Warm Home Discount

To qualify, all the following have to apply:

• Your homes energy supplier needs to be part of the scheme (you can click here to see a list) Warm Home Discount Scheme
• You or your partner are in receipt of a qualifying means tested benefit (see “Core Group” information below.
• The person in the household receiving the means tested benefit is named on the energy account on or before 23rd August 2026.

Core Group
Previously, you had to meet a criteria in either “Core Group 1” or “Core Group 2” - these have been merged into a single “Core Group”.

To qualify as being in the Core Group, someone named on the energy account in the home needs to be in receipt of a Means-Tested benefit, paid by DWP.
The qualifying means-tested benefits are:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit - Guarantee Credit
• Pension Credit - Savings Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

Eligibility is based upon your circumstances on the “qualifying date” of Sunday the 23rd August 2026. The person in receipt of the means-tested benefit in the household must have been named on the energy account by this date to qualify and be in receipt of that benefit in that assessment period. 

You should receive a letter between October 2026 and January 2027 telling you about the discount if you are eligible. You may need to provide further information to receive the payment – you can read more here about how to tell if the letter is genuine.

The discount will be applied to the electricity account by the 31st of March 2027.

There are A LOT of scams that circulate each year around Warm Home Discount. The Government will never contact you about it via email or text – ignore any messages asking you to click links, or hand over bank details. Click this link to learn more about recognising and avoiding energy related scams.

If you're on a non-smart prepayment meter, you'll usually be sent top-up vouchers to the total of £150, via text, email or postal letter. If you have a smart prepayment meter, the credit may be automatically applied to your electric balance. Customers on a credit account should see the £150 credit on one of their bills between Autumn 2026 and Spring 2027.

If you live in a Park Home, you still need to apply as the scheme will not automatically apply to you. Read more here - https://charisgrants.com/partners/park-homes/.

The Government announced in early 2025 that the criteria for being deemed to have "higher than average" energy costs was scrapped. This bought over 900,000 households back into eligibility. 

You can read more about the Warm Home Discount on the Governments website - https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme.