The Warm Home Discount is a £150 reduction off your electricity bill to help with the cost of heating your home over winter, and recent changes mean many more households now qualify. This guide explains the Warm Home Discount for winter 2026/27, who can get it, how it is paid, and what to do if you think you qualify but have not received it.
What the Warm Home Discount is
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off payment of £150 that is taken off your electricity bill, usually between early winter and the end of March. It is funded through a charge on energy bills and delivered by energy suppliers. It is not paid to you in cash; instead, it is applied as a credit to your electricity account, or added to a prepayment meter, reducing what you pay for your energy over winter.
Who qualifies
There are two main groups who qualify. The first is people who receive the guarantee part of Pension Credit, who get the discount automatically. The second is people on a low income who receive certain means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit or some Tax Credits. If you are in one of these groups, you may qualify for the £150.
More households now eligible
A significant change is that the old rule requiring your home to have high heating costs has been removed in England and Wales. This means that all households on the qualifying means-tested benefits can now get the Warm Home Discount, rather than only those whose homes were judged expensive to heat. As a result, around six million households are expected to be helped, a big increase, so it is well worth checking whether you now qualify.
How you get it
For most people, the Warm Home Discount is now automatic. The government matches benefit records with energy supplier data, and if you qualify, you should receive a letter, usually between late October and early January, confirming you will get the discount. You do not normally need to apply. The £150 is then applied to your electricity account, or to your prepayment meter, by your supplier over the winter.
If you have a prepayment meter
If you pay for your electricity through a prepayment meter, you can still get the Warm Home Discount, but it may be given to you in a different way, such as a voucher to top up your meter. Make sure your supplier has up-to-date contact details for you, so they can send you any voucher and instructions. If you are on a prepayment meter and think you qualify, it is worth checking with your supplier how you will receive it.
If you do not receive a letter
If you think you qualify but have not received a letter by the middle of winter, do not assume you are not eligible, as automatic matching does not always work. Contact the Warm Home Discount helpline or your energy supplier before the deadline, which is usually late February, to check your eligibility. Acting before the deadline is important, as the discount must be applied within the scheme year and cannot be added later.
Scotland and other situations
Scotland runs its own version of the Warm Home Discount, with some differences in how you qualify and apply, so if you live in Scotland, check the rules there. There are also separate arrangements for people who live in park homes and pay for electricity through a site owner, who usually need to apply each year. If your situation is unusual, it is worth checking how to get the discount rather than assuming you cannot.
How it helps over winter
The £150 is designed to take some of the pressure off your energy bills during the coldest months, when heating costs are at their highest. While it does not cover the whole of a winter's energy, it is a meaningful contribution for households on a low income, and it sits alongside other help such as the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners and council hardship support. Together, these forms of help can make a real difference to staying warm in winter.
Make sure your supplier has your details
Because the discount is delivered through your energy supplier, it is important that they have your correct details, particularly if you have recently switched supplier or moved home. If you change supplier, check whether your new one takes part in the scheme, as not every supplier does, although most larger ones do. Keeping your account details up to date helps make sure the discount reaches you without any problem.
It does not affect your other benefits
The Warm Home Discount does not count as income for your benefits, so receiving it will not reduce your Universal Credit, Pension Credit or anything else. It is simply extra help with your energy costs. This means there is no downside to receiving it, and no reason to worry that it might affect your other support, so if you are eligible, it is purely a benefit to your household budget over the winter.
Check you are on the right benefits first
Because the Warm Home Discount depends on receiving the right benefits, it is another reason to make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to. In particular, pensioners who are entitled to Pension Credit but have not claimed it miss out not only on Pension Credit itself but on the automatic Warm Home Discount and other help it unlocks. Checking your Pension Credit entitlement can therefore open the door to the discount as well.
Other help with energy
The Warm Home Discount is just one form of help with energy costs. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to get the Winter Fuel Payment if you are over State Pension age, Cold Weather Payments or their equivalents during very cold spells, and help from your council or energy supplier if you are in difficulty. Looking at all of these together gives you the best chance of keeping your energy costs manageable through the winter.
In short
The Warm Home Discount is £150 off your electricity bill over winter, for people on the guarantee part of Pension Credit, who get it automatically, and people on qualifying means-tested benefits. The high heating costs rule has been removed in England and Wales, so far more households qualify. It is usually automatic, but contact your supplier or the helpline if you think you qualify and have not heard.
A simple but valuable help
The Warm Home Discount is one of the simpler forms of help to receive, because for most people it now arrives automatically, and it makes a genuine difference to winter energy bills for households on a low income. The main thing to do is make sure you are on the benefits that qualify you, and to act if you think you should have received it but have not. Beyond that, it is help that simply arrives when you need it most.
Where to get help
Your energy supplier, the Warm Home Discount helpline and Citizens Advice can help. See our guides to the Winter Fuel Payment and help from your council for more with energy costs.