Apply for SSE Warm Home Discount 2022/23 (Check Eligibility)

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Disclaimer: The information on this page was last updated on 20/12/2022, 16:39:49

SSE works with the Government-led Warm Home Discount to help in the journey to ending fuel poverty across the UK. While not all providers support the Warm Home Discount, SSE is able to offer eligible customers £140 off their energy bills.

What is the Warm Home Discount?

The Warm Home Discount is a scheme which was set up in 2011 to help low-income families and other vulnerable people afford their winter energy bills. Where we all have the heating on and are inside more during the winter, we use a lot more energy than we would in the summer and the Warm Home Discount is a way to keep everyone safe and warm in the colder months.

Eligible customers will be able to receive a one-off payment of £140 to cover part of their energy bills from September-March. It’s paid directly into your electricity account or sent to prepayment customers in the form of a voucher.

Eligibility criteria

If you’re eligible for the Warm Home Discount, you’ll be in one of two groups. These groups are called the ‘core’ and ‘broader’ groups and identify the two types of customers eligible for the scheme.

The core group will be enrolled and accepted into the scheme automatically, while the broader group will have to apply through SSE. There are only a limited number of discounts for the broader group, so it’s offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Core group eligibility

If you’re in the core group, you’ll be in receipt of the Guarantee Credit element of your Pension Credit. The Department of Work and Pensions will contact you letting you know you’re in this group. You shouldn’t have to do anything else.

Broader group eligibility

Different energy providers have different criteria to be eligible for the broader group. You’ll be considered for SSE’s broader group if you:

• Receive Income Support, income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance and:
• War disablement pension
• Incapacity benefits
• Disabled Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments Receive Carers Allowance for someone who lives with you
• Receive pensioner premium or disability premium
• Receive Industrial Injuries benefits
• Receive Child Disablement benefits
• Receive Child Tax Credit which includes a disability element
• Have a child aged 18 or under who is in full-time education
• Have a child aged 5 or under
• Receive Universal credit, (not in work or self-employed) or have earned between £0 and £1349 in at least one month in the past year and:
• War Disablement Pension
• Disabled Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments
• Child Disability Living Allowance
• A pensioner, disability, or child disability premium
• Industrial Injuries Benefit Limited Capability for Work element
• Have a child aged 5 or under
• Have a child 18 or under who is in full-time education
• Housing element
• Receive Child Tax Credit on an income of £16,190 and:
• Disabled Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments
• Child Disability Allowance
• Have a child aged 5 or under
• Have a child aged 18 or under who is in full-time education
• A pensioner, disability, or child disability premium
• Child Tax Credit which includes a disability element
• Receive Working Tax Credit and:
• Disabled Living Allowance or Personal Independent Payments
• A disability premium
• Are eligible for free school meals for a child born on or before 1st April 2012.

You may be asked for documents as proof to make sure you’re accepted.

Which group are you in?

Now you know the criteria for each group, click below which one applies to you to find out how to apply.

Claim SSE Warm Home Discount in the core group

If you’re in the core group, you shouldn’t have to do anything. You’ll be signed up to the scheme automatically and your £140 will be on your meter or in the post by 31st March 2021. You’ll receive a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions by December 2020 letting you know you’ve been signed up.

Your letter will have a reference number on it starting with either ‘M’ or ‘U’.

If your reference starts with an M, you shouldn’t have to do anything, your discount will be sent automatically.

If your reference starts with a ‘U’, this means that the Department of Work and Pensions don’t know who your energy supplier is. You’ll have to let them know by either calling 0800 731 0214 or sending a letter containing your Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) and electricity account number to:

Warm Home Discount
Peel Park
Brunel Way
Blackpool
FY4 5ES

If you think you’re in the core group but haven’t received a letter, you can call 0800 731 0214 or email warmhomediscount@sse.com

Claim SSE Warm Home Discount in the broader group

If you’re in the broader group, you’ll have to apply directly through SSE. Try and apply as soon as possible to make sure you’re accepted as there are only limited numbers of Warm Home Discount SSE has available.

The quickest way to apply is by using the automated online form. Select all the benefits that you receive and the computer system will make sure you meet the criteria. You’ll need your electricity account number, benefits information, and address when you fill in the form. If you don’t want to fill in the form online, you can also print a physical copy of the form and send it to:

Warm Home Discount
Grampian House
200 Dunkeld Road
Perth
PH1 3GH

However, this will take longer to check and be accepted.

Apply for the SSE Warm Home Discount

What happens if I switch providers after I’ve applied for the Warm Home Discount?

If you’re in the core group and you switch providers, your Warm Home Discount won’t be affected. Even if you switch to a provider which doesn’t offer the scheme, as long as you let the Department of Work and Pensions know, you’ll still receive your £140 discount.

If you’re in the broader group, you might miss out. You’ll have to reapply with your new provider, but only if they support the scheme too. It’s worth noting that different providers have different criteria for you to be in the broader group, so just because you qualified with SSE, doesn’t mean you will with your new provider.

Is the Warm Home Discount worth it?

Saving £140 on your energy bill over the winter sounds great, but what if there was a way you could save even more all year round?

Around 44% of the country are on Standard Variable Tariffs. These are usually the most expensive tariffs offered by providers and the default you’re switched to when your contract ends or you move into a new home. It’s these premium rates that allow providers like SSE to afford to give so many homes a £140 discount every year.

However, if you switched to a different provider, even one which doesn’t offer the Warm Home Discount, you might be able to save even more than £140. Have a look at the example below to see how you could save:

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 eligible for the Warm Home Discount?

While not everyone is entitled to the Warm Home Discount, SSE has several different ways you can save on your energy bill this winter.

You might be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, where you are given between £100-£300 one-off payment between November and December. You will have to be over a certain age to receive this payment which, unlike the Warm Home Discount, is sent straight to your bank account if you qualify.

If it’s going to be an unusually cold winter, you might be able to benefit from a Cold Weather Payment. When the weather is forecast to be 0 degrees or lower for seven consecutive days, you could be entitled to £25 per seven day period. You can get this payment if you’re on certain benefits and runs from November to March every year.

One of the easiest ways to save money on your energy bills would be to use less energy! That might sound hard, especially over the winter months, but it’s a lot easier than you think. By making your home more energy-efficient, you can save a lot more over the year, simply by upgrading your boiler and installing cavity wall and loft insulation. Getting a smart meter could also help with this as it makes you more aware of your energy usage and spending, meaning you’re more likely to cut back.

Contact the Warm Home Discount team

To apply for the Warm Home Discount or find out more, you can call or write to the dedicated team at the details below, or you can give Utility Switchboard a call on 020 3992 7717.

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