After days of bitterly cold weather, and with the low temperatures set to continue, many households are wrapping up warm and turning up the heating where needed. However, with the cost of living crisis at the forefront of many minds, this isn't always an easy decision.
For those concerned about the financial implications of the cold weather, many households will be due an automatic £25 payment thanks to the low temperatures. The cold weather payment scheme runs from November 1 to March 31 and means that people on pension credit, income support, and universal credit will receive an automatic £25 payment for every seven-day period in which the average temperatures in their area are below, or forecast to be below, zero degrees.
The scheme is calculated based on weather stations. There are 72 stations across the UK, and if the station which measures your area records (or is forecast for) a continuous below-zero temperature, it doesn't make a difference whether the temperature is actually below zero exactly where you live.
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You can use the official postcode checker to see if you're due a payment in your area. You should receive the payment if you're on Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, or Support for Mortgage Interest.
Here is the full list of Welsh postcodes that the UK Government says are owed a payment because of the temperatures in the last few days (and the ones forecast for next week):
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NP16, NP26 - (Almondsbury weather station). Owed one payment for period December 6 to December 12.
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LL24-25, LL41 - (Capel Curig weather station). Owed one payment for period December 9 to December 15
CH4-8, LL11-14, SY14 - (Hawarden Airport weather station). Owed one payment for period December 7 to December 13.
HR2-3, HR5, NP7-8, NP15, (Hereford-Credenhill weather station). Owed one payment for period December 6 to December 12.
LL20-21, LL23, SY10, SY15-17, SY19, SY21-22 (Lake Vyrnwy weather station). Owed one payment for period December 7 to December 13.
CF37-48, CF81-83, LD3, NP4, NP11-13, NP22-24, NP44, SA9 (Libanus weather station). Two payments due for periods December 5 to December 11 and December 12 to December 18.
LD1-8, SA19-20, SY7, SY9, SY18 (Llysdinam weather station). One payment due for period December 6 to December 12.
SA1-8, SA14-18, SA31-34, SA61-63, SA66-73 (Pembrey Sands weather station). One payment due for period December 6 to December 12.
LL35-40, SY20, SY23-25 (Trawsgoed weather station). Two payments owed or due for periods December 5 to December 11 and Decemeber 12 to December 18.
You should receive the payment automatically but it's worth keeping an eye out to make sure. Areas on the other side of the English border are also included - for instance, postcodes CH1-4 (covered by Hawarden Airport) and English postcodes in HR1-8 (Hereford-Credenhill) will also receive the payment. If you want more money-saving information, you can subscribe to our money newsletter here.
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