Bill discount
Warm Home Discount
A £150 discount on your electricity bill for winter 2026 to 2027. Usually automatic if you’re eligible.
- Who
- Pension Credit & low-income households
- Paid as
- Bill credit or prepay voucher
Warm Home Discount 2026 to 2027
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 off your electricity bill (or a top-up voucher if you prepay). The scheme reopened in October 2026 for winter 2026 to 2027. In England and Wales, eligible households on Pension Credit or qualifying means-tested benefits usually get it automatically, after a data match between the government and suppliers. In Scotland, you may need to apply to your supplier. Read our news guide: who gets the Warm Home Discount this winter.
Sources: GOV.UK: Warm Home Discount.
Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment
The Winter Fuel Payment is £100 to £300 for people born on or before 27 June 1960, paid automatically to most people in November or December 2026. If your taxable income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back. In Scotland, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment replaces it.
A Cold Weather Payment is made when the temperature in your area is recorded or forecast to be 0°C or below for seven days in a row, if you get certain benefits.
Sources: GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment · GOV.UK: Cold Weather Payment.
Grants for heat pumps, insulation and solar
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump in England and Wales, with a temporary £9,000 rate for eligible homes on oil or LPG until 31 March 2027. No income test. See our heat pump guide.
- Warm Homes Plan: the government’s programme for home upgrades, including grants delivered through councils for lower-income households and planned low-interest loans for solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.
- ECO: the Energy Company Obligation, funded through bills, is ending as its last projects finish; support is moving to direct government grants.
Sources: GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme · GOV.UK: Warm Homes Plan.
If you’re struggling to pay
- Talk to your supplier early. Suppliers must offer affordable repayment plans and consider your ability to pay.
- Ask about hardship funds. Many suppliers run grant schemes to clear energy debt.
- Energy debt relief: Ofgem has set up a debt relief scheme to write off some historic energy debt built up during the energy crisis for eligible low-income households. Suppliers identify and contact eligible customers.
- Prepay protections: you can ask for emergency and friendly-hours credit, and suppliers must not force-fit prepay meters in vulnerable households.
- Free advice: Citizens Advice and National Debtline can help.
Sources: GOV.UK: help with energy bills · Citizens Advice: energy supply.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
