- Government issues reminder to those on eligible means-tested benefits to check they are named on their electricity bill to get £150 off this winter
- This will help ensure people automatically receive the discount from their energy supplier, putting more money in their pockets under the Plan for Change
- Follows the extension of the Warm Home Discount, meaning an extra 2.7 million households will qualify this winter
Millions are set to save £150 on their electricity bills this winter, as the government urges eligible households to check they are named on their bill to get the discount automatically – helping ease the cost of living under the Plan for Change.
Every household where the billpayer receives an eligible means-tested benefit will now be in line for the discount, after the government removed restrictions that previously excluded many who needed help with bills.
In England and Wales, this means households in receipt of Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit and Universal Credit will now be eligible.
This takes the number of households set to benefit from the Warm Home Discount to over six million – an increase of 2.7 million households, including 900,000 more families with children.
The government is now issuing a call to eligible households to check they are named on their electricity bill, with suppliers set to rely on customers’ records as of Sunday 24 August.
Someone might not be named on their electricity bill if they have recently moved house and changed supplier.
Having the eligible person named on the electricity bill will help make sure households receive the £150 discount automatically.
Last winter, 96% of eligible households received their discount automatically through this route, making it the easiest and quickest way for the overwhelming majority of households.
Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said
We took decisive action earlier this year to expand the Warm Home Discount, giving more working families certainty and peace of mind before winter.
I now want to make sure as many eligible households as possible get £150 off their energy bill, putting more money in their pockets as part of our Plan for Change.
If you know someone who might be eligible – please start spreading the word to family and friends, encouraging them to check they are named on their energy bill.
Eligible customers on pre-payment meters who use a key or card to top up will also need to ensure that their household’s account is registered in their name.
This cost-of-living support comes alongside the government’s mission to bring down bills in the long term by replacing the UK’s dependence on fossil fuel markets controlled by petrostates and dictators with clean, homegrown power.
Notes to Editors
People in England and Wales will qualify for the Warm Home Discount this winter if they are receiving one of the following means-tested benefits and are named on the electricity bill, either in their own name, that of their partner, or their legal representative.
- Housing Benefit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit)
- Universal Credit
If you live in Scotland, are receiving Pension Credit Guarantee Credit and are named on your electricity bill (or your partner or legal representative is), you will likely receive the Warm Home Discount automatically. Scottish households in receipt of other means-tested benefits will need to apply for the discount via their energy supplier directly from October. Application windows will vary depending on the supplier.
Sunday 24 August is the qualifying date where energy suppliers will match customer records (such as being named on an electricity bill) against eligibility for the discount (an eligible means-tested benefit). After this date, eligible households will still be able to receive the discount, but they will need to wait for a letter to arrive later this year. If they have not received a letter by January 2026, then they will need to call the helpline.
