Warm Home Discount rebates to be applied to bills by end of March 2025

The Warm Home Discount provides a one-off £150 rebate on electricity bills for the winter of 2024/25, and confirmed discounts should be applied automatically to bills by the end of March 2025¹. The scheme covers households in England, Wales and Scotland¹. Between 2011 and 2022 the amount was £140, and the eligibility rules were different in England and Wales¹.

In England and Wales, households that received the guarantee element of Pension Credit on 11 August 2024 should receive the rebate automatically from their electricity supplier without making a claim¹. The same applies to households that received certain means-tested benefits on that date: income related Employment and Support Allowance, income based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits and Pension Credit Savings Credit¹. For tax credits, household income must be below a set amount that varies with the number of adults and children¹:

Homes in England and Wales must also meet a "high energy cost score"¹. Data matching between government departments such as the Valuation Office Agency and energy suppliers looks at a property's type, age and floor area to decide whether it is likely to be expensive to heat or have low energy efficiency, and an Energy Performance Certificate can be used where VOA information is missing¹. The score may change each year, so a property may not be eligible every year¹. Eligibility to a disability benefit only no longer provides automatic access to the discount in England and Wales, as it previously did in some suppliers' schemes¹.

In Scotland, households do not need to meet the high energy cost score, but suppliers may apply additional criteria that differ between companies¹. Scottish households in the Broader Group are not paid automatically and must claim, even if they received the rebate last year, because the number of discounts each supplier can give is limited¹. Some suppliers open for applications in September and some in October¹.

Permanent residents of park homes without a direct connection to an energy supplier may be eligible for a Warm Home Discount cheque towards their winter fuel bill, administered by Charis Grants on behalf of contributing suppliers¹. Northern Ireland is not part of the scheme; separate help is available there¹.

Why it matters for households

For eligible households in England and Wales, the £150 is a credit on the electricity bill rather than a cash payment, and it should appear automatically by the end of March 2025¹. That means the discount reduces what is owed on the winter 2024/25 bill, and households that pay by direct debit may see the adjustment reflected in their account rather than as a separate payment. The letter confirming the discount is sent before the end of the year¹. Anyone in England and Wales who had not received a confirmation letter by mid-January 2025 could contact the Warm Home Discount team, but the deadline for calling was 28 February 2025¹.

In Scotland the position is different: the rebate is not automatic, and households in the Broader Group must apply to their supplier, with the number of discounts each supplier can give limited¹. Eligibility in England and Wales also depends on the property as well as the household, because of the high energy cost score, and that score can change from year to year¹. Households whose only qualifying benefit is a disability benefit no longer receive automatic access in England and Wales¹.

What happens next

Confirmed discounts should be applied to bills by the end of March 2025¹. The helpline for England and Wales closed to new callers after 28 February 2025¹. Scottish households in the Broader Group apply directly to their electricity supplier, and the number of discounts each supplier can give is limited¹.