How to get it
Image credits: A red K6 telephone box in Brill, A wall post box, A laptop on a neat desk. All photos: Wikimedia Commons, freely licensed.
For most households in England and Wales, getting the discount involves doing nothing at all. The government matches DWP benefit records against supplier account data, and if you match, your supplier applies the £150 and you receive a letter confirming it. A smaller group receives a different letter asking them to phone a helpline. Only in Scotland's Broader Group is there a genuine application to make. This page walks through each route in order.
Route 1: automatic (most people in England and Wales)
Step 1: Do nothing. If you met the three tests on 23 August 2026 — participating supplier, right name on the bill, qualifying benefit — the data match should find you. Step 2: Watch for your letter, arriving between October 2026 and January 2027. Step 3: Read it. If it says you will get the discount automatically, there is nothing to reply to and nothing to sign. Step 4: Check your bill or meter credit. Suppliers apply the discount over the winter, and all discounts for this winter should be applied by the end of March 2027. If the credit has not appeared by then, contact your supplier with your letter to hand.
Route 2: the helpline letter (potentially eligible)
Some households are flagged as potentially eligible but cannot be confirmed from data alone — for example where the name on the bill does not exactly match the benefit record. Those households receive a letter asking them to call the Warm Home Discount helpline and provide further information. The deadline matters: you must call before 26 February 2027, or the discount for this winter is lost. The helpline number is printed on your letter — use that number, not one from a text, email, or search result, because scam messages about this scheme are common. Have your letter, your benefit details, and your electricity account number ready when you call.
Route 3: Scotland's Broader Group (application)
If you live in Scotland and do not qualify automatically through the Core Group, you may still get the £150 through your supplier's Broader Group. This is an application route with a limited pot: contact your supplier and ask whether its Broader Group is open, what its requirements are, and how to apply. Suppliers set their own requirements within the scheme rules, and the Broader Group is aimed particularly at households receiving the Pension Age Disability Payment, the Adult Disability Payment, and other means-tested benefits. Because the pot is limited and suppliers handle applications in order, apply as early in the winter as you can rather than waiting until spring.
What you never need to do
| You do not need to | Why |
|---|---|
| Apply through GOV.UK in England and Wales | There is no GOV.UK application for the main rebate |
| Pay anyone to claim it for you | The discount is free; anyone charging a fee is not part of the scheme |
| Share bank or card details | No genuine letter, call, or text about the scheme asks for them |
| Click a link in a text or email | Real letters arrive by post; links are a common scam route |
Sources: GOV.UK, Warm Home Discount scheme guidance and the Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) and (Scotland) Regulations; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Continuing the Warm Home Discount Scheme government response and impact assessment (2026/27 to 2030/31); GOV.UK news, Households to receive £150 Warm Home Discount confirmation letter (22 October 2026); Ofgem scheme guidance.