Warm Home Discount
02 October 2023 | OVO Energy
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 discount given to eligible domestic electricity customers to help with their energy costs. It's usually paid between October and March of each scheme year. It's a Government scheme funded by participating energy suppliers like us. It’s designed to help people who need it most.
Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount
Following Government changes to the scheme in 2022, eligibility for the Warm Home Discount depends on where you live.
England or Wales
If you live in England or Wales you don’t need to apply for the Warm Home Discount but you will need to meet the eligibility criteria set by the Government. This is split into two Core Groups:
- Core Group 1 - for people who get Guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Core Group 2 - for people who get qualifying means-tested benefits or tax credits
The eligibility qualifying date for both groups is 13 August 2023. The Government will write to benefit claimants between October and December 2023.
What do I do if I don't get a letter?
In some cases the Government will write to you to request more information. It's important you give them this information by 28 February 2024 to be considered for the discount. We can only apply the discount once we’ve been told to by the Government.
Core Group 1
To be considered for the discount:
- You or you partner were named on the domestic electricity bill on 13 August 2023.
- You were supplied by OVO/Boost or SSE Energy Services on the qualifying date. If you were supplied by another supplier participating in the scheme on the qualifying date, that supplier will be told to give you the discount even if we're now supplying you.
- You or your partner got the Guaranteed element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date.
Core Group 2
To be considered for the discount:
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You or you partner were named on the domestic electricity bill on 13 August 2023.
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You were supplied by OVO/Boost or SSE Energy Services on the qualifying date. If you were supplied by another supplier participating in the scheme on the qualifying date, that supplier will be told to give you the discount even if we're now supplying you.
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You or you partner receive the following qualifying means-tested benefits or tax credits:
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Housing Benefit
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Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
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Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
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Income Support
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The 'Savings Credit' part of Pension Credit
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Universal Credit
You could also qualify if your household income falls below a certain level and you get either:
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Child Tax Credit
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Working Tax Credit
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Your property has a high energy cost score. This is partly based on details of your property like its type, how old it is, and the overall floor size etc. The Department for Works & Pensions (DWP) will work with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to work out your property energy score. The Government will write to you if they need more information.
Scotland
If you live in Scotland, there are two groups:
- Core group - you won't need to apply, but you must meet eligibility critiera.
- Broader group - you'll need to apply for the discount which will be applied on a first come, first served basis.
Core Group
To be considered for the discount:
- You or you partner were named on the domestic electricity bill on 13 August 2023.
- You were supplied by OVO/Boost or SSE Energy Services on the qualifying date. If you were supplied by another supplier participating in the scheme on the qualifying date, that supplier will be told to give you the discount even if we're now supplying you.
- You or your partner got the Guaranteed element of Pension Credit on the qualifying date.
The eligibility qualifying date is 13 August 2023. The Government will write to benefit claimants between October and December 2023.
What do I do if I don't get a letter?
In some cases the Government will write to you to request more information. It's important you give them this information by 28 February 2024 to be considered for the discount. We can only apply the discount once we’ve been told to by the Government.
Broader Group
Eligibility for the discount as part of the Broader group is on a first come first served basis. You can apply if you if you live in Scotland and don’t meet the Core Group eligibility.
Apply online (Scottish Broader Group)
Questions and Answers - Core Group
The Government will write to eligible or households that may be eligible between October and December 2023. Most eligible households will get this automatically.
However, some customers will need to get in touch with the Government Helpline to confirm if they're eligible. If you're asked to do this, you must do get in touch by 28 February 2024. If you’ve been asked to give extra information and don't do so by this date then the Government won't tell us to give you the discount.
The rules of the scheme mean we can only give discounts after we've been told to do so by the Government.
The Government will send letters between October and December.
If you think you're eligible and you’ve not received a letter by mid-January 2024 you can contact the Government helpline. The Government online eligibility tool will also be available soon allowing you to check online if you're eligible for the Warm Home Discount.
The Government helpline is open from 16 October 2023 until 29 March 2024 - but you’ll need to call them before 28 February 2024 if you think you’re eligible and haven’t heard anything or if you’ve received a letter asking you to contact them with more information.
Call - Government Warm Home Discount helpline
- Telephone - 0800 030 9322
- Opening hours - Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Write to
110552 Warm Home Discount Scheme
PO Box 26965
Glasgow
G1 9BW
If you pay monthly
We'll add the discount to your account as a credit.
If you have a smart Pay As You Go meter
We'll send a credit directly to your meter.
If you have a traditional Pay As You Go meter
We’ll write to you explaining how you'll get your discount.
If you were supplied by us on 13 August 2023 and then switched to a new supplier
We'll send you a cheque in the post.
Once we're told by the Government to apply your discount, we'll aim to do this within 30 days unless an exception applies. An exception could be that we weren’t your registered supplier on 13 August 2023. If this happens, we'll tell the Government and ask they give the discount to the correct supplier.
For automatically matched eligible customers
The Department of Work and Pensions should tells us to apply the discount to these customers between October 2023 and December 2023. We'll aim to apply the discount for these customers by the end of December 2023 or within 6 weeks of being told to by the Government.
For customers that need to get in touch with the Government
We should be told what discounts to apply between October 2023 and the end of March 2024. We'll apply discounts to accounts we're told about before March 2024 or within 6 weeks of being informed.
More ways to get financial support
If you’re struggling financially or you’re worried about your energy bills, we’re here to support you. There are also other ways we can help.
You can find out about other available payment schemes, as well as where to get advice. Our team can also give you this information when you get in touch and they can make sure you receive any financial help you’re eligible for.