Apply for Scottish Power Warm Home Discount 2022/23 (check eligibility)

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Disclaimer: The information on this page was last updated on 20/12/2022, 15:35:30

Scottish Power is one of the many providers working with the Government-led scheme, the Warm Home Discount. The scheme has been running since 2011 and is a step towards ending fuel poverty in winter. While not all providers offer the Warm Home Discount, Scottish Power helps customers across England, Scotland, and Wales save money on their winter energy bills.

Find out more about the Warm Home Discount, check your eligibility, and how to save £140 this winter. As always, we’ve got you covered!

What is the Warm Home Discount?

The Warm Home Discount is a scheme introduced by the Government to help end fuel poverty in the UK. It’s designed for low-income families and other vulnerable people who may struggle to pay their higher energy bills in the winter – to keep them warm through the colder months. If you qualify for the scheme, you can receive a one-off payment of £140 to go towards your energy bills and pay for the extra heating and energy use from September to March.

If you have a prepayment meter, you’ll receive this as a voucher, but for any other meter type, it will be taken from your bill automatically. It will come up on your bill as being £133.33, but the extra £6.67 will be added as VAT to bring it up to £140. If you’re eligible for the scheme, you’ll receive this by 31st March 2021.

Eligibility Criteria

There are two different groups of people who are eligible for the Scottish Power Warm Home Discount: the core group and the broader group. The core group will qualify automatically while the broader group will have to apply through Scottish Power every year.

Core group eligibility

Qualifying for the core group is easy. The only criteria you have to fulfil is that either you or your partner receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit. If you’re in this group, you will receive a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) letting you know. You don’t have to do anything to sign up for the scheme.

Broader Group eligibility

Different providers have different criteria to be able to qualify for the broader group. There is a limited number of discounts for the broader group so it’s best to apply as soon as possible.

You’ll be in Scottish Power’s broader group if:

• You receive Income-related Employment Support Allowance
• You receive Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• You receive Income Support
• You receive Universal Credit, earning income between £0 and £1439 in at least one month
• Your total gross household income is less than £16,190

AND one of the following...

• You live with a child under 5
• You live with a child under 18 who is in full-time education
• Your child is entitled to free school meals
• You receive Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit including a disability element, severe disability element, disabled child element, severely disabled child element, family element (or the Universal Credit equivalent)
• You receive an income-related benefit which includes disabled child, disability, severe disability, or enhanced disability premium (or the Universal Credit equivalent)
• Receive pensioner, higher pensioner, or enhanced pensioner premium
• You receive the limited capability for work and work-related activity
• You receive the disabled child element
• You receive Disabled Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments, Incapacity Benefit, or Attendance Allowance
• You’re 65 or over
• Your household’s annual energy spend is more than 10% of the annual income

You may be asked for documents to prove you’re eligible for this group.

Which group are you in?

Click below which group you think you’re in and find out more about how to apply.

Claim Scottish Power Warm Home Discount in the core group

If you’re in the core group, you don’t have to apply for the scheme – you’re automatically signed up. You should receive a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions by December 2020 telling you that you’ve been accepted into the scheme and your £140 discount will be sent to you by 31st March 2021.

If you think you should be in the core group but don’t have a letter by December 2020, call the Warm Home Discount support team on 0800 731 0214. Do this before 28th February 2021 to make sure you get your discount.

If you’ve got a letter from the DWP but your payment is overdue, check the reference number on your letter.

If your reference number starts with ‘M’

Your discount will automatically be sent to your account or your voucher will be sent in the post – you shouldn’t have to do anything. If you don’t get it by 31st March 2021, you can call the Warm Home Discount helpline at 0800 731 0214.

If your reference number starts with ‘U’

This means that the Department of Work and Pensions don’t know who your electricity supplier is. You’ll have to call the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 731 0214 or write a letter to the DWP at:

Warm Home Discount
Peel Park
Brunel Way
Blackpool
FY4 5ES

to give them your Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) and your electricity account number. Both of these can be found on your bill.

If you don’t know who your supplier is, Utility Switchboard can help if you call 020 3481 9636.

Alternatively, you can call the Energy Networks Association on 020 7706 5100.

Claim the Warm Home Discount in the broader group

If you think you’re eligible for the broader group, you’ll have to apply for the Warm Home Discount through Scottish Power. Do this as soon as possible because there are limited numbers of Warm Home Discount Scottish Power can offer so it’s available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applications are accepted in the Autumn, however, it can vary from year to year and different providers’ application windows may be different. Keep an eye on Scottish Power to make sure you don’t miss out.

Apply for the Scottish Power Warm Home Discount

What happens if I switch providers in the application window?

If you’ve applied or been accepted for the Warm Home Discount and want to switch providers in the middle of the application window, you might miss out on your discount.

If you’re in the core group, you’ll still get your discount, even if your new provider doesn’t normally offer the Warm Home Discount. If you switch to Scottish Power from a provider who doesn’t work with the scheme, you might have to let the DWP know you’ve switched to receive your discount.

If you’re in the broader group, you’ll have to re-apply for the discount through your new provider. If your new provider doesn’t offer the scheme, you won’t be able to claim the discount.

Different providers have different eligibility for the broader group, so just because you qualified for the Scottish Power Warm Home Discount, that doesn’t mean you qualify at your new provider. Because the discount is on a first-come, first-served basis, you also might miss out if you switch later in the application window or the window may have closed.

Is the Warm Home Discount worth it?

You’d probably never usually think twice about applying for £140 off your energy bill, but is it worth applying for the scheme, or are there ways you can save even more?

By switching provider or even just tariffs, it’s very likely that you could find a cheaper deal and save more than £140. Even if you switch to a provider which doesn’t offer the Warm Home Discount, you might still be paying more than you should.

Have you ever wondered how these companies can afford to offer £140 for free to so many people? Around 11 million customers across the UK are on a Standard Variable Tariff which has premium rates and is normally the default tariff if your fixed tariff contract has come to an end or you move into a new home. It’s these premiums that pay for the Warm Home Discount for the ‘Big Six’ providers.

See the illustrated example below to see how you could save by switching to a provider which doesn’t offer the Warm Home Discount:

Quotes made on 5/09/2021 for a London-based home using 3,100kWh of gas and 12,500kWh of electricity per year, paid for by direct debit.

For help switching and saving money, call Utility Switchboard on 020 3992 7717.

What if I’m not in either of these groups? How can I save money over the winter?

Unfortunately, if you’re not in either of these groups, you won’t qualify for the Warm Home Discount. However, there are lots of other ways you could save money on your energy bills and keep your home warm in the winter.

There’s another Government-led scheme you could apply for called the Affordable Warmth Scheme. This scheme provides funding to cover the cost of installing products which could keep your home warmer and more energy efficient. This could include a new boiler upgrade, free storage heaters, or the installation of wall cavity and loft insulation. Replacing an old boiler with a new energy-efficient ‘A’ rated boiler could save you up to 35% on your heating bills.

You could also apply for the Green Homes Grant to make energy-efficient changes to your home. This could include installing low-carbon heating, insulation, extra window glazing, or heating controls. When you make these changes, you could apply for two-thirds of the cost of your upgrades (up to £5,000) or if you meet certain criteria, the Government could cover the whole thing (up to £10,000). You can apply for this grant by calling 0300 131 0053 or by filling out this form.

The easiest way to save money on your energy bills is simply to use less energy! It may sound tricky, but there are loads of easy ways you can do this. Installing a smart meter could help with this as it makes you more conscious of your energy usage and spending and encourages you to cut down.

Contact the Warm Home Discount team

If you’d like to talk to the dedicated Warm Home Discount scheme, you can get in touch over the phone or by writing them a letter with all your questions. Find all the details below, or you can call Utility Switchboard on 020 3992 7717.

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