Warm Home Discount expanded to 6 million UK households for £150

Millions of households across the UK will begin receiving letters from Monday, October 20, confirming they are eligible for a one-off £150 Warm Home Discount to be applied to their electricity bills this winter, the Department for Work and Pensions said. The expansion of the scheme, announced earlier this year, removes a previous requirement that households demonstrate high energy use in England and Wales and is expected to extend the discount to roughly an additional 2.7 million homes, bringing total recipients to about six million.

The discount is aimed at households on certain means-tested benefits who were on those benefits on the qualifying date of August 24. Households in England and Wales that meet the criteria will receive the payment automatically through their electricity supplier. In Scotland, only people receiving the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit will receive the payment automatically; others who meet the qualifying criteria must apply directly to their supplier. There is no Warm Home Discount scheme in Northern Ireland.

The payment is normally applied directly to the electricity bill by the supplier rather than paid in cash. Customers who use...