Pay It
Book It
Find It
Report It
Apply For It
Say It
Warm Home Discount – Guide: October 2011
What is it?
The Warm Home Discount scheme is a new rebate that customers can get off their electricity bills to try to tackle increasing energy costs for vulnerable customers.
This rebate will be provided by the main energy suppliers and replaces the social tariffs that have previously been on offer. Customers who are already on a social tariff will remain on this for the next 3 years. It is hoped that most customers on social tariffs will be able to be transferred onto the Warm Home Discount before the social tariffs end.
Who will get it?
The Warm Home Discount will be available to two groups of customers; the ‘Core Group’ and the ‘Broader Group’. The core group consists of people on the guarantee element of Pension Credit. The Broader group criteria are determined by each of the energy suppliers individually and are linked to income and benefits.
How much can I get?
If you qualify you’ll receive £120 towards your electricity bill by the end of March 2012.
The rebate will be available for the next four years. In the first year the amount is £120 but by the fourth year this will have increased to £140.
What do I need to do?
If you are in the Core Group then you don’t need to do anything. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have shared data with the main energy suppliers so they are aware of the customers who will qualify for this group and therefore, for these people the payment will be made automatically to their electricity accounts. For the first year this payment will be made by the end of March 2012.
If you think that you might fall under the Broader Group then you will need to contact your energy supplier. All of the main energy companies have now set out their criteria for the Broader Group. In the tables below we have outlined the criteria for the main 6 energy suppliers and the numbers you can contact to apply for the rebate.
Important
Most of the energy suppliers offering the Warm Home Discount have limited funding to offer for the Broader Group therefore the rebates are being offered on a first come, first served basis. It is possible that not everyone who qualifies for this will actually receive the rebate. Find out if you are eligible as soon as possible to make sure you don’t miss out.
Scottish & Southern Energy Broader Group Criteria – 0800 300 111
SSE are splitting their broader group into two separate groups:
Group 1:
People in receipt of Pension Credit (who did not fit the core group criteria because they have Savings Credit only)
Group 2:
People who receive any of the benefits details in List A if the also have one of the components in List B:
List A
- Income Support
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance which includes a work-related activity or support component
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
List B
- A child under the age of five years old living at home
- Child Tax Credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
- A disabled child premium
- A disability premium, enhanced disability premium or severe disability premium
- A pensioner premium, higher pensioner premium or enhanced pensioner premium
More information on Scottish & Southern Energy Broader Group Criteria 
.
EDF Broader Group Criteria – 0800 096 9000
EDF Energy refer to the broader group as ‘Warm Home Discount Support Plus’. To qualify for this rebate customers must receive one from each of the criteria sections below:
Criteria Section 1
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance
- Income Support
- Income related employment support allowance
Criteria Section 2
- Long Term Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for yourself
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a child living with you
- Have a child who was under 5 on the 1 of April 2011 living with you (born on or after 1 April 2006)
E-ON Broader Group Criteria – 0800 404 6287
E-ON have set out the following criteria for the Broader Group:
- You or you partner must be in receipt of one of the benefits in section 1; or
- You or your partner must be in receipt of one of the benefits in section 2 and one from section 3.
Section 1
- State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (where the relevant income is £16,190 or less)
Section 2
- Income related employment and support allowance
- Income Support
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance
Section 3
- Pensioner Premium
- Child Tax Credit – including disability or severe disability elements
- Disabled child premium
- Disability or severe disability premium
- Child under 5 living in property
Npower Broader Group Criteria – 0808 172 6999
Npower customers are eligible for the broader group if they are in receipt of:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) which includes a work related activity support component
Who also have any of the following:
- A disability premium, enhanced disability premium or severe disability premium
- A disabled child premium
- Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- A child under five living with them
British Gas Broader Group Criteria – 0800 072 8625
British Gas has agreed that the following customers will be eligible for the broader group in 2011/12:
- Customers who are in receipt of benefits and have a vulnerable condition
- Customers who have an annual household income of less than £16,190 and a vulnerable condition
- Customer who have an annual household income of less than £16,190 and are spending more than 10% of their income to provide adequate heating (21 degrees for main living room and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms)
NB: British Gas have agreed that there will not be a limit on the number of eligible customers in the
Broader Group who receive the rebate this year.
Scottish Power Broader Group Criteria – 0800 027 2700
Scottish Power domestic electricity customers who receive at least one of the following benefits will qualify for the Broader Group:
- Income Support
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
In addition to the above you must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Have a child aged under 5 by 31st March 2012 permanently living with you
Or receive one of the following:
- Child Tax credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
- A disabled child premium
- A disability premium, enhanced disability premium or severe disability premium
How do I know if my energy company is offering this?
The following is a list of the energy suppliers who are taking part in the Warm Home Discount scheme. You will need to have your energy supplied by one of these companies in order for you to receive the rebate:
- Atlantic
- British Gas
- EDF Energy
- E.ON
- Equipower
- Equigas
- Manweb
- M&S Energy
- Npower
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- Scottish Gas
- Scottish Hydro
- ScottishPower
- Southern Electric
- Scottish & Southern Energy
- Swalec
- Utility Warehouse
Twitter
Facebook
