£150 warm home discount scheme

Spoonie_Turtle

tifo said:

We've got this too, i'm the bill account holder but the letter is in my wife's name. We're joint UC claimants so i don't know why they'd send it in her name and not mine.

It says because we've been identified with a house that uses more than the average energy .... I know that, my bills are currently approx £3,600 from the 'cap' of £2,500

Yes and no.  It's because the property has been identified as inherently needing high energy costs, not based on bills being higher than the typical Ofgem usage.  If you were extremely frugal and chose to freeze in winter your bills would be lower, but your property would still qualify.

I don't know how they decide whose name to put on the letter.  There might be something in here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2022-07/Final WHD Guidance E and W_V1 for publication.pdf  But I'm not up to reading it right now.

Robbie64

There's a similar thread to this running in the Energy forum though in thgat instabnce the thread starter is the customer of the energy supplier (not in receipt of a means tested benefit) and the son receives ESA. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6402793/warm-home-discount-22-23

I can't imagine the scheme is supposed to extend to non-dependents receiving a means tested benefit as it would open up the scheme to potentially benefitting energy supply customers who are wealthy. The booklet linked to above mentions partners (married or civil) but not dependents, though at 84 pages in length I've only been able to glance through it. Perhaps these are matching errors?

tifo

Spoonie_Turtle said:

It's because the property has been identified as inherently needing high energy costs .....

.... and means higher bills.

Spoonie_Turtle said:

I don't know how they decide whose name to put on the letter.

Doesn't really matter as long as the energy supplier credits the discount.

Every little helps.

mjky73

I’ve also had this letter over the weekend.  I’m in receipt of UC with the LCWRA but also share my home with my parents who are in their 70’s.  I did receive £150 in September as part of Cost of Living.  

Is this the same or different to the cost of living?
My father’s name is on the energy account, but we have the same surname?

NedS

Well, they've really messed this up. From the Government criteria for Core Group 2:

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

If you live in England and Wales

You may be eligible if on 21 August 2022 all of the following apply:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill

This is known as being in the ‘core group 2’.

If your name is not on the energy bill, you should not be eligible (how could they possibly pay you the £150 as it is refunded to your energy account, and you don't have one).

If they are merely looking for addresses that qualify AND have someone living at that property on means-tested benefits (UC), and are not cross referencing against the name of the energy bill account holder, they will be mis-paying a whole bunch of households - e.g, any household where mum and dad are working full time but little Johnny is claiming UC as he only works part time at McDonald's.

mjky73

NedS said:

Well, they've really messed this up. From the Government criteria for Core Group 2:

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

If you live in England and Wales

You may be eligible if on 21 August 2022 all of the following apply:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill

This is known as being in the ‘core group 2’.

If your name is not on the energy bill, you should not be eligible (how could they possibly pay you the £150 as it is refunded to your energy account, and you don't have one).

If they are merely looking for addresses that qualify AND have someone living at that property on means-tested benefits (UC), and are not cross referencing against the name of the energy bill account holder, they will be mis-paying a whole bunch of households - e.g, any household where mum and dad are working full time but little Johnny is claiming UC as he only works part time at McDonald's.

It’s concerning as the quote you’ve posted about eligibility (am I right in thinking that originates from the Gov website?) and the eligibility on the letter are different.

calcotti

mjky73 said:

NedS said:

Well, they've really messed this up. From the Government criteria for Core Group 2:

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

If you live in England and Wales

You may be eligible if on 21 August 2022 all of the following apply:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill

This is known as being in the ‘core group 2’.

If your name is not on the energy bill, you should not be eligible (how could they possibly pay you the £150 as it is refunded to your energy account, and you don't have one).

If they are merely looking for addresses that qualify AND have someone living at that property on means-tested benefits (UC), and are not cross referencing against the name of the energy bill account holder, they will be mis-paying a whole bunch of households - e.g, any household where mum and dad are working full time but little Johnny is claiming UC as he only works part time at McDonald's.

It’s concerning as the quote you’ve posted about eligibility (am I right in thinking that originates from the Gov website?) and the eligibility on the letter are different.

It’s worded differently but appears to mean the same thing so it don’t see what is concerning.

mjky73

For 2 months the household energy account has had the government help that went to all households applied.  This new letter has me really confused.  

If letters are going to people who don’t really qualify then it’s adding confusion and then distress if they really could do with the help and find they don’t get it.

But, also if someone gets the letter who doesn’t qualify under the name on an electricity account criteria, where is that £150 going? 

In 1999 I worked on a project related to prepayment meters where the payment households made were not necessarily going to the correct supplier.  This letter reminds me of that,

mjky73

calcotti said:

mjky73 said:

NedS said:

Well, they've really messed this up. From the Government criteria for Core Group 2:

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

If you live in England and Wales

You may be eligible if on 21 August 2022 all of the following apply:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill

This is known as being in the ‘core group 2’.

If your name is not on the energy bill, you should not be eligible (how could they possibly pay you the £150 as it is refunded to your energy account, and you don't have one).

If they are merely looking for addresses that qualify AND have someone living at that property on means-tested benefits (UC), and are not cross referencing against the name of the energy bill account holder, they will be mis-paying a whole bunch of households - e.g, any household where mum and dad are working full time but little Johnny is claiming UC as he only works part time at McDonald's.

It’s concerning as the quote you’ve posted about eligibility (am I right in thinking that originates from the Gov website?) and the eligibility on the letter are different.

It’s worded differently but appears to mean the same thing so it don’t see what is concerning.

My point was the word ‘all’ on the website is very clear, without the word ‘all’ on the letter a person could read it as “well I qualify as at least one of the list applies to me”.

Robbie64

The wording on the above letter suggests that there are mismatches occurring. If someone isn't a customer of an electricity supplier and therefore isn't named on the bill, (or isn't a partner of a customer) then I can't see how that benefit recipient can qualify for a Warm Home Discount.