefits:
    • Income support, or
    • Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) which contains a work related support component, or
    • Income based Jobseekers’ Allowance.

    AND either you, or your partner living with you:

    • has parental responsibility for a child aged 5 or under who ordinarily resides with you, or;
    • has parental responsibility for a child between 5 and 18 years and in full time education who ordinarily resides with you, or;
    • are receiving one or more of these additional benefits:
      • Work related or support component to your employment and support allowance, or the Universal Credit equivalent or;
      • Disability Premium, Enhanced Disability Premium or Severe Disability Premium, or;
      • Carer’s Premium, or;
      • Pensioner Premium, Higher Pension Premium or Enhanced Pensioner Premium

    OR

  3. You or your partner living with you is in receipt of universal credit and has an earned income of between zero and £1,349 in at least one of the twelve preceding assessment periods OR is not in work or is self-employed and on an annual income not exceeding £16,190

    4. AND either you, or your partner living with you:

    • receives the limited capability for work element, with or without a work-related activity element, or;
    • receives the disabled child element, or;
    • has parental responsibility for a child aged 5 or under who ordinarily resides with you, or;
    • has parental responsibility for a child between 5 and 18 years and in full time education who ordinarily resides with you

    OR

  4. Your gross annual household income* is less than £16,190 AND one or more of the following applies to you, or your partner living with you:
    • has parental responsibility for a child aged 5 or under who ordinarily resides with you, or;
    • has parental responsibility for a child between 5 and 18 years and in full time education who ordinarily resides with you, or;
    • is aged 60 or over (born on or before 5th April 1959) or;
    • receives Personal Independence Payments, Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Attendance Allowance for yourself or for another adult or child living with you, or;
    • receives exemption from NHS prescription charges because you have on-going / chronic illness, or;
    • is registered disabled, or;
    • is living with a mental or physical disability or illness

* Household income includes War Disablement Pension, Disablement Pension Allowance. Household income excludes Council Tax Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit; and is before tax and National Insurance are deducted (gross income).

Terms and conditions for the scheme can be found here.

Apply for your Warm Home Discount

After you’ve checked your eligibility and the terms and conditions of the scheme, you can apply for the 2020/21 Warm Home Discount Scheme by filling out our online application form below.

We’ll then send you an email to let you know whether or not you’ve been successful. Please allow a few weeks for us to check through your application.

Apply Now

Please note: if you receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) you do not need to apply and you’ll automatically receive the Warm Home Discount payment.