A NUMBER of energy firms are offering a “lifeline” £150 cash boost to hard-up households this winter.
The help comes via the Warm Home Discount, a one-off deduction on energy bills which is usually applied automatically.
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Around 2.5million households received the top up between October 2022 and March 2023 totalling hundreds of millions of pounds.
Adam Scorer, chief executive of fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA), previously branded the discount a “lifeline”.
It comes with the average family on a duel-fuel energy tariff paying by direct debit forking out £1,834 for their yearly bills under the current Ofgem price cap.
That’s compared to £1,277 in November 2021 – £557 more on average – so the £150 discount will come in more than handy to those eligible.
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You have to be on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or a number of other benefits to receive the top up.
The other qualifying benefits are:
- 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 weren’t claiming any of the above benefits on August 13, 2023, you won’t be eligible.
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Meanwhile, if you live in England or Wales you will receive the rebate automatically.
However, households in Scotland and on a low income have to apply via their suppliers.
The discount is being applied between October this year and March 31, 2024 and eligible households should receive a letter telling them they qualify.
The “big six” suppliers are all taking part in the scheme this year, including British Gas, Octopus Energy and EDF.
But a number of smaller firms are too including Utility Warehouse and So Energy.
Here is the full list of suppliers offering the discount over the colder months and how you will receive payment.
British Gas
How British Gas applies the £150 discount varies depending on how you normally pay for your bills.
If you pay by direct debit or on receipt of bills it will be added to your account as credit.
If you have a traditional prepayment meter, you will be sent a voucher you can use to top up your meter at a Post Office branch.
You can find your nearest branch by using the company’s branch finder on its website.
Anyone with a smart prepayment meter will be sent the discount directly to their meter as credit.
Customers will then be emailed to let them know it’s been applied.
E.ON
As with British Gas, E.ON is applying the discount as credit if you pay via direct debit or on receipt of bills.
Anyone with a smart prepayment meter will also see the £150 added as credit.
However, if you’re on a traditional prepayment meter you will receive a voucher to redeem at your local Post Office.
EDF
EDF says it plans on paying everyone the £150 discount by February 29 next year.
Customers paying by direct debit or on receipt of bills will see the money credited to their accounts.
If you’re on a traditional prepayment meter you will receive a voucher which you can redeem at the Post Office.
Smart prepayment meter customers will see the rebate directly credited to their meter.
You will be told via email when this has been done.
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy issues direct debit and on receipt of bills customers the discount as a credit on their account.
The same applies for customers on a smart prepayment meter.
Meanwhile, if you’re on a traditional prepayment meter you will receive the rebate as a voucher which you can use to top up.
The voucher will be sent as a letter to your home address or if your email address is registered with the provider you will receive the voucher from the email address [email protected].
OVO Energy
If you pay for your bill by direct debit or on receipt of bills you will receive the £150 rebate as a credit.
Smart prepayment meter customers will also see it applied to their meters.
OVO said customers with a traditional prepayment meter will be written to explaining how they’ll get the discount.
If you were supplied by Ovo on August 13 and have since switched to a new supplier you will receive the £150 as a cheque in the post.
Scottish Power
Scottish Power is applying the discount as a credit to any customers paying by direct debit or on receipt of bills.
Meanwhile, households with a traditional prepayment meter will receive a voucher to redeem at their nearest Post Office branch.
Customers with a smart prepayment meter will see the rebate applied directly to their meter.
Scottish Power said payments will be made by March 31.
So Energy
So Energy doesn’t support customers on prepayment meters so you can only pay with them via direct debit or on receipt of bills.
Anyone eligible for the £150 discount will receive it as a credit on their account.
Utility Warehouse
Utility Warehouse is paying customers the £150 rebate similarly to the other suppliers.
Households paying for their bills via direct debit or on receipt of bills will receive a credit while smart prepayment meter customers will see their meter topped up.
Anyone on a traditional prepayment meter will be sent a PayPoint voucher where they’ll need to top up at their nearest outlet.
You can find your nearest PayPoint outlet on its website.
A number of other firms are running the Warm Home Discount scheme this winter.
The full list includes:
- Boost Energy
- Ecotricity
- Good Energy
- London Power
- Outfox the Market
- Rebel Energy
- Tomato Energy
- TruEnergy
- Utilita
If you are with any of the above suppliers you should be able to find details of how you will be paid the £150 Warm Home Discount on their website, or you can give them a call.
What extra help is there?
Millions of pensioners are in line for a bumper Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £600 in November or December.
You qualify for the payment if you were born before September 25, 1957 and, in most cases, live in the UK.
Letters should have been received in October or in November.
The vast majority of eligible households don’t have to do anything and the tax-free payment will be made automatically.
You do not need to claim if you get any of the following:
- State Pension
- Pension Credit
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Carers Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Income Support
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- awards from the War Pensions Scheme
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Industrial Death Benefit
You will need to claim if either:
- you’ve not got the Winter Fuel Payment before
- you’ve deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment
You may also need to claim even if you are on one of the above benefits and live abroad.
Check out the government’s website for more details on countries where you can claim the payment from.
Any Winter Fuel Payments received won’t impact any other benefit entitlements.
Meanwhile, you may also be able to get help with the cost of living via the Household Support Fund, worth £842million.
The pot of money has been split between councils in England who are allocating their share.
That means what you can get varies, from direct bank transfers to energy or food vouchers.
Usually help is offered to households on a low income or benefits.
If this is you, it’s worth getting in touch with your local council to see what you might be eligible for.
You can find what council authority you fall under by using the Government’s locator tool online.
You might also be eligible for a Cold Weather payment from the government.
You receive £25 for every seven-day period where temperatures are consistently below zero degrees.
You also have to be on one of the following:
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- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest
Households in Scotland have to apply for the Winter Heating Payment instead.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
