Warm Home Discount scheme opens for 2025-26 winter

The Warm Home Discount scheme runs between November 2025 and March 2026, giving a one-time £150 discount on energy bills to people who meet the government's criteria¹. It is a government scheme in England, Wales and Scotland, and is not available in Northern Ireland¹.

Eligibility differs by nation. In England and Wales, a household must get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, or be on a low income¹. In Scotland, a household must get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, or be on a low income and meet its energy supplier's criteria for the scheme¹. The date that matters is 24 August 2025: the criteria had to be met on that date to get the discount, although a claim may still qualify if a benefits claim or pension credit is backdated to 24 August 2025 or earlier¹.

Letters were sent between October 2025 and January 2026 to people who meet the criteria, and to those who might meet them and need to send more information¹. People who meet the criteria do not need to do anything: their energy supplier will apply the discount to the bill by 31 March 2026¹. Where more information is needed, the letter tells the recipient to call the DWP Warm Home Discount helpline by 28 February 2026¹. Anyone who thinks they meet the criteria but has not received a letter before January 2026 is advised to contact the helpline¹.

Separate guidance published by Turn2us describes the following winter, 2026/27, when the scheme again gives £150 off electricity bills and runs from October to March, with energy providers usually starting to accept applications from the end of September². For that winter, a person or their partner must be named on the electricity bill by Sunday 23rd August 2026 to get the discount automatically, letters are sent between October 2026 and early January 2027, and the discount is applied by 31 March 2027². Turn2us also sets out core and broader groups: core group claimants, including pension age people who get Pension Credit or those getting Universal Credit, do not need to apply, while the broader group of low income households outside the core group does need to apply². It states that the scheme usually opens in October and has more applicants than places². The two sources describe different scheme years and different qualifying dates, and neither sets out the other's figures.

Why it matters for households

For households that met the criteria on 24 August 2025, the £150 is applied directly to the energy account rather than paid as cash, and suppliers have until 31 March 2026 to apply it¹. That means the benefit may not appear on a bill until late in the winter. Households that received a letter asking for more information face a deadline of 28 February 2026 to call the helpline, and those who believe they qualify but have had no letter by January 2026 are directed to contact the helpline¹. The discount is not available to households in Northern Ireland, where the Affordable Warmth scheme may be an option instead¹. Turn2us states that the discount does not affect Cold Weather Payment, Winter Fuel Payment or other cost of living and fuel support².

What happens next

Suppliers must apply the 2025-26 discount to bills by 31 March 2026¹. The helpline deadline for people asked to provide further information is 28 February 2026¹. For winter 2026/27, the qualifying date for automatic help is 23rd August 2026, with letters from October 2026 and the discount applied by 31 March 2027². Further detail is set out in the guide to the Warm Home Discount and other help with energy bills, alongside general help with cutting household bills and the wider benefits section. Households in Scotland can also read about Pension Age, Child and Winter Heating Payments in Scotland, and those moving across the border about disability and carer payments when moving between Scotland and the rest of the UK.