What is the Warm Home Discount (WHD)?
The Warm Home Discount (WHD) is a government scheme that helps those most in need. The scheme helps to cover the high cost of bills experienced throughout the winter in the form of a discount. If you are eligible, you will receive an electricity discount of £150 from your energy supplier that will be received before the 31st of March 2025. The scheme is open for those living in England and Wales and in Scotland, although there are differences between the two schemes.
The WHD Scheme does not cover Northern Ireland. However, there are other energy and grant schemes for those living in Northern Ireland, such as the Affordable Warmth Scheme.
WHD eligibility: How will I know if I qualify?
You don’t need to check if you qualify for the WHD rebate. If you are eligible for the discount, you will receive a letter from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) between October and December 2024. This letter will either confirm your eligibility for the automatic rebate or advise you to check via eligibility criteria or the helpline.
It is to be noted that there are two groups of eligibility criteria.
Core Group 1 Criteria:
- Your energy supplier participates with the scheme, and is the energy supplier who supplied you on the qualifying date of August 11th 2024. *If you are a Bunch customer, skip to the bottom*
- Your name, or your partner’s name, is on the bill or account AND your partner is registered as your partner on any benefits or tax credit records.
- You, or your partner, were in receipt of the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you receive Savings Credit too) on the qualifying date.
Core Group 2 Criteria:
- Your energy supplier participates with the scheme, and is the energy supplier who supplied you on the qualifying date of August 11th 2024. *If you are a Bunch customer, skip to the bottom*
- Your name, or your partner’s name, is on the bill or account AND your partner is registered as your partner on any benefits or tax credit records.
- You, or your partner, were in receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit or tax credit, listed below, on the qualifying date.
- You were living in a property identified as having a relatively high cost to heat.
List of qualifying means-tested benefits and tax credits for Core Group 2 eligibility:
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
- Income support
- Universal Credit
- Housing benefits
- Child Tax Credits
- Working Tax Credits
- Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
Click here for more information on the eligibility criteria for the WHD.
If you qualify for the WHD, you MUST be a customer of the participating energy suppliers AND be named on the account or bill of the electricity supply. Click here for the full list of participating energy suppliers.
If you did not receive a letter between October and December 2024 but meet the eligibility criteria on the qualifying date of August 11th 2024, contact the helpline on 0800 030 9322 for advice.
Difference between the England and Wales WHD and the Scotland WHD:
Why are there different schemes?
There are two different WHD schemes because prior to 2022/2023, the scheme applied across Great Britain and the Government has expanded the scheme this year. Since 2022/2023, there have been separate schemes: one for England and Wales, and one for Scotland. The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) reformed the scheme in England and Wales to provide more rebates automatically and focus support on those most in need. Such reforms have not been possible in Scotland due to differences in the way data is held. This is because Scotland does not have the equivalent of the Valuations Office Agency (VOA) that is used in England and Wales to identify households with high energy costs. Although Scotland’s scheme is slightly different, the same £150 discount is applied.
If you are eligible for the WHD, your postcode will determine which scheme you qualify for. To check which scheme may apply to you, check whether you live in a Scottish postcode here.
Common Questions:
I previously qualified for the WHD, why do I no longer qualify?
If you previously qualified for Core Group 1, you may no longer be eligible because of a change in circumstances including:
- A change in energy supplier to one that does not participate in the WHD.
- A change/increase in income.
- You are no longer in receipt of the Pension Credit Guarantee.
If you previously qualified for Core Group 2, you may no longer be eligible because of a change in circumstances including:
- You may have previously qualified in the ‘broader group’ eligibility of which has since been changed by DESNZ to Core Group 2 with different eligibility criteria than the previous ‘broader group’. This change in criteria means you may no longer qualify.
- A change/increase in income.
- You no longer receive any of the Core Group 2 qualifying means-tested benefits or tax credits.
For more information regarding your eligibility, click here or contact the helpline on 0800 030 9322.
I am on a prepayment meter. How will I receive the £150 discount?
Your electricity supplier will apply the rebate as credit onto your meter remotely. The credit may be split between gas and electricity meters. Your energy supplier will contact you on how your discount has been applied.
My electricity bill is less than £150 a month. Will I lose the remainder of the discount?
The WHD will not disappear from your account if the total amount of £150 is not used within the same month. Any unused credit will be carried over onto next month’s bill until the total amount of the discount has been used. For example, your electricity bill in December equated to £100. £100 of the £150 credit was used to pay this, leaving you with remaining credit of £50. Your next electricity bill in January also equated to £100. The remaining £50 credit that was not used to cover December’s electricity bill will be used on January’s bill. This means you will only need to pay the remaining £50 to cover the full cost of January’s bill.
I live with a relative who is also eligible for the WHD. Do we each receive the £150 discount?
If more than one individual in the household qualifies for the WHD, you will only receive one £150 rebate. This is because the scheme is designed to give a consistent level of support to all recipients with one discount per electricity bill. This means if a household has multiple occupants who qualify for the discount, only one discount will be applied because the electricity bill is paid per household.
I am eligible for the WHD but I rent and my landlord is named on the electricity bill. Do I still receive the £150 credit?
In order to be eligible for the discount, your name must be on the electricity bill or account. If it is your landlord’s name on the electricity bill or account, you will not qualify for the discount.
I qualify for the WHD but I pay my bills through a bill-splitting package. How will the discount be applied?
Provided your name is on the electricity bill or account, your WHD discount will be applied to your account and split equally between you and the other bill payers of the bill-splitting package. This is because the WHD is applied to the household rather than the individual. One household can only receive one £150 discount. If you pay your bills via direct debt, the credit will be applied to your account and future direct debit payments will be adjusted to reflect that. In any instance, the WHD will be visible on your final statement.
My electricity supply has been mistakenly transferred to another supplier on the qualifying date. Which supplier will apply the WHD?
If your electricity supplier has switched you to another electricity supplier by mistake, you will still receive the WHD from the supplier that switched you. For more help in this circumstance, contact your original electricity supplier.
I’m a Bunch customer, how will I get my WHD?
If you’re a Bunch customer, we will be in touch with you if you are eligible for the WHD. For those who pay as part of a split-bill package, the discount will be split between all bill-payers evenly. We will pass on the credit provided by your energy supplier to your Bunch payment. Full details related to your personal account will be emailed to you.
We will be in touch with you if you are eligible for the WHD.
If you believe you are eligible and we haven’t been in contact with you by January 2024, visit the government website here to check your eligibility.