When your warm home discount will be paid from energy firms including British Gas and Eon

HARD-UP Brits struggling with bills can get a discount of £140 on their heating this winter.

Many energy companies offer the money off bills through the warm home discount scheme.

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To get the reduction on your energy bill you need to apply directly to your supplier unless you’re getting a benefit called pension credit.

Eligibility criteria can vary, so check with your provider directly to see if you can get it, but it’s aimed at those on low incomes or who are struggling to get by.

Some energy providers have already closed the scheme unfortunately, although there’s other help you might get instead.

If you haven’t applied already and the scheme is still open with your provider, it’s best to claim asap as there’s a limited pot of cash and once it’s gone it’s gone.

But once you’ve applied, when will you see the bill reduction?

The scheme rules say the one-off discount of £140 can be applied to your bill anywhere between October and March.

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If you have a pre-payment meter, you’ll be sent a £140 voucher that you can use to top up your account.

We asked the major energy companies when customers can expect to see the bill reduction from the warm home discount scheme – here’s what they said.

Bulb

Successful applicants to Bulb’s warm home discount scheme will see the discount by 31 March.

Although the energy firm is in special administration, the business is running as normal for customers.

That means you can still apply to the scheme which remains open for applications – you can apply here.

So Energy

So Energy told The Sun that it’s “in the process of paying” the discounts and “all successful applicants will receive their discount before the end of the scheme year” which is on March 31.

The supplier also told The Sun that the scheme is likely to be open for another few weeks based on current applications.

You can check who is eligible and how to apply on the So Energy website.

E.On

E.On told us that the large proportion of of customers have already had the discount applied to their bills.

They have been paid out between September last year and will be made up until the end of March this year, and all payments will be made by March 31.

If you haven’t applied already then you still can, but you should act quick as providers can close the scheme at any time – you can apply here, or here with E.On Next.

Shell Energy

Shell Energy has said that some customers have already received the bill discount – and all of them will get it by the end of March.

The scheme has just closed, so unfortunately if you haven’t applied already you’ve missed your chance until it opens again next winter.

The later applications are among those still being processed, the company said.

Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy customers should usually get the credit on their account in around six weeks.

It may take some customers longer to see the credit as the regulator Ofgem requires that companies check a certain number of applications are eligible with the DWP.

But all £140 credits are made by March 31 at the latest, the supplier said.

Applications for the scheme have already closed for Octopus Energy customers.

British Gas

Centrica, which is the company that owns British Gas, said simply that the discount is applied to customers’ electricity bills between October and March.

The scheme has now closed for British Gas customers, so the discount will only go to those who have already applied.

Ovo Energy and SSE

Ovo Energy customers can no longer apply for the warm home discount as the the scheme has closed for this winter.

Anyone who already applied for the money off will get it by March 31 this year.

But the energy firm says it aims to make the payment as soon as possible, so you may well have had it already.

The same applies to customers of SSE, which is now owned by Ovo Energy.

Utilita

Utilita’s scheme has already closed and many customers should already have received their payment.

For those on pay as you go electricity smart meters, and combined electricity and gas smart metres, payments are made in two.

The first between December 11 and 18, 2021, and the second between January 21 and 28, 2022.

Those without a smart metre on pay as you go will get the payment by the end of February 2022.

Customers who are billed or pay via ongoing direct debit will see the discount on your January 2022 bill or first quarter of 2022 bill.

An energy expert has shared their four top tips for keeping energy bills down this winter.

And check out these tricks for keeping costs down in every room of your home.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk