Millions of households across the UK will begin receiving letters confirming a £150 reduction on their energy bills for the coming winter. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that it will begin sending out notifications for the Warm Home Discount scheme, which provides eligible households with financial support toward their heating costs. Letters explaining who qualifies and how the discount will be applied are expected to start arriving from tomorrow.
The Warm Home Discount scheme has been widened this year, with the « hard-to-heat » requirement now scrapped for households in England and Wales. This means that low-income families receiving certain benefits will no longer need to live in an energy-inefficient property to qualify for support.
As a result, an extra 2.7 million households – including around 900,000 families with children – are set to benefit from the £150 rebate, taking the total number of eligible homes to around six million. From tomorrow, DWP will begin sending out letters confirming who qualifies for the payment.
You need to have been claiming one of the seven means-tested benefits on a specific date – August 24 – to be eligible:
- Guaranteed credit element of pension credit
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Housing benefit
- Universal Credit
- The « Savings Credit » part of pension credit
If you weren’t receiving any of the qualifying benefits on August 24, 2025, you won’t be eligible for the Warm Home Discount this time around. However, there is a way to secure the payment later – even if you weren’t claiming Pension Credit on the qualifying date – by taking a simple step that could help you access the support retrospectively.
This is because your eligibility for certain benefits can be backdated. For example, successful pension credit claims can be backdated by three months. Households in England and Wales do not need to apply for the Warm Home Discount, as the payment is made automatically to those who qualify.
Between October 2025 and early January 2026, you should receive a letter explaining your status. The letter will either confirm that you’re eligible and will receive the £150 discount automatically, or it will inform you that you may qualify but need to provide some additional information first. If you are asked to confirm your details, you’ll need to contact the helpline by 27 February 2026 to ensure your payment is processed.
If you haven’t received your letter by early January 2026 but believe you qualify, you should contact the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 030 9322.
Once your eligibility is confirmed, your electricity supplier will automatically apply the £150 discount to your bill by March 31, 2026.
The scheme is available regardless of which energy company supplies your electricity, so all eligible households can benefit.
