The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that four specific groups of people will not be eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount. This financial support is intended to help households with energy costs, but certain eligibility criteria limit who can benefit.
Firstly, individuals whose energy supplier is not signed up to the Warm Home Discount scheme will be excluded. Secondly, if you are not named on your electricity bill, you will not qualify for the payment. Thirdly, recipients must be receiving a qualifying means-tested benefit in England and Wales to qualify.
The fourth group includes those who, on the qualifying date, do not have the Guaranteed element of Pension Credit, either for themselves or their partner. While some lower-income households—such as those not previously on benefits or living in newer or smaller properties—might have become eligible under recent changes, eligibility is still dependent on personal circumstances and regional guidelines.
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In England and Wales, eligibility requires individuals to either receive the Guaranteed Credit element of Pension Credit or be on a means-tested benefit with high energy costs (actual or deemed). In Scotland, eligibility includes those on the Guaranteed Credit element or those on means-tested benefits who meet their energy supplier’s criteria.
Qualifying means-tested benefits include a range of income-based supports. The £150 discount is usually applied directly to electricity bills but may also reduce gas bills if the supplier manages both services.