Warm Home Discount Scheme - Discount Scheme provides £120 rebate on your electricity bills in winter 2011/12
Warm Home Discount Scheme
The Warm Home Discount Scheme provides £120 rebate on your electricity bills in winter 2011/12. Find out below if you qualify, when you’ll get your rebate and how the scheme works.
Who can get the Warm Home Discount
Pension Credit customers who are automatically considered for the rebate
You may qualify for this energy rebate if on the qualifying date of 11 September 2011 all the following apply:
- you got only the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (no Savings Credit)
- your name, or your partner’s name was on your electricity bill
- your electricity account was with one of the energy suppliers participating in this scheme – see ‘Energy suppliers participating in this scheme’ below
If you meet the conditions above you do not need to do anything now to get your rebate.
If you do not qualify automatically because you get the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit see "Can other people get a Warm Home Discount" below.
Can other people get a Warm Home Discount?
Energy suppliers may also give a £120 rebate to some other customers in vulnerable groups (called the broader group). Each electricity supplier has different eligibility criteria they will use to decide who may get the rebate. See ‘Financial support from energy suppliers’ to find out more.
What you need to do
If you were only on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date (11 September 2011) you don’t need to take any action now.
How much you can get
If you qualify you’ll receive £120 towards your electricity bill in winter 2011/12.
When you’ll get your rebate
Energy rebates for 2011/12 will be made during the winter months. If you qualify you’ll get a letter this winter to confirm this. If you were on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date (11 September 2011) you should receive a letter. You should get this letter between mid November 2011 and the end of February 2012.
If you may be eligible, but an automatic rebate can't be made, your letter will ask you to provide further information as soon as possible. This must be received by 28 March 2012 at the latest. All the information you need will be on your electricity bill.
How the Warm Home Discount Scheme works
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and participating electricity suppliers will share some limited information about their customers. This allows participating electricity suppliers to give the energy rebate automatically to customers who qualify.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme will run for four years from winter 2011/12.
Rebates will be paid and funded by participating electricity suppliers.
Energy suppliers participating in the scheme
The electricity suppliers involved in this scheme are: Atlantic, British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Equipower, Equigas, Manweb, M&S Energy, npower, Sainsbury's Energy, Scottish Gas, Scottish Hydro, ScottishPower, Southern Electric, SSE, Swalec and Utility Warehouse.
Energy Rebate Scheme
The Energy Rebate Scheme helped some people to get a one-off rebate for 2010 on their electricity bill. This scheme closed on 1 September 2010.
The Energy Rebate Scheme also shared limited information between the DWP and electricity suppliers to identify who qualified for a rebate on electricity bills. But the rules for the Energy Rebate Scheme and Warm Home Discount Scheme are different.
Cold Weather Payment and Winter Fuel Payment
Rebates paid under the Warm Home Discount Scheme will not affect any Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment you may receive.
Further help
You do not need to call now to get your rebate.
For further information about the scheme call the Warm Home Discount Scheme Helpline on 0845 603 9439. Lines are open from 8.00am - 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.
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