Thousands of households are being urged to check if they're eligible to claim £150 towards their energy bills this winter.
Energy customers in Scotland claiming certain benefits may be able to get the help through the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Through this support, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides funding to energy suppliers.
Energy providers are then instructed to give eligible households the £150 discount on their bill between October and March.
Those on a prepayment meter will usually be sent a top-up voucher which they will then have to manually redeem.
If you are eligible, you will usually get the discount automatically - however some in Scotland may need to actively claim it.
You should be eligible for the Warm Home Discount if you are part of one of two different groups.
In Scotland, the "Core Group" includes those who get the guarantee credit element of pension credit and were claiming it on August 21 2022, which was the key qualifying date for this year's payment.
If you are a part of this group, you get the payment automatically and should've received a letter between November 2022 and January 2023 letting you know when to expect your discount.
The discount will be given before March 31, 2023.
The second group in Scotland is called the "Broader Group" and if you are in this group, you will need to apply for the money.
Speak to your energy supplier as soon as possible to find out how to apply.
To be classified as in this group the following three things will need to apply:
- your energy supplier is part of the scheme
- you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
- your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill
In Scotland, the qualifying means-tested benefits for the Warm Home Discount include:
- Housing Benefit
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
If you received one of these benefits, this is the criteria you need to meet in order to qualify for the Warm Home Discount scheme:
Child tax credit
- Your annual income is £17,005 or less and you have parental responsibility for a child under the age of five who usually lives with you
- OR Your child tax credit has a disability element
- OR You get a disabled child premium
Housing benefit, Income support, Income-based jobseeker's allowance, Income-related employment and support allowance (with a support component or member of the work-related activity group)
- You have parental responsibility for a child under the age of five who usually lives with you
- OR you get either child tax credit with a disability element, a disabled child premium, a disability premium or a pensioner premium
Universal Credit
You earned £1,418 or less in at least one assessment period since October 2021 and you have parental responsibility for a child under the age of five who usually lives with you
- OR you have 'limited capability for work' or 'limited capability for work and work-related activity'
- OR your universal credit has a disabled child element
In this scenario, you may also need to meet the criteria set out by your energy provider, so you should check before you make an application, even if you were eligible for the scheme previously.
With the Warm Home Discount scheme, the number of discounts that can be given by a supplier is limited so it works on a first come first serve basis.
Due to this, if you are in Scotland and believe you are eligible to claim, it is worth getting your application in as soon as possible.
