As many as half a million households could no longer be eligible for the “winter lifeline” Warm Home Discount as the eligibility rules change this year, charities have warned.
The Government is changing who will get the one-off payment – which has increased to £150 from £140 this year – and National Energy Action (NEA) and Scope, said that 500,000 households across England and Wales will now not get the discount because Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments are no longer qualifying benefits. However it will see 750,000 families receive the energy payment for the first time.
T he Warm Home Discount scheme is an initiative that gives low-income households a discount on their electricity bill as a one-off rebate administered by energy suppliers, between September and March. But changes this year mean that only those with high energy costs who claim a means-tested benefit - where your eligibility to claim (and how much money you then receive) depends on your income and savings - will be eligible.
