Warm Home Discount Broader Group, Scotland. Octopus Energy's own criteria.

AssemblyGMX

UPDATE by email today from Octopus Energy:  (This time my application was referred for "audit."  This has happened once before.  I received an email from AgilityEco letting me know that they had sent their findings to Octopus Energy.)  Soon after this I received the confirmation email:

"Good news! Your application for the Warm Home Discount has been approved.

We have credited £150 to your account. It'll show on your online account and on your next statement. This credit will help towards your higher usage during the winter period.

Remember - you'll need to re-apply every year with us for the discount."

It was for the Government Warm Home Discount, Broader Group Scotland.  It really is very much appreciated and, this year, as in the previous four years, I was eligible on the basis of Low Income Threshold and Disability Benefit.   I did not have to be in receipt of any means tested benefit and was eligible: 

• "If you are on other qualifying means tested benefits or other criteria set by your energy supplier, you do still need to apply."

. 

sheramber

Newcad said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Newcad said:

OK, I'm out. - It won't make any difference.

Did you see the bit I pasted from the government consultation? 

I did, however a 'consultation' document is just a discussion of possibilities and not the actual scheme rules as made by legislation.

It's also quite clear that  Agility Eco also believe that the WHD scheme rules apply and not any 'discretionary rules'.

If there has been some discretion agreed/allowed by Ofgem for Octopus this year I can't find it. (And apparently neither can Agility Eco).

So unless the OP can get Octopus to confirm that it has discretion agreed with Ofgem, and tell Agility Eco to allow their application, then that's that.
Which is why I said that "It won't make any difference" to the outcome whether we agree or disagree here.

Only Octopus (or Ofgem) can confirm or deny if they have such discretion, and only Octopus can tell Agility Eco to use any such discretion.

Which seems to have been done now. 

Newcad

Good to see that the tentacled one has 'audited' it, and approved the WHD payment under their extended rules.

Northern_Wanderer

Can anyone explain what is meant by "Have a medically dependant illness (disability or mobility issue)" for Octopus qualifying criteria for WHD? What proof might be required for that? 

AssemblyGMX

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your question, Northern_Wanderer. I know the eligibility criteria are different for Scotland from England.  Are you on Octopus's Priority Services Register?

Hopefully someone here will be able to help or maybe consider telephoning Octopus directly to confirm eligibility. I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

Newcad

It's just a general 'catch-all' term with no specific definition as such.

AFAIK then for the Octopus WHD it generally means an expansion of the 'means tested benefits' qualification to also include non-means tested disability/health benefits such as PIP/DLA/AA/CB-ESA, etc.

It might also include someone with a medical condition but not claiming any benefits for it, I guess that you would need doctors/consultants letters to prove that?

For example AssemblyGMX (the starter of this thread) has DLA but does not have a means tested benefit.
They did qualify for the WHD under the Octopus wider rules (see the 18th December post) but it took some pushing because the company auditing the scheme for Octopus were not applying those Octopus wider rules at first.

Of course the way to find out what Octopus specifically mean by the term would be to ask Octopus.
However I suspect that it would just be a vauge reply because it's meant to be non-specific, a sort of 'Ask us if we'll pay you a WHD and we'll consider it'. 

Northern_Wanderer

Newcad said:

It might also include someone with a medical condition but not claiming any benefits for it, I guess that you would need doctors/consultants letters to prove that?

Of course the way to find out what Octopus specifically mean by the term would be to ask Octopus.
However I suspect that it would just be a vauge reply because it's meant to be non-specific, a sort of 'Ask us if we'll pay you a WHD and we'll consider it'. 

I'm assuming it's that in bold above.....as if you had the disability benefits you would apply under those criteria.

Think we will go down the route of 'Ask us if we'll pay you a WHD and we'll consider it'. See what happens. Proof can be acquired if required. 

Northern_Wanderer

AssemblyGMX said:

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your question, Northern_Wanderer. I know the eligibility criteria are different for Scotland from England.  Are you on Octopus's Priority Services Register?

Hopefully someone here will be able to help or maybe consider telephoning Octopus directly to confirm eligibility. I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

Not on the PSR. Will let you know.

Newcad

Always get on any companiy's PSR if/when you can.

For one thing if you call them from the phone number that you registered for PSR then it will often* recognise that number as 'priority' and you'll get a quick reply rather than joining the long queue to talk to somebody.

*not always, but more often than not.

Northern_Wanderer

Northern_Wanderer said:

Can anyone explain what is meant by "Have a medically dependant illness (disability or mobility issue)" for Octopus qualifying criteria for WHD? What proof might be required for that? 

Applied, waited, got the WHD, no queations asked.