Warm Home Discount Scheme
The Warm Home Discount is a government scheme designed to help eligible households with higher energy costs during the winter months.
Eligible customers will receive a one-off £150 credit towards their electricity bill before 31 March 2027.
The 2026/27 Warm Home Discount Scheme began in October 2026 for eligible customers across England, Wales and Scotland.
Most eligible customers will receive the discount automatically without needing to apply. However, some customers in Scotland may need to apply directly through their energy supplier.
Find out more about eligibility, how the discount is applied and what you need to do below.
Letters will be sent to qualifying customers between late October and early January 2026 by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The letter will confirm that you are eligible for an automatic rebate or advise you to call a helpline to check if you are eligible.
If you are advised to call the helpline, it is important that you do so by the deadline, 26th February 2027, otherwise you will not be eligible for a rebate.
How do I know if I'm eligible?
If you do not receive a letter by January but you think you should be eligible for a rebate under Core Group, please check gov.uk for more information on eligibility and contacting the helpline.
The helpline will reopen for the 2026/27 scheme year in October 2026 and is for Core Group customers in England and Wales, and customers in Scotland who receive unmatched letters.
I think I am eligible, what should I do?
Who are eligible for the 2026-2027 Warm Home Discount (WHD) in England and Wales?
Customers in England and Wales no longer need to apply for a rebate from their energy supplier. You will receive a letter if you are eligible for an automatic rebate or are potentially eligible.
It is important that you follow the advice in the letter, including contacting the helpline by the stated deadline if advised to. If you don’t, you will not be able to receive a rebate. You need to be a customer of a participating energy supplier and be named on the account or bill of the electricity supply to be eligible. You need to have met the eligibility criteria on the qualifying date of 23rd August 2026. If you are eligible, the company that supplied your electricity on that date will be responsible for providing you with the rebate.
You may be eligible if all of the following applied on 23 August 2026: your energy supplier is part of the scheme you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits your name (or your partner’s) is on the electricity bill
Please check https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme for more information or contact the helpline on 0800 030 9322.
Who is eligible for the 2026-2027 Warm Home Discount (WHD) in Scotland?
Customers in Scotland will receive a letter if you are eligible or potentially eligible for the Warm Home Discount. Please read your letter carefully. If you are advised to call the helpline, you must do so before the stated deadline to ensure you do not miss out on your rebate. You may be eligible if all of the following applied on 23 August 2026:
your energy supplier is part of the scheme
you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits
your name (or your partner’s) is on the electricity bill
For some qualifying benefits, you’ll get the discount automatically. For others, you will need to apply directly to your energy supplier.
I signed up for a bill-splitting package. How will the discount be applied?
The Warm Home Discount will be applied to your account and split evenly for the number of customers signed up for the service. If you are paying by a direct debit, the credit will be applied
to your account and your future direct debit payments may be adjusted to reflect that. In any case, the Warm Home Discount will be visible on your final statement.
I have changed my energy suppliers multiple times. Which supplier will apply the rebate?
The company that supplied your electricity on the qualifying date of 23rd August 2026 will be responsible for providing the rebate.
If my electricity was transferred by mistake, which supplier applies the discount?
If your electricity supply has been switched by mistake to another supplier and you will receive a Warm Home Discount from the supplier that has switched you erroneously. Only if the supplier that switched you erroneously is not a participating supplier in the Warm Home Discount scheme, your original supplier will apply the discount.However, you need to get in touch with DESNZ via gov.uk website or the helpline to inform them about this occurrence, so that DESNZ contacts your original supplier to instruct a payment.
If there’s two things the British love discussing it’s the weather and the current price of gas and electricity. Who can blame us? It’s freezing out there!