Warm Home Discount Scheme is a government-led scheme designed to provide support to eligible domestic electricity customers who are potentially struggling to pay their energy bills during the cold winter months. The scheme is funded by participating energy suppliers like Tomato Energy and Tru Energy. Here are the key points:
- What is it?
- The discount is not paid directly to the individual; instead, it’s applied directly to the bill by their electricity supplier.
- The scheme gives a one-off £150 discount (rebate) off the eligible recipient’s energy bill.
- Where do you live?
There are different ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme depending on where you live. Please select where you live below to find out more.
For answers to the most common questions we get about Warm Home Discount Scheme see below.
England and Wales
The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales offers a one-off £150 discount off the recipient’s energy bill.
You quality if you either:
- Get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (Core Group 1).
- Receive qualifying means-tested benefits and have a high energy cost (Core Group 2)
You do not need to apply – eligible recipients receive the discount automatically.
The scheme has two categories, Core Group 1 and Core Group 2. The eligibility qualifying date for both groups is 11th August 2024. You must meet the eligibility criteria on this date to be eligible for a rebate.
Core Group 1
Eligible customers in this group are of pensionable age and receive the Guaranteed Element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024. You do not need to apply for Core Group 1. You will receive a letter from the Government confirming that you are eligible and informing of any next steps you may need to take to receive the rebate.
If you are eligible and one of the participating suppliers supply electricity to you on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024, we will automatically apply £150 rebate to your electricity bill.
If you are with another supplier on the qualifying date, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.
Core Group 2
Eligible customers in this group live in properties that are considered to have high energy costs and receive one of the following benefits or tax credits on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024:
- Income Related Employment Support Allowance
- Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Income Benefit
- Housing Benefit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credits with low household income
- Working Tax Credits with low household income
- Pension Credit Savings Credit
You do not need to apply for Core Group 2, instead, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will use data matching to identify eligible households. This data matching uses a combination of property characteristics data such as property age, type and floor area alongside means tested benefits data to identify households that are likely to have the highest energy costs and a low household income.
If you are eligible, you will receive a letter from the Government confirming eligibility and informing of any next steps you may need to take to receive the rebate. If one of the participating suppliers supply your electricity on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024, we will automatically apply £150 rebate to your electricity bill.
If you are with another supplier on the qualifying date, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.
How and when will the Warm Home Discount rebate be paid?
If you are eligible and one of the participating suppliers supply your electricity on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024, we will automatically apply £150 rebate to your electricity bill by 31st March 2025.
Please remember, the suppliers do not decide which households are eligible. The Government carries out checks using data it holds on your household and benefits to decide who receives the £150 rebate. They then tell us who should receive the rebate. We’ll let you know when you’ll receive your rebate.
It’s important your details are up-to-date with us. Specifically, your name must match our records exactly as they appear on the DWP’s database. If your name changes, or there’s a mismatch – you need to tell both us and the DWP ASAP as inconsistencies could affect your rebate.
Give us a call on 0333 123 3330 if you need to change the name we have on record for you. If you need to update any other details, the easiest way to do this is via your Online Portal. If you are with another supplier on the qualifying date, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.
Scotland
The Warm Home Discount scheme in Scotland offers a one-off £150 discount off the recipient’s energy bill.
You quality if you either:
- Receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (Core Group).
- Have a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme (Broader Group).
The scheme has two categories, Core Group and Broader Group.
Core Group
Eligible customers in this group are of pensionable age and receive the Guaranteed Element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024. You do not need to apply for Core Group rebate. You will receive a letter from the Government confirming that you are eligible and informing of any next steps you may need to take to receive the rebate.
If you are eligible and one of the participating suppliers supply electricity to you on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024, we will automatically apply £150 rebate to your electricity bill.
If you are with another supplier on the qualifying date, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.
Broader Group
Customers eligible for our Broader Group need to be on our electricity supply, meet low income and vulnerability criteria. We will soon update this page with information about specific eligibility criteria and how to apply*.
Our Broader Group scheme for winter 2024/25 will open for applications in autumn 2024.
Remember – not all applications will be successful. We have a limited number of rebates available for households in Scotland which are awarded on a first come, first served basis to those who apply and are eligible
*Applicants may be asked to provide evidence to confirm their eligibility. In order to be eligible for the Warm Home Discount Broader Group, you will need to have your energy supply with one of the participating suppliers at the time of your application and still have your supply with us when the rebate is awarded.
How and when will the Warm Home Discount rebate be paid?
If you are eligible, we will apply your Core Group or Broader Group £150 rebates to your electricity bill by 31st March 2025.
You do not need to apply for the Core Group rebate.
We’ll let you know when the application for the Broader Group customers will be open. We’ll let you know if your application is successful or not once you’ve applied for Warm Home Discount.
It’s important your details are up to date with us. Specifically, your name must match our records exactly as they appear on the DWP’s database. If your name changes, or there’s a mismatch – you need to tell both us and the DWP ASAP as inconsistencies could affect your rebate.
Give us a call on 0333 123 3330 if you need to change the name we have on record for you. If you need to update any other details, the easiest way to do this is via your Online Portal.
Northern Ireland
This scheme is not available in Northern Ireland.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Do you offer the Warm House Discount?
Yes, we are proud to participate in the Warm Home Discount Scheme. For further information on the scheme, please visit Ofgem’s Warm Home Discount scheme FAQs: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/warm-home-discount-whd
- I signed up for a bill-splitting package. How will the discount be applied?
The warm home discount will be applied to your account and split evenly for the number of customers signed up for the service. Your Warm Home Discount will be visible on your final statement.
- Does the Warm Home Discount Scheme apply to all of the UK?
Yes, it applies to England, Scotland, and Wales. However, it does not operate in Northern Ireland.
- Who is eligible for the Core Group in Scotland?
If you live in Scotland and one of the participating suppliers is supplying your electricity on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024. you or your partner are of pensionable age and are receiving the Guaranteed Element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date then you are eligible for £150 Core Group rebate.
You do not need to apply for Core Group. You should receive a letter from the Government confirming that you are eligible and will receive the rebate automatically.
If you are supplied by another supplier participating in the scheme on the qualifying date, that supplier will be told to give you the discount even if we are supplying you after the qualifying date.
- Who is eligible for the Core Group in England and Wales?
Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales has two Core Group categories, Core Group 1 and Core Group 2.
Core Group 1
If one of the participating suppliers is supplying your electricity on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024, you or your partner are of pensionable age and receive the Guaranteed Element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date then you are eligible for the £150 Core Group 1 rebate.
You do not need to apply for Core Group 1. You should receive a letter from the Government confirming that you are eligible and will receive the rebate automatically.
If you are supplied by another supplier participating in the scheme on the qualifying date, that supplier will be told to give you the discount even if we are supplying you after the qualifying date.
Core Group 2
DWP use data matching to identify households who are eligible for Core Group 2 rebate. Data matching uses a combination of property characteristics data, such as property age, type and floor area alongside means tested benefits data to identify households that are likely to have the highest energy costs and lowest household income.
If one of the participating suppliers is supplying your electricity on the qualifying date, 11th August 2024, and you or your partner meet the eligibility requirements, you should receive a letter from the Government confirming that you are eligible and you will receive the rebate automatically.
If you are supplied by another supplier participating in the scheme on the qualifying date, that supplier will be told to give you the discount even if we’re supplying you after the qualifying date.
- Who is eligible for the Broader Group?
If you live in Scotland, we have a limited number of rebates available for our Broader Group which is awarded on a first come, first served basis to those who apply and are eligible. The Broader Group rebate is £150.
We are aiming to open our Broader Group in autumn 2024. Once it’s open, you will need to apply for the Broader Group rebate. We’ll update our website once the application window for the Broader Group has been opened. We will also contact all our customers in Scotland inviting to check eligibility and apply. We’ll let all applicants know if their application is successful or not once they’ve applied for the Broader Group.
Please note that there is no longer a ‘Broader Group’ in England and Wales. If you live here, you no longer need to apply for the Warm Home Discount through your energy supplier.
- How will I know if I qualify for Core Group?
Households that qualify for the Warm Home Discount will be sent a letter from the Government, confirming that they may be eligible for the rebate and any next steps.
Your letter will say if you will receive a rebate automatically or if you need to call the WHD helpline to confirm your details. If advised to, it is important that you call the helpline included in your letter before the final claim date.
If you are eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31st March 2025.
- When will the Warm Home Discount rebate be paid?
Warm Home Discount rebates will be paid to eligible customers by 31st March 2025.
- How will the Warm Home Discount rebate be paid?
The rebate will be automatically credited to your electricity account. Once the rebate has been applied, it will show on your next electricity bill. You will also be able to view this via your online portal.
- When and how can I apply?
You do not need to apply for the Core Group, Core group 1 or Core Group 2 rebate.
We’ll update our website once the application window for the Broader Group has been opened. We will also contact all our customers in Scotland inviting to check eligibility and apply. We’ll let all applicants know if their application is successful or not once they’ve applied for Broader Group.
It’s important your details are up-to-date with us. Specifically, your name must match our records exactly as they appear on the DWP’s database. If your name changes, or there’s a mismatch – you need to tell both us and the DWP as soon as possible as inconsistencies could affect your rebate.
- What happens if I switch energy suppliers?
If you are in the Core Group, Core Group 1 or Core Group 2 and have a live electricity supply with Tomato Energy on the qualification date, 11th August 2024, and meet the eligibility criteria, then we will be responsible for your rebate. If you are live with another supplier on this date, you’ll need to contact them regarding your Warm Home Discount.
For all Broader Group customers, you will lose eligibility for our Broader Group scheme if you switch to another supplier. If you switch, check whether your new supplier offers the Warm Home Discount and how to apply.
