Octopus Warm Home discount

Spoonie_Turtle

luvchocolate said:

This is a silly question but how do your energy company know this? Plus how do the government know who's your energy supplier?

Data matching between DWP and the suppliers.  Basically, list of people claiming relevant benefits and their addresses + lists of customers (also addresses - meter point numbers) then the suppliers are instructed to provide the WHD to the chunk of eligible customers who are theirs.

luvchocolate

Spoonie_Turtle said:

luvchocolate said:

This is a silly question but how do your energy company know this? Plus how do the government know who's your energy supplier?

Data matching between DWP and the suppliers.  Basically, list of people claiming relevant benefits and their addresses + lists of customers (also addresses - meter point numbers) then the suppliers are instructed to provide the WHD to the chunk of eligible customers who are theirs.

Wow thank you very much for your time 

Chrysalis

So here is what I understand, bear in mind this not to be taken as fully accurate, this is also for England.

Two groups automatically qualify.

Pension age if you get pension credit.  ( ‘Guarantee Credit’ element of Pension Credit.)

Working age if you get one of mainstream means tested benefits, I am not sure if pension age can qualify via this group as an alternative if for some reason they dont qualify for group 1. 

You have to be the named person on the bill.

the supplier has to be taking part in the scheme.

Starting this year there is no longer the controversial high energy cost criteria, so you just need the above.

There is a discretion system, details are not fully disclosed presumably to prevent abuse.  If you get via discretion, its for that year only, and would need to be provided again the following year.

Also found this page, which allowed me to be more specific about pension credit.

https://octopus.energy/blog/warm-home-discount/#england-wales

As to how the supplier knows, they get contacted by the DWP.

Spoonie_Turtle

Chrysalis said:

Working age if you get one of mainstream means tested benefits, I am not sure if pension age can qualify via this group as an alternative if for some reason they dont qualify for group 1. 

You have to be the named person on the bill.

the supplier has to be taking part in the scheme.

Yes, pensioners who claim Housing Benefit or are part of a mixed age couple claiming UC.

Being named on the bill, all the information does say that but in reality every year there are people who get it because someone else in the household qualifies without being named on the energy bill.  Which makes sense if they're matching claims with MPANs and thus addresses. 

Needing to be named on the bill however makes sense for people who have to make a claim rather than getting it automatically.  It was also a requirement for people in group 2 under the old scheme who had to apply in England and Wales as well as Scotland.