UK households are being urged to check their electricity bill for an ‘automatic’ £150 discount from their energy supplier.
The free £150 is part of the government’s Warm Home Discount Scheme and is directly applied to household electricity bills by suppliers, including British Gas, Octopus Energy, OVO and E.ON.
All households that are eligible should have received a letter by the end of this month confirming that the discount will be applied automatically.
If you haven’t got your letter yet, and you think you are entitled, you must contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme helpline on 0800 030 9322 before the deadline of February 28.
The government may ask for more information in some cases and you’ll be told in your letter to call the helpline to confirm your details – again by the same February deadline.
Every household that qualifies for the scheme should see the £150 discount applied to their electricity bill by March 31, so if you’ve already got your letter and your bill hasn’t yet been credited, don’t panic as it should be paid before this date.
Households in England and Wales will be eligible if you get either the Guarantee element of Pension Credit, or you’re on a low income, have high energy costs and claim any of these qualifying benefits:
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Housing Benefit
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income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
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income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
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Income Support
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the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit
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Universal Credit
You may also be eligible if your household income falls below a certain threshold and you get either Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit.
Additionally, your home must have a high energy cost score which is calculated based on your property type, age and floor area, rather than the actual energy costs in your energy bill.
The same criteria apply to pensioners living in Scotland, but you must also meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme. Unfortunately, the scheme is not available in Northern Ireland.
British Gas, Octopus Energy, and OVO and E.ON are among the main energy suppliers taking part in the scheme, as well as:
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100Green (formerly Green Energy UK or GEUK)
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Affect Energy – see Octopus Energy
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Boost
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Bulb Energy – see Octopus Energy
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Co-op Energy – see Octopus Energy
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E – also known as E (Gas and Electricity)
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Ecotricity
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EDF
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Fuse Energy
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Good Energy
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Home Energy
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London Power
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Outfox the Market
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Rebel Energy
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Sainsbury’s Energy
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Scottish Gas – see British Gas
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ScottishPower
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Shell Energy Retail
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So Energy
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Tomato Energy
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TruEnergy
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Utilita
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Utility Warehouse
