Warm Home Discount Scheme

Steve_xx

Nan has received a letter from a goverment department saying that she will get £135 off of her electric bill at some point during the winter. She is currently with Southern electric, but is in th eprocess of shifting both gas and electric to NPower.

The question is will NPower know to apply this Warm Home Discount to her bills or will shifting cause disruption to the administration of this discount?

Jennifer

We switched on 23rd Sept from EDF to M&S. Then today got the letter too.
Who pays the discount?
Letter says you have to satisfy the rules on 20th July 2013 which we did.

Joyful

The Core customers will be paid by whichever company supplied them on 20.7.2013 but you may have to chase them.

Steve_xx

Joyful wrote: »

The Core customers will be paid by whichever company supplied them on 20.7.2013 but you may have to chase them.

Thanks for the information. Yes I may well have to chase the existing. I wonder when this is normally paid and does it come on the form of a discount off of the electric bill or is it paid out by cheque or into a bank account?

Jennifer

Usually paid before Christmas into the elec account. Don't know what happens when that account has been changed - hence my question.
J

Joyful

Each company will have their own way of paying. For BG if the supply of a Core customer has left, it gets treated as an exception and will be paid later by cheque.This will usually be paid by 31.3.2014.

Magenta

Jennifer wrote: »

Usually paid before Christmas into the elec account. Don't know what happens when that account has been changed - hence my question.
J

I had it for 2012 and it was paid into my electricity account in April 2013.

Dawdle_2

Hi,
I have a similar issue to the OP - My aunt is eligible for the Warm Home Discount as a Core Customer, and has been informed that Britisg Gas (her current supplier) will apply the discount to her electricity bill this winter. However, she wishes to switch from British Gas to First:Utility, and it is far from clear whether the WHD will follow her.

Joyful's post (#6) is interesting, but according to BG's website "The one-off benefit for year 3 is £135, for year 4 it will be £140 (inclusive of VAT). This will be provided to customers as a credit on their electricity account. There will be no alternate methods of payment available". I'm not sure how to get a definitive answer to this, and would sure appreciate some advice.

Joyful

If she is a Core customer, the money may already be on her account. If she switches away the balance will be sent to her when the account is finalised. If it is not yet on the account it would be sent to her once applied. Does your aunt have a credit or Prepayment meter?

The part you have quoted is for customers on supply with BG.

andrew-b

With the core group for WHD it's whoever was the company she is with for electric on the qualifying date in July that have to pay it out. I'm in the broader group for WHD and bailed out of moving to a better deal elsewhere because i would have lost my WHD completely as scottish power who i'm with clearly say in their terms that they won't pay out if your no longer a customer and they don't pay out until end of march! EDF who i was going to move to gave me DWP's WHD hotline number to check but even they didn't know much about where i stood ..might be worth a call on 0845 603 9439. If your within the cooling off period for moving it might be safer to wait until she actually has had her £135 of credit applied though.

Joyful

Please don't waste the DWP's time. If you are a Broader customer your supplier will have advised you need to be on supply with them to get the money. This will either be on their website or you may have had a legal declaration read out to you.

Core , it does not matter who you are with. You will get paid by the company that supplied you on 20th July this year.