Winter is often a very expensive time of year, as the cost of Christmas adds to people’s expenses and the cost of heating a home rises. The Warm Home Discount could help to provide some financial respite for pensioners in the festive period.

Each person’s individual electricity supplier can tell them how they will get the discount if they are deemed to be eligible, which could be in the form of a voucher to top up a metre, for example.

How to apply

The scheme is open now for the ‘core group’, having first opened on October 18, 2021.

People who qualify should receive a letter between October and December 2021 telling them how to get the discount.

The following suppliers were originally part of the scheme, but are now no longer trading:

• Avro Energy
• Green – ‘core group’ only
• Igloo Energy – ‘core group’ only
• People’s Energy
• Pure Planet
• Utility Point

What to do if a supplier is no longer trading

People who were with an electricity supplier which stopped trading may still be eligible for the Warm Home Discount.

Ofgem will appoint a new supplier for people impacted.

Those who get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit should receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions with more information some time in December.