A MILLION more Brits will get an extra £150 free cash for their energy bills from October.
The government is expanding the Warm Home Discount scheme so more low income households will benefit.
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It confirmed today that plans to increase the value of the grant to £150 – an additional £10 payment – will go ahead.
In total, 3million households across the country will be eligible for the discount when applications reopen in October this year – up from around 2million.
In a statement today, the Treasury announced: “The Chancellor also today confirmed plans to go ahead with existing proposals to expand eligibility for the Warm Home Discount by almost a third so that three million vulnerable households will now benefit, as well as the planned £10 uplift to £150 from October.
“This follows a consultation by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to reform the policy so that more people will benefit.”
The Warm Home Discount is split into two sections, which are currently known as the core group and the broader group.
The core group are people who get the guarantee element of pension credit – they automatically get the payment every year and this will remain the same.
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The broader group is made up of low income households who have to apply for the support through their energy supplier.
It will be widened so a further 1million households will become eligible for the grant.
A government consultation published in June last year proposed replacing the broader group with a second core group of struggling families.
It would include people on other benefits including working tax credits pension credit savings credit who would automatically get the grant.
The Sun has contacted the Treasury for comment and we will update this article with more details on eligibility when they are finalised.
The confirmation of the expansion came as Ofgem announced that energy bills will rise by £693 for 22million households this year.
The government will provide a £200 energy bill rebate to customers, which will then have to be repaid within five years from April 2023.
It will also hand out a £150 tax refund for millions of households, which is a grant so won’t have to be repaid.
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