Confused about Warm Home Discount

RealGem

Hi I get ESA as I have several health conditions, including chronic pain so I need my heating. I have qualified for Warm Home Discount the last few years, but I can;t find easy to understand info about it 

I am with Octopus Energy. I looked on their site and they said they are not doing Warm Home Discount, because it's different this year. It then seems to imply that the money I am getting off my energy bills is the £66 x 2, then £67 x 4 which means it's the £400 that every household is getting. (I'm not begrudging everyone getting that!! ...I just want to know where WHD went!)

So I don't understand how that is the equivalent of the Warm Home Discount, which was previously only given to people on very low incomes. 

I have received a payment of £200 from my council in February. 

And I have received £326 in July. I belive this is half the £650 that low income people get. And that we get another one in November. Is THAT instead of WHD?

If not, which of the above payments has Warm Home Discount turned into?

And am I gettting everything I am entitled to please?

Or do I need to apply to something else that used to be Warm Home Discount?

Thank you

Spoonie_Turtle

The Warm Home Discount this year is £150.  For England and Wales it is based on claiming a means-tested benefit AND living in a property that's assumed to have high energy costs.  (Calculated based on type, age, and size of property, nothing to do with actual bills.)

If your ESA is income-related, there's a chance you qualify.  If it's contributions-based or New Style ESA then you won't qualify, unless you also claim one of the means-tested benefits.

If you're in Scotland (and possibly Northern Ireland, I'm not sure) it will be like previous years and you will have to apply.

Further info here https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income

Couple of relevant threads:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6370679/warm-homes-discount/p1
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79489696/#Comment_79489696

QrizB

The Warm Home Discount has changed for 2022/23.

Take a look at this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6395414/warm-home-discount-2022-2023

...and then the other threads that @Spoonie_Turtle links to in the final post of that thread.

RealGem

Spoonie_Turtle said:

The Warm Home Discount this year is £150.  For England and Wales it is based on claiming a means-tested benefit AND living in a property that's assumed to have high energy costs.  (Calculated based on type, age, and size of property, nothing to do with actual bills.)

If your ESA is income-related, there's a chance you qualify.  If it's contributions-based or New Style ESA then you won't qualify, unless you also claim one of the means-tested benefits.

If you're in Scotland (and possibly Northern Ireland, I'm not sure) it will be like previous years and you will have to apply.

Further info here https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income

Couple of relevant threads:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6370679/warm-homes-discount/p1
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79489696/#Comment_79489696

Thanks a lot Spoonie_turtle 

That's very helpful.

I do qualify for it, but I wanted to actively apply for it, as I was told by someone at Octopus last year that the deadline was Jan 25. When I applied in Jan I was told the deadline was Jan 9th and there was nothing they could do. I lost out on £140 and I was very disappointed they misinformed me of the deadline date. So this year I wanted to make sure. 

And now I have read this: (ironically Eon site is more helpful than my own supplier Octopus)

"If you are eligible the Department for Work and Pensions will contact you directly over the winter of 2022/23. If you haven't been contacted by the end of December 2022, but think you do you qualify, you should call the government's Warm Home Discount phone line on 0800 731 0214, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6:00pm."

After what happened last year I do not want to wait til the end of December to find out if I will get it or not. 

I will try ringing them next week. 

RealGem

QrizB said:

The Warm Home Discount has changed for 2022/23.

Take a look at this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6395414/warm-home-discount-2022-2023

...and then the other threads that @Spoonie_Turtle links to in the final post of that thread.

Thank you QrizB for your reply.

QrizB

RealGem said:

QrizB said:

The Warm Home Discount has changed for 2022/23.

Take a look at this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6395414/warm-home-discount-2022-2023

...and then the other threads that @Spoonie_Turtle links to in the final post of that thread.

Thank you QrizB for your reply.

No problem, although it seems that while I was typing that, Spoonie_Turtle gave you a much more complete reply

Spoonie_Turtle

RealGem said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

The Warm Home Discount this year is £150.  For England and Wales it is based on claiming a means-tested benefit AND living in a property that's assumed to have high energy costs.  (Calculated based on type, age, and size of property, nothing to do with actual bills.)

If your ESA is income-related, there's a chance you qualify.  If it's contributions-based or New Style ESA then you won't qualify, unless you also claim one of the means-tested benefits.

If you're in Scotland (and possibly Northern Ireland, I'm not sure) it will be like previous years and you will have to apply.

Further info here https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income

Couple of relevant threads:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6370679/warm-homes-discount/p1
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79489696/#Comment_79489696

Thanks a lot Spoonie_turtle 

That's very helpful.

I do qualify for it, but I wanted to actively apply for it, as I was told by someone at Octopus last year that the deadline was Jan 25. When I applied in Jan I was told the deadline was Jan 9th and there was nothing they could do. I lost out on £140 and I was very disappointed they misinformed me of the deadline date. So this year I wanted to make sure. 

And now I have read this: (ironically Eon site is more helpful than my own supplier Octopus)

"If you are eligible the Department for Work and Pensions will contact you directly over the winter of 2022/23. If you haven't been contacted by the end of December 2022, but think you do you qualify, you should call the government's Warm Home Discount phone line on 0800 731 0214, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6:00pm."

After what happened last year I do not want to wait til the end of December to find out if I will get it or not. 

I will try ringing them next week. 

They won't know yet, though - that's if the line is even open yet.

The property costs calculation has to be run, then the data matching.  Before they've worked it all out and identified who is eligible, nobody can tell you whether you'll actually qualify or not.

Just to clarify, is your ESA income-based?  The broader group in previous years could include a disability element even if people weren't necessarily on a low enough income for means-tested benefits.

Previous qualification for it is absolutely no guarantee because of the way it's changed in England and Wales, you have to be in a property deemed to need high energy costs.  If I understand the consultation document correctly, they won't even know what the threshold for that will be until the calculation has been run, because they'll set the threshold at a certain percentile.

RealGem

Spoonie_Turtle said:

They won't know yet, though - that's if the line is even open yet.

The property costs calculation has to be run, then the data matching.  Before they've worked it all out and identified who is eligible, nobody can tell you whether you'll actually qualify or not.

Just to clarify, is your ESA income-based?  The broader group in previous years could include a disability element even if people weren't necessarily on a low enough income for means-tested benefits.

Previous qualification for it is absolutely no guarantee because of the way it's changed in England and Wales, you have to be in a property deemed to need high energy costs.  If I understand the consultation document correctly, they won't even know what the threshold for that will be until the calculation has been run, because they'll set the threshold at a certain percentile.

I think I am on the Income Based ESA. I tried to find the documents to be sure. But I can't find them now. I will look again tomorrow. 

I live in a council flat that has no flats next to it, as the block is a T shape and I am in the stem. (3 flats per floor)

From an insulation POV that means it's like a detached house (sadly I have evil downstairs neighbours, so NOT like a detached house in that way!) The 4th side is a very cold stairwell, but the other 3 sides all face the elements. So it should be deemed a cold flat. 

The thing I am worried about is they say they will contact us if we are entitled to it. So we don't hear if we're not? And left wondering? I will be away staying with family from mid December til early January. If they are only contacting people by letter, I am concerned I won't get enough notice. I guess I will have to phone that number the day before I leave in December. 

Thanks for the extra info. 

Spoonie_Turtle

RealGem said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

They won't know yet, though - that's if the line is even open yet.

The property costs calculation has to be run, then the data matching.  Before they've worked it all out and identified who is eligible, nobody can tell you whether you'll actually qualify or not.

Just to clarify, is your ESA income-based?  The broader group in previous years could include a disability element even if people weren't necessarily on a low enough income for means-tested benefits.

Previous qualification for it is absolutely no guarantee because of the way it's changed in England and Wales, you have to be in a property deemed to need high energy costs.  If I understand the consultation document correctly, they won't even know what the threshold for that will be until the calculation has been run, because they'll set the threshold at a certain percentile.

I think I am on the Income Based ESA. I tried to find the documents to be sure. But I can't find them now. I will look again tomorrow. 

I live in a council flat that has no flats next to it, as the block is a T shape and I am in the stem. (3 flats per floor)

From an insulation POV that means it's like a detached house (sadly I have evil downstairs neighbours, so NOT like a detached house in that way!) The 4th side is a very cold stairwell, but the other 3 sides all face the elements. So it should be deemed a cold flat. 

The thing I am worried about is they say they will contact us if we are entitled to it. So we don't hear if we're not? And left wondering? I will be away staying with family from mid December til early January. If they are only contacting people by letter, I am concerned I won't get enough notice. I guess I will have to phone that number the day before I leave in December. 

Thanks for the extra info. 

If you receive more than £117.60/week (assuming you're in the Support Group) then it's definitely income-related.  If you're in the WRAG it'll be income-related if you get more than £77/wk.  (And if you're in the WRAG and have been for more than 12 months, it's definitely income-related too.)

Unfortunately the building types appear to be more simplified than you hope - flat/bungalow/mid terrace/end terrace/semi-detached/detached.
Realistically unless it's a very large and/or very old flat, you are unlikely to qualify.  They expect only 7% of flats to qualify as high cost, and 6% of qualifying people to be living in one of those.  So … it's possible, but you shouldn't bank on it.

[The draft eligibility statement with that statistic is from this page: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/warm-home-discount-england-and-wales-draft-eligibility-statement ]

Unlike with the broader group, it's not first come first served - you're either eligible or you're not.  So if you found when you got back home that you had no letter, it shouldn't be too late to phone the helpline to check whether you should have had a letter. 

The two possible letters will be 'you qualify' or 'you might qualify but we need more information about your property, please contact us'.

RealGem

Spoonie_Turtle said:

If you receive more than £117.60/week (assuming you're in the Support Group) then it's definitely income-related.  If you're in the WRAG it'll be income-related if you get more than £77/wk.  (And if you're in the WRAG and have been for more than 12 months, it's definitely income-related too.)

Unfortunately the building types appear to be more simplified than you hope - flat/bungalow/mid terrace/end terrace/semi-detached/detached.
Realistically unless it's a very large and/or very old flat, you are unlikely to qualify.  They expect only 7% of flats to qualify as high cost, and 6% of qualifying people to be living in one of those.  So … it's possible, but you shouldn't bank on it.

[The draft eligibility statement with that statistic is from this page: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/warm-home-discount-england-and-wales-draft-eligibility-statement ]

Unlike with the broader group, it's not first come first served - you're either eligible or you're not.  So if you found when you got back home that you had no letter, it shouldn't be too late to phone the helpline to check whether you should have had a letter. 

The two possible letters will be 'you qualify' or 'you might qualify but we need more information about your property, please contact us'.

OK thanks a lot for your help Spoonie_turtle

Chrysalis

As spoonie said really, if you dont hear anything by March its probably tough luck i am afraid.

Apparently some entities can do referrals but they will likely hide that information of which ones to prevent a rush of people contacting them