Warm Home Discount Criteria

Richie-from-the-Boro

Lockardian wrote: »

I live with my dad, and he appears to qualify for WHD as a member of the “broader group”, so I applied to British Gas on his behalf some time ago.

We are considering changing some of the household bills into my name as he is signing the house over to me. However, if the energy bill is changed to my name, will this mean my dad no longer qualifies for WHD? I’m not sure if British Gas allow joint names on accounts.

I assume Winter Fuel and Cold Weather payments are unaffected and you don’t have to be named on your household’s energy bill to qualify.

Read section A + B

So if your dad still lives @ that address the answer is yes. If not you need to quality as the householder. Best of luck.

Joyful

Lockardian

Do you live with your dad? If so your income would also get taken into account. Likewise if your name is added to the account. If in your name only the whole household income would have to be under £16190 plus have someone on the State pension to qualify for BG.

Anthorn

chuckie851 wrote: »

My only income is State Pension, and that's currently about £3 per week higher than Pension Credit. Npower just told me that I won't be eligible for the broader group, even though I receive Council Tax Reduction. Has anyone else on the new State Pension been given the same answer?

A relative, the mother of my daughter-in-law is in the same position: She gets the new state pension which is higher than the old state pension and therefore doesn't get the guarantee element of Pension Credit to make up her overall pension and therefore doesn't qualify for the core group and therefore doesn't get Warm Home Discount. Further, her state pension is not means tested and therefore she doesn't qualify for the broader group.

All you really can do is hawk yourself around energy suppliers and switch to the supplier who promises to give you WHD, if any.

Anthorn

Lockardian wrote: »

I live with my dad, and he appears to qualify for WHD as a member of the “broader group”, so I applied to British Gas on his behalf some time ago.

We are considering changing some of the household bills into my name as he is signing the house over to me. However, if the energy bill is changed to my name, will this mean my dad no longer qualifies for WHD? I’m not sure if British Gas allow joint names on accounts.

I assume Winter Fuel and Cold Weather payments are unaffected and you don’t have to be named on your household’s energy bill to qualify.

The two main rules for the core group are that he lives at the address and his name is on the electricity bill. So therefore if that's changed to your name your dad will not be entitled to WHD in the core group. For the broader group I should think that most suppliers will impose the same rules because WHD is a discount and not a payment.

However the rules for the core group are there due to automatic data matching which identifies qualified recipients. But for the broader group suppliers largely use their discretion so it depends on the rules imposed by the supplier.