Warm Home Discount Criteria

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  • Richie-from-the-Boro
    Richie-from-the-Boro Posts: 6,945 Forumite
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    Rules are changing Hengus 2019-2021 those with 150,000 (not 250k) customer accounts will have to take part in the scheme as I understand it.
    Disclaimer : Everything I write on this forum is my opinion. I try to be an even-handed poster and accept that you at times may not agree with these opinions or how I choose to express them, this is not my problem. The Disabled : If years cannot be added to their lives, at least life can be added to their years - Alf Morris - ℜ
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,609 Forumite
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    I cannot help think that if it wasn't for all the subsidies that keep getting chucked around then all our energy cost would be lower and we'd all be a bit better off rather than keep trying to transfer money by devious means.

    TBH it would be better if I was allocated a needy person in my neighbourhood and I just paid all his bills rather than having all the middle men (taxman, DWP, Energy co etc) taking an extra cut to redistribute it. Better still they could just come and live with me and save me paying the rent allowance on another property somewhere.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »
    Rules are changing Hengus 2019-2021 those with 150,000 (not 250k) customer accounts will have to take part in the scheme as I understand it.

    Indeed they are: 200,000 customers for 2019/20 falling to 150000 customers a year later. Thanks for pointing that out.
  • Anthorn
    Anthorn Posts: 4,362 Forumite
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    matelodave wrote: »
    I cannot help think that if it wasn't for all the subsidies that keep getting chucked around then all our energy cost would be lower and we'd all be a bit better off rather than keep trying to transfer money by devious means.

    So therefore do we just allow for example old age pensioners on pension credit who cannot afford the ever increasing energy prices to simply die of cold? Then there are the children of parents who are on means-tested benefit: Do we allow them to go hungry? Well, I supposed that's ok if you can get your energy a few pennies cheaper!

    Looking back, there were at one time cheaper tariffs for vulnerable people which not all suppliers provided and which have now disappeared in the light of warm home discount. In my view the current WHD is a better system and easier to implement which in turn saves money on administration costs.

    However the fact that energy suppliers have to be forced to help vulnerable customers says a lot about them!
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    Anthorn wrote: »
    So therefore do we just allow for example old age pensioners on pension credit who cannot afford the ever increasing energy prices to simply die of cold? Then there are the children of parents who are on means-tested benefit: Do we allow them to go hungry? Well, I supposed that's ok if you can get your energy a few pennies cheaper!

    Looking back, there were at one time cheaper tariffs for vulnerable people which not all suppliers provided and which have now disappeared in the light of warm home discount. In my view the current WHD is a better system and easier to implement which in turn saves money on administration costs.

    However the fact that energy suppliers have to be forced to help vulnerable customers says a lot about them!

    You have a valid point. The Big 5 energy suppliers have long argued that new entrants are at a competitive advantage over them because paying the WHD is dependent on customer numbers. They have a point which is probably why Ofgem is reducing the WHD starting level.
  • Anthorn
    Anthorn Posts: 4,362 Forumite
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    edited 9 November 2018 at 11:44AM
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    Hengus wrote: »
    You have a valid point. The Big 5 energy suppliers have long argued that new entrants are at a competitive advantage over them because paying the WHD is dependent on customer numbers. They have a point which is probably why Ofgem is reducing the WHD starting level.

    We might equally argue that those energy suppliers which offer warm home discount will scoop more customers at the expense of those suppliers which don't offer it. Whether this in itself means that the energy companies which provide WHD do so at a loss is unclear: To operate at a total loss those customers who get WHD would have to spend £140 or less on electricity per year.

    Anyway here's a link on that reduction to 150,000 customers:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-with-smaller-energy-suppliers-to-benefit-from-140-warm-home-discount-on-their-energy-bills
  • chuckie851
    chuckie851 Posts: 34 Forumite
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    My only income is State Pension, and that's currently about £3 per week higher than Pension Credit. Npower just told me that I won't be eligible for the broader group, even though I receive Council Tax Reduction. Has anyone else on the new State Pension been given the same answer?
  • Richie-from-the-Boro
    Richie-from-the-Boro Posts: 6,945 Forumite
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    chuckie851 wrote: »
    My only income is State Pension, and that's currently about £3 per week higher than Pension Credit. Npower just told me that I won't be eligible for the broader group, even though I receive Council Tax Reduction. Has anyone else on the new State Pension been given the same answer?

    Not relevant to you Chuckie.

    Broader are 1st come (lottery) 1st served. (1) getting in the front of the cue (2) when your individual supplier opens the list) is what is needed first - and only then the qualifying criteria. Best of luck.
    Disclaimer : Everything I write on this forum is my opinion. I try to be an even-handed poster and accept that you at times may not agree with these opinions or how I choose to express them, this is not my problem. The Disabled : If years cannot be added to their lives, at least life can be added to their years - Alf Morris - ℜ
  • Lockardian
    Lockardian Posts: 21 Forumite
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    I live with my dad, and he appears to qualify for WHD as a member of the “broader group”, so I applied to British Gas on his behalf some time ago.

    We are considering changing some of the household bills into my name as he is signing the house over to me. However, if the energy bill is changed to my name, will this mean my dad no longer qualifies for WHD? I’m not sure if British Gas allow joint names on accounts.

    I assume Winter Fuel and Cold Weather payments are unaffected and you don’t have to be named on your household’s energy bill to qualify.
  • tillycat123
    tillycat123 Posts: 971 Forumite
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    chuckie851 wrote: »
    My only income is State Pension, and that's currently about £3 per week higher than Pension Credit. Npower just told me that I won't be eligible for the broader group, even though I receive Council Tax Reduction. Has anyone else on the new State Pension been given the same answer?


    Yes, switched my mum to bulb, she is exact same boat and situation as you and they have also said no. She moved from SSE and got it every year, not pleased
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