Energy customers have just days left to ensure they receive the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter
People on 4 benefits can get a £150 boost this winter – but some need to take action (Image: Getty Images)
Energy customers have until Sunday to ensure they will receive a £150 payment directly into their accounts. People must act by August 23 – or risk missing out entirely.
Approximately six million households will receive the rebate this winter, including roughly 250,000 automatically for the first time in Scotland. Yet the Andy Burnham government has encouraged eligible households to verify they are listed on their bill to receive the Warm Home Discount automatically.
This comes after the swift action taken by the Prime Minister to scrap VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1 October, as one of his initial decisions in office, cutting £45 from the annual Ofgem price cap. The government stated the reminder follows prompt action to eliminate VAT from electricity bills from 1 October, providing people with relief on the cost-of-living.
People claiming means-tested benefits are automatically eligible for the Warm Home Discount, provided they are registered as their household’s energy bill payer. They must be listed on their energy bill by 23 August to secure the support, so it’s advisable to verify it now and make any required amendments.
Eligible customers on pre-payment meters who use a key or card to top up will also need to confirm that their household’s account is registered in their name. Energy customers have been informed that 24 companies have enrolled in a scheme which will provide millions with a £150 payment directly into their accounts.
Every household where the bill payer is receiving means-tested benefits is entitled to the rebate. In England and Wales, households in receipt of Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit and Universal Credit will qualify – the same group as last winter.
In England and Wales, households in receipt of the following benefits are eligible:
- Housing benefit
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Pension credit
- Universal credit
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “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. Almost a million more families with children received the £150 Warm Home Discount last winter, after we expanded scheme.
“If you know someone who might benefit, please start spreading the word and encourage them to check they are named on their energy bill.”
The government is urging eligible households to verify they are named on their electricity bill, with suppliers due to rely on customers’ records as of Sunday 23 August.
The following suppliers will be part of the winter 2026 to 2027 scheme:
- 100Green (formerly Green Energy UK or GEUK)
- Boost
- British Gas
- E – also known as E (Gas and Electricity)
- Ecotricity
- EDF
- EnergyCoop – see Octopus Energy
- E.ON Next
- Fuse Energy
- Good Energy
- Home Energy
- London Power
- Octopus Energy
- Outfox Energy
- OVO
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- Scottish Gas – see British Gas
- ScottishPower
- So Energy
- Square 1 Energy Ltd
- TruEnergy
- Tulo Energy
- Utilita
- Utility Warehouse
Someone might not appear on their electricity bill if they have recently relocated. Eligible customers on pre-payment meters who use a key or card to top up will also need to confirm that their household’s account is registered in their name.
Earlier this year, the government announced that millions of qualifying households will continue to benefit from the Warm Home Discount until the end of the decade, with the scheme confirmed to run through to 2030/1.
Last year’s Budget stripped an average of £150 from energy bills, a saving that has been incorporated into future billing calculations. The government stated that the Warm Homes Plan will further cut energy consumption, reduce bills for millions of households and help tackle fuel poverty across the country.