# Warm Home Discount 2026/27: the £150 electricity bill discount and who qualifies

> The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 reduction on an electricity bill for some low-income households in Great Britain. This guide explains how it…

- URL: https://centiview.com/uk-money/warm-home-discount-2026-27-who-qualifies
- Published: 2026-10-18T06:35:00.000Z
- Figures checked: 2026-10-18
- Edited by David A
- Topic: Bills & Energy (UK)
- Publisher: Centiview (Persie Ltd, London)
- General information only, not financial advice

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 reduction on an electricity bill for some low-income households in Great Britain. This guide explains how it works, who is in the core group, how Scotland differs, and what to check.

## What the Warm Home Discount is and how it works

The Warm Home Discount is a government scheme, paid for through a levy on domestic gas and electricity bills, that gives eligible households a one-off £150 discount. Ofgem, the energy regulator, says the scheme has run since 2011 and covers England, Scotland and Wales, and that it is currently set to run until 31 March 2031. The discount is not paid to you as cash. GOV.UK says your electricity supplier applies it to your bill, and that if your supplier provides both gas and electricity you may be able to have it applied to a gas bill instead, which is worth asking your supplier about.

On GOV.UK the scheme is shown as closed, with a note that it reopens in October 2026 for winter 2026 to 2027. Ofgem's scheme year for England and Wales runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and in Scotland from 1 May 2026 to 31 March 2027. All domestic energy suppliers with more than 1,000 customers must provide the rebate, while smaller suppliers can join voluntarily. That means whether you can receive the discount depends partly on whether your own supplier takes part. The discount does not affect Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment, which are separate help.

## The key figures and dates

> **Key numbers** Discount: £150, one-off, applied to an electricity bill (or possibly a gas bill if one supplier provides both). Qualifying date for winter 2026 to 2027: 23 August 2026. Not available in Northern Ireland. Checked 18 October 2026 on GOV.UK and Ofgem.

The qualifying date matters because eligibility is judged on what applied on one particular day, not on your circumstances today. For winter 2026 to 2027 GOV.UK sets that date as 23 August 2026. In England and Wales the rule is that on that date your energy supplier was part of the scheme, you or your partner received a qualifying means-tested benefit (one where entitlement depends on income or savings), and your name or your partner's was on the electricity bill. GOV.UK lists the qualifying benefits for this core group as Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and income-related Employment and Support Allowance. The official eligibility statement adds that the former two core groups were merged into one from this scheme year.

- Most eligible households are matched automatically using benefit data, so many people do not need to apply
- If eligibility is unclear, the official statement says the person may be sent a letter asking them to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline
- Prepayment meter customers can qualify, and the supplier explains how the credit reaches them, for example through a top-up voucher
- Park home residents who pay the site owner for electricity apply separately through the Park Homes scheme, run by Charis Grants

## Who this applies to, and who it does not

The scheme applies to households in England, Scotland and Wales whose electricity account holder, or their partner, met the conditions on the qualifying date. It does not apply in Northern Ireland, where GOV.UK points to the Affordable Warmth Scheme instead. The official statement also says people living permanently in a care home are not eligible, and that caravans are generally excluded, although a small number of permanently residential caravans may qualify with evidence. People who receive electricity through an intermediary, such as a park site owner, are not covered by the main scheme and use the separate park homes route.

Scotland has a different structure. GOV.UK says the Scottish core group is made up of people who receive Pension Credit, or an extra amount of Universal Credit for a disability or health condition, or certain disability or pensioner premiums of income-related ESA, or who have a Support for Mortgage Interest loan with such a premium. It also includes people responsible for a child under 5 who normally lives with them and who are unemployed and on Universal Credit, receive income-related ESA, or hold a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. Those in the core group have the discount applied automatically. A broader group in Scotland applies directly to their electricity supplier, and each supplier may set extra criteria and says which benefits qualify. GOV.UK did not give application deadlines for the broader group, so the supplier is the place to ask.

## A worked example

These figures are illustrative only. Suppose a household's electricity bill for a winter quarter is £420 before any discount. A £150 Warm Home Discount takes that to £420 minus £150, which is £270. The discount is therefore £150 divided by £420, about 35.7 per cent of that bill. If the same household had already paid £420 by Direct Debit, the credit would normally sit on the account to offset future charges, though how a particular supplier shows or handles a credit can vary, so it is worth reading the account statement. A household whose winter bill was only £120 would see a different effect, because the credit would be larger than that one bill.

## Common mistakes and where to get free help

A common mistake is assuming the discount can be claimed any time by anyone on a low income. Eligibility is tied to the qualifying date, the supplier and whose name is on the bill, so a household where the bill is in a former tenant's name, or in a supplier that does not take part, can fall outside it. Another is assuming it will be paid as money into a bank account, when it is a credit to the energy account. Some people also confuse it with the Winter Fuel Payment, which GOV.UK says is unaffected and is a separate payment. Because scam messages often pretend to be about energy rebates, many people prefer to check with their own supplier using the number on a recent bill rather than responding to an unexpected call or text.

If you think you should have been included, the first step is usually to contact your electricity supplier, who can explain how the rebate is shown on your account. Free independent help with energy bills is available from Citizens Advice, and for wider money worries MoneyHelper and StepChange offer free guidance. Those on a prepayment meter, or struggling with energy debt, can also ask their supplier what support they offer, which is a separate question from this scheme.

## Check before you act

Rules, qualifying dates and supplier arrangements can change from year to year, so confirm the details on the official GOV.UK and Ofgem pages linked below, or with your electricity supplier, before relying on anything in this guide.

### Sources
- [Warm Home Discount Scheme overview (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme)
- [Warm Home Discount Scheme: If you live in England or Wales (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/if-you-live-in-england-and-wales)
- [Warm Home Discount Scheme: If you live in Scotland (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/if-you-live-in-scotland)
- [Warm Home Discount eligibility statement, England and Wales, 2026 to 2027 (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warm-home-discount-eligibility-statement-england-and-wales-2026-to-2027-scheme-year/warm-home-discount-eligibility-statement-england-and-wales-2026-to-2027)
- [Warm Home Discount (Ofgem)](https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/warm-home-discount-whd)