The Warm Home Discount explained

Key takeaways

• The Warm Home Discount scheme gives eligible households a £150 reduction on electricity bills between October and March.

• It’s not a cash payment, but a one-off discount applied directly to your bill by your energy supplier.

• The scheme doesn’t affect other winter benefits like the Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment.

• Check with your energy supplier or the government website each autumn to confirm eligibility and how to apply.

• To qualify in England or Wales, your name – or your partner’s name – must be on the electricity bill, as well as you or your partner receiving a qualifying means-tested benefit.

If you're claiming certain benefits, you may be entitled to money off your energy bills in the winter via the Warm Home Discount scheme. Here's what you need to know, and how to claim.

What is the Warm Home Discount scheme?

The Warm Home Discount scheme (WHD) is a government initiative that gives low-income households a £150 discount on their electricity bill. It started in 2011. It opens each year in October and is available until following March, helping with electricity bills and gas bills during the coldest part of the year.

It’s a one-off discount administered by your energy supplier (providing your energy supplier participates in the scheme – see below for participating providers). It isn’t a cash payment, but comes as a reduction in your bill, applied between October and March.

The scheme does not affect your entitlement to either the Winter Fuel Payment or the Cold Weather Payment.

The ‘core groups’

In England and Wales, the Warm Home Discount is available to eligible households receiving certain means-tested benefits.

To qualify, the person receiving the relevant benefit – or their partner – must also be named on the electricity bill, and their electricity supplier must take part in the scheme.

Most eligible households in England and Wales receive the £150 discount automatically, so you usually do not need to apply.

The ‘broader group’

This group still exists in Scotland.

The eligibility criteria for this so-called ‘broader group’ are set by the government, but energy firms can also exercise their own discretion.

Typically, to be eligible you will have to be a recipient of a state benefit such as Income Support or Universal Credit. You might also be able to apply if your annual household income is less than about £16,000, as long as you meet one or more other conditions. These include:

• If there is a child under five living permanently in the house, or

• You receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Incapacity Benefit or Attendance Allowance

You can find out about your supplier’s eligibility criteria on the firm’s website, or via Ofgem.

Don’t worry if you pay for your electricity with a pre-payment meter. You can still apply for the discount and receive a credit to your meter, or a voucher you can redeem if you're using a traditional, non-smart meter.

Am I eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme?

Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount varies depending on where you live in the UK.

England and Wales

If you live in England or Wales, you may qualify for the Warm Home Discount if, on the qualifying date for that scheme year:

• your electricity supplier is part of the scheme

• you or your partner receive a qualifying means-tested benefit

• your name or your partner’s name is on the electricity bill

You or your partner must also receive one of the qualifying means-tested benefits for that scheme year. Check GOV.UK for the latest list of qualifying benefits.

This means receiving a qualifying benefit alone isn’t enough. If the electricity account is in someone else’s name, for example, a parent, housemate or landlord, you won’t normally qualify unless your partner is the named account holder and the other eligibility conditions are met.

Scotland

In Scotland, you can claim the Warm Home Discount if you qualify for the Guarantee Credit Element of Pension Credit. People who do are known as the core group.

A separate ‘broader group’ can claim the WHD if they are on a low income, their energy supplier is part of the scheme, and their name is on the bill.

You’ll need to check directly with your electricity supplier, even if you were eligible last year, as payments are not made automatically to the broader group.

Northern Ireland

The WHD scheme is not available in Northern Ireland. There is an Affordable Warmth Scheme for those on low incomes, but it only applies to those living in private housing, including rentals, with social housing not included in the scheme.

How to apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme

People in England or Wales should have their discount applied to their energy bill automatically, as part of a wider shakeup of how the Warm Home Discount Scheme works in England and Wales. This will occur as long as your provider is part of the Warm Home Discount Scheme. If you’re in Scotland, the system is different, with the broader group (who are claiming benefits other than the guarantee element of Pension Credit) then you will need to apply in order to get the rebate.

You should also bear in mind that being eligible last year does not guarantee you will be again this year.

Suppliers do not have to participate in the scheme unless they have at least 250,000 customers, which means that some of the smaller utility firms do not offer the Warm Home Discount, so choose your supplier with care.

The following companies are all members of the Warm Home Discount Scheme in 2026-2027, however you should always check directly with your energy supplier rather than assuming you are eligible.

• Boost Energy

• British Gas (including Scottish Gas)

• Co-op Energy (now part of Octopus Energy)

• E (gas and electricity)

• E.on Next

• Ecotricity

• EDF Energy

• Good Energy

• London Power

• Octopus Energy

• Outfox the Market

• Ovo Energy

• Rebel Energy

• Sainsbury's Energy

• Scottish Power

• So Energy

• Utilita

• Utility Warehouse

You can also find out more about the Warm Home Discount Scheme by calling 0800 107 8002, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, or by visiting the government’s website here.

Don't think you'll qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme? You might still be able to trim your bills by switching. Run an energy price comparison now. 

When is the Warm Home Discount paid?

The WHD is paid as a one-off £150 discount onto your energy supplier account between October and March each year. You can check your eligibility on the government website.

If you have not had a discount paid by January, check with the government and your supplier.