Warm home discount eligibility change 30 December 2022 at 1:08PM in Benefits & tax credits 3 replies 352 views

Bugster123

Not sure if this should be in energy but just wondering if anyone can explain the new eligibility change in core 2.  Just a bit of a rant really .
my daughter is a single parent to a child under 5 and receives working tax and child tax as she’s on a low income.
every other year she’s been entitled to the warm home discount but this year she’s not.  Her benefits are correct but her home doesn’t cost enough to heat apparently.   I’ve looked up the epc and her home is a d(old draughty council house) of course after the cold snap and rising costs she could have really done with it as she’s really struggling (trying to help as much as I can ) she’s on a pre payment and even trying to keep her heating down it cost more as the boiler is in a brick shed outside so fired up even when the heating off.
My house is a d as well and I have a letter saying I’m eligible , gov website says I’m not .  I have a letter from my council stating a company will be doing a survey on my house as it doesn’t meet new government targets and they’ll be seeing what improvements can be made , I presume she’ll get one in the future as hers is in worse state than mine… irrelevant I know.
just a bit of a rant as really confusing and wondering what rating your house has to be to actually meet the criteria now

poppy12345

It's not the EPC rating they look at it, it's the size and age of the property you live in. https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme

MovingForwards

If your daughter rents a council property from them, look on their website to see what support they're offering and she can contact her housing officer for top ups, they may even have a fuel poverty team who can assist.

OhWow

Bugster123 said:

 Just a bit of a rant really .my daughter is a single parent to a child under 5 and receives working tax and child tax as she’s on a low income.
every other year she’s been entitled to the warm home discount but this year she’s not. 

...

 it cost more as the boiler is in a brick shed outside so fired up even when the heating off.

Your daughter lost the £150 WHD that she asks for each year, but instead has gained at least an extra £1,050 in additional help last year. e.g.£400 given towards her fuel costs that everybody with an electric account and was given and the extra £650 for being on certain welfare benefits.

A boiler will fire up inside a house too when the heating is off. I have moved to a new house this year and my boiler is in an ouside brick shed too: I take readings often and the fire up cost is negligible.