Pensioners could get Cold Weather Payments & £150 energy bill discount

People can find out if they qualify by contacting their energy supplier as soon as possible. Those eligible by Guaranteed Credit should contact the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 731 0214 if they don’t receive a letter.

Cold Weather Payment

Households that fall into the vulnerable and low-income bracket are offered subsidies through the Cold Weather Payment scheme when the weather drops below a certain level for an extended period of time.

The payments are made by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) automatically and come into effect every winter.

A payment is made if the average temperature in the person’s area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below for seven consecutive days.

The scheme runs from November 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, and people get paid £25 for each seven-day period of cold weather.

To be eligible, people may be receiving Pension Credit, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, or support for mortgage interest (SMI) loan.

Those living in Scotland cannot get Cold Weather Payments, however, they might get an annual Winter Heating Payment instead.

There are certain requirements with each benefit that would deem a person eligible to receive payment, such as also having a disability or pensioner premium. To find out the full list of requirements with each benefit, visit the Government website.

Households will be able to check if a payment is due in their area using the DWP’s Cold Weather Payment postcode checker.

Affordable Warmth Obligation (ECO)

The Affordable Warmth Obligation is a Government scheme to help those on low incomes keep their homes warm by initiating large domestic energy suppliers to fund certain energy-saving improvements.

Those who claim certain benefits and live in either private or social housing could get support, such as insulation improvements and boiler replacements or repairs.

Those living in social housing that has an energy efficiency rating of E, F or G might be eligible for help.

Claimants who own their own house must have an energy efficiency rating of D, E, F or G to be eligible, while those renting from a private landlord must have an energy efficiency rating of E, F or G.

To find the property’s energy efficiency rating, people can check the energy performance certificate register here. To apply, people can contact their local council to find out if it’s participating in the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, or contact an energy supplier directly.