Am I eligible for the Warm Home Discount? Sunak extends eligibility

Rishi Sunak announces plans to help with energy cost rise

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Today it was announced energy prices will rise by £693 a year for millions of households. This comes as regulator Ofgem hiked the price cap on energy bills to £1,971 or 54 percent. For many Brits, the extra costs will be too much to handle, but there is some help on the way.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said 80 percent of all homes in England will receive a £150 council tax rebate to help with the cost of energy in April.

Speaking in the Commons today Mr Sunak said: “We are going to give people a £150 council tax rebate to help with the cost of energy in April and this discount won’t need to be repaid.

“And I do want to be clear with the House, that we are deliberately not just giving support to people on benefits.

“Lots of people on middle incomes are struggling right now, too. So we have decided to provide the council tax rebate to households in bands A to D. This means around 80 percent of all homes in England will benefit.”

Read More: Rishi Sunak extends Warm Home Discount Scheme

Another way you can receive help with energy bills is via the Warm Home Discount scheme. But just who is eligible?

Mr Sunak has now extended eligibility to the Warm Home Discount Scheme by almost a third.

This means three million vulnerable households will benefit from the scheme.

Mr Sunak said: “We’ll go ahead with existing plans to expand eligibility for the Warm Home Discount by almost a third. Three million vulnerable households will now benefit from that scheme.”

The Warm Home Discount scheme is not paid directly to you, instead, it is a one-off discount for your energy bill.

Usually paid between October and March, those eligible could get up to £140 off their electricity bill.

Currently, to be eligible for the Warm House Discount you need to either

– get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit – known as the ‘core group’

– be a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme – known as the ‘broader group’

It’s this broader group that has been expanded to include more households as energy prices soar.

You can still qualify for the discount if you use a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter.

Your electricity supplier can tell you how you’ll get the discount if you’re eligible, for example, a voucher you can use to top up your meter.

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