The official £150 discount, and who is in the core group
GOV.UK describes the Warm Home Discount Scheme as a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you are eligible, your electricity supplier applies the discount to your bill; the money is not paid to you. You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead if the same supplier provides both gas and electricity — the official page says to contact your supplier to find out. The discount does not affect Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment. People with pre-pay or pay-as-you-go meters can still qualify; the supplier explains how the discount is delivered, for example as a voucher to top up the meter.
For England and Wales, 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 (Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Pension Credit); and your name, or your partner’s, is on the electricity bill. That set of conditions is called the core group. The 2026 to 2027 eligibility statement, published on 7 August 2026, confirms that earlier “core group 1” and “core group 2” have been merged into one core group, and that the high-cost-to-heat threshold was already removed from scheme year 15. Most eligible households are data-matched and do not have to apply.
Letters, the helpline, Scotland and Northern Ireland
If you are eligible, or if the department needs more information, you should get a letter between late October 2026 and early January 2027. An eligible letter confirms you do not need to do anything; the supplier should apply the discount by 31 March 2027. If the letter asks for more information, you must call the helpline by 26 February 2027. If you do not get a letter by early January 2027 and you think you are eligible, contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme before 26 February 2027. The official helpline is 0800 030 9322 (Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 229 4325), Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, or write to Warm Home Discount Scheme, PO Box 970, Preston PR2 0FX.
Scotland uses the same 23 August 2026 date, participating-supplier test and bill-name test, but splits people into an automatic core group and a broader group who must apply to their supplier. Suppliers may add extra criteria, and the number of broader-group discounts is limited, so official advice is to contact the supplier early and to stay with that supplier until the discount is paid. If you applied directly to your supplier you will not get a scheme letter — contact the supplier instead. The scheme is not available in Northern Ireland; official pages point to the Affordable Warmth Scheme run by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. nidirect says you may be entitled if you own your home and occupy it as your sole or main residence, or rent from a private landlord, and your total gross annual household income is less than £23,000. That £23,000 figure is an Affordable Warmth condition, not a Warm Home Discount amount. Park-home residents who are not supplied directly should use the Park Homes path linked from GOV.UK, currently administered by Charis Grants, which has its own criteria and finite funding. For other winter payments, use the combined checker or the Warm Home Discount guide.