Apply for heat discount help

Customers eligible for the £140 Warm Home Discount still have time to apply, including those among the two million who have been with a recently failed supplier.

The discount aims to reduce fuel poverty by providing low-income households with the aforementioned discount on their energy bills.

Elderly people on low incomes who receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit automatically receive the discount.

However, people on income support or other allowances - who typically make up the broader group - have to apply to their participating energy supplier in order to access the money.

With 15 suppliers having exited the market in 2021, some eligible households may be at risk of missing out on the discount if they forget to re-apply with their new supplier.

But there is still time to apply, as all the major providers who have taken on displaced customers this year are still open to applications.

These suppliers are British Gas, British Gas Evolve, EDF Energy, E.ON Next, Octopus Energy and Shell Energy.

New British Gas customers who were accepted onto their former supplier’s Warm Home Discount scheme as part of the broader group will be automatically added to British Gas’ scheme.

Many other suppliers that operated the scheme last year are also still open to applications

However, displaced customers with other suppliers will need to reapply once they receive their new customer number.

Our research found there is a widespread lack of knowledge about the scheme, leading many to miss out.

Nearly a third of people (32%) who could be eligible for the discount did not know the scheme existed.

Justina Miltienyte, energy policy expert at Uswitch.com