"Millions more to get £150 off energy bills"

[dutchman]

Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition says the discount should now be more than £150



Double the number of households in Britain will get £150 off their energy bills this winter as the government changes the rules on who qualifies for the Warm Home Discount.

Anyone on means-tested benefits will automatically see the money knocked off their bills no matter what size of property they live in.

While debt charities and energy groups have welcomed the move, some say the scheme still leaves out some of those most at risk, including those on non-means tested benefits.

Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said: "With bills still hundreds of pounds higher than in 2020, millions will continue to face unaffordable energy and cold, damp homes this winter".

Energy companies pay for and distribute the £150 discount to people's bills across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government sets the criteria for who should receive it.

Those rules were tightened under the previous administration, limiting the payment to those on the guaranteed element of pension credit, or those on means-tested-benefits living in a home with a high energy score.

Now the qualification about property size, type and home energy score is being scrapped. As a result this winter 2.7 million more homes will get this extra energy bill help, including almost a million households with children.

This extension comes hot-off-the-heels of the government U-turn to re-instate the Winter Fuel Payment to the majority of pensioners.

The bill for expanding the Warm Home Discount will be paid by energy companies and could be passed on through the Standing Charge, so it is possible all customers will see a slight increase in bills in the autumn to cover this announcement.

However, the government says any rise will be cancelled out by savings made by cutting energy company's expenditure and doing more to sort problem debt.

Household bills controlled by the energy price cap have been reduced over the summer months, and Standing Charges fell in all areas because the rules on what expenditure companies can pass on was restricted.

However, current market expectations are for another rise in gas and electricity bills from the start of October because of higher oil and gas prices.

Representing energy suppliers, Energy UK's chief executive Dhara Vyas welcomed the announcement and said she hoped to see more help for those most in need "by accelerating progress on a new improved targeted support scheme".

Earlier this month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves used the Spending Review to confirm £13.2bn will be spent on the government's Warm Homes Plan, which aims to make homes more energy-efficient and cheaper for people to heat.

[dutchman]

I was told this property didn't qualify even though an energy survey carried out immediately before I moved in said it did!

Also exactly who do they mean by "those on means tested benefits" as the definition seems to vary from one government policy to the next? (Witness the recent Winter Heating Allowance fiasco).

[rebbonk]

More sleight of hand from this excremental government in a cheap and shoddy attempt to revive its voter base. - It will fail!

[dutchman]

If you live in England and Wales, you will automatically receive the Warm Home Discount for 2025/26 if you receive one of the following means-tested benefits on 25 August (the qualifying date for the payment).

• Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit, provided your household income falls below a certain threshold (we're checking what this is);
  
  
• Housing Benefit;
  
  
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA);
  
  
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA);
  
  
• Income Support;
  
  
• Pension Credit (both the Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit elements will count); or
  
  
• Universal Credit.

The £150 is typically deducted from your electricity bill between October and March. You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead, as long as your supplier provides both your gas and electricity. For more details, see our Warm Home Discount guide.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/06/warm-home-discount-expansion-confirmed/

I see those on Contribution-based ESA and Jobseeker's (ie: those who have worked and paid National Insurance contributions) are excluded unless they also fall into one of the other categories.

That is exactly the kind of anomaly I was trying to draw attention to.