Warm Home Discount 2026/27: the £150 letter and who qualifies

What the Warm Home Discount is

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 discount on your electricity bill. Your electricity supplier applies it to your account; the money is not paid to you. If the same supplier provides your gas, you may be able to have it on your gas bill instead by asking them. On a prepayment meter, your supplier will tell you how you get it, for example as a voucher to top up.

The government says around 6 million households across Great Britain will get the discount this winter, and that the scheme will continue until 2030/31. It does not affect Cold Weather Payments or the Winter Fuel Payment. The scheme does not run in Northern Ireland.

Who qualifies in England and Wales

You may be eligible if all of these applied on 23 August 2026: your electricity supplier is part of the scheme, you or your partner got Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit, and your name or your partner’s was on the electricity bill.

The government says every bill payer on means-tested benefits now qualifies, after the scheme was widened last year.

Who qualifies in Scotland

The same basic test applies: a participating supplier, certain means-tested benefits and your name or your partner’s on the electricity bill on 23 August 2026. Some people get the discount automatically, including those on Pension Credit and some households on Universal Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance with a disability or a child under 5. Others need to apply to their energy supplier directly.

The letter and the key dates

Letters started arriving on 22 October 2026 and will be sent until early January 2027. If your letter says you are eligible, you do not need to do anything: your supplier will apply the discount by 31 March 2027. If it asks for more information, call the helpline by 26 February 2027.

If you think you qualify but have not had a letter by early January 2027, contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme helpline on 0800 030 9322 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) before 26 February 2027. In Scotland, if you applied through your supplier you will not get a letter; contact the supplier instead.

Contact your supplier only in the way you normally would. The government warns against following links or giving bank details in unexpected emails, texts or calls about the discount.

What £150 is worth

At today’s GB average cap rates, a typical electricity bill (2,500 kWh a year) is about £858, so £150 covers around 17% of it. For a low user (1,600 kWh a year), it is about 24% of the bill. Average energy bills by region.

If you do not qualify but are struggling, contact your supplier about payment support. In England, the Budget also announced a £100 Household Energy Payment for council tax bands A to D from January 2027. What the Budget means for bills.

Suppliers in the scheme

GOV.UK lists these participating suppliers: 100Green, Boost, British Gas (including Scottish Gas), E (Gas and Electricity), Ecotricity, EDF, E.ON Next, Fuse Energy, Good Energy, Home Energy, London Power, Octopus Energy (including EnergyCoop), Outfox Energy, OVO, Sainsbury’s Energy, ScottishPower, So Energy, Square 1 Energy, TruEnergy, Tulo Energy, Utilita and Utility Warehouse. If your supplier stopped trading, you may still be eligible through the new supplier Ofgem appointed.

Frequently asked questions