Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 come into force

The Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 came into force on 7 July 2022, the day after they were made on 6 July 2022¹. The regulations were made by the Secretary of State under sections 9, 10, 14 and 31(5) and (6) of the Energy Act 2010, with the consent of the Treasury, and a draft was approved by resolution of each House of Parliament¹.

The instrument continues, in England and Wales, the scheme for reducing fuel poverty established by the Warm Home Discount Regulations 2011¹. The scheme as continued is to be known as the Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Scheme and has effect during the period beginning with the commencement day and ending with 31st March 2026, described in the regulations as the scheme period¹. Regulation 1 sets out that the regulations extend to England and Wales only, except for regulation 1 itself and regulation 31, which extend to England and Wales and Scotland¹.

The "prescribed rebate", other than in regulation 18, means a rebate of £150¹. Scheme year 12 is the period beginning with the commencement day and ending with 31st March 2023, and later scheme years are periods of 12 months beginning with 1st April in any of the years from 2023 to 2025¹. The regulations set out the core group criteria: a person, or where both they and their partner occupy the qualifying premises as their sole or main residence, that person or their partner, is in receipt of guarantee credit or meets the criteria described in the relevant eligibility statement¹.

The regulations also set notification and payment deadlines for suppliers. For scheme year 12 the figure is 50,000, and for any other scheme year it is 1,000¹. Suppliers must provide the prescribed rebate to core group customers specified in a notice by 31st March in that scheme year, or before the end of the period of 30 days beginning with the day on which the notice is received¹. Notification deadlines include 1st February in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and 14th February preceding the start of scheme years 13, 14 and 15¹. The regulations have been amended since: regulation 4(3)(a) was substituted on 18 September 2025 by the Warm Home Discount (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1031)¹.

Why it matters for households

The regulations keep the Warm Home Discount running in England and Wales for scheme years 12 to 15, ending 31st March 2026¹. The rebate is £150 for the period covered by the instrument, and eligibility for the core group turns on receipt of guarantee credit or meeting the criteria described in the relevant eligibility statement¹. Households in Scotland are not covered by the scheme provisions, since the regulations extend to England and Wales only apart from regulation 1 and regulation 31¹. The payment deadlines mean the rebate reaches core group customers either by 31st March in the scheme year or within 30 days of the supplier receiving the notice¹.

What happens next

The scheme period ends on 31st March 2026¹. Regulation 4(3) provides that certain duties and powers continue after the end of the scheme period, including duties of scheme suppliers under regulations 10, 12(5) to (8) and 28(3), duties of the Secretary of State under regulation 13, and duties and powers of the Authority under regulations 27 and 28¹. Regulation 4(3)(a) was substituted on 18 September 2025 by the Warm Home Discount (Amendment) Regulations 2025¹.