Cost of living: Expanded energy bill discount scheme under way

Households are starting to person a larger rebate connected their vigor measure nether the Warm Home Discount strategy but concerns stay for those missing out.

The rebate was frozen astatine £140 for astir a decade, but this wintertime it has accrued to £150 and volition beryllium discounted automatically from bills.

Some pensioners and radical connected a debased income receiving definite benefits are eligible for the discount.

But charities accidental immoderate 500,000 households look missing out.

They see immoderate radical with disabilities and those successful smaller homes who were antecedently entitled to the assistance.

The authorities said it is prioritising those households that are astir successful request this winter.

The Warm Home Discount has been successful spot successful England, Wales and Scotland for immoderate clip to assistance radical who mightiness conflict to wage their heating bills during winter.

However, determination was disapproval of the strategy which required galore radical to use to their vigor institution for the rebate. Those suppliers often provided the rebate connected a archetypal come, archetypal served basis.

As vigor bills started to rise, the authorities said the strategy would beryllium reformed, extended and made much generous. Further promises of larger cost-of-living payments followed erstwhile the terms of vigor continued to soar.

Between present and March, £150 volition automatically beryllium taken disconnected energy bills by the immense bulk of vigor suppliers for anyone who is eligible. Those connected prepayment meters whitethorn person vouchers.

Some radical are receiving letters from their supplier to cheque eligibility, and a caller helpline - 0800 731 0214 - is being launched to help.

About 2.8 cardinal radical are eligible, including:

The 2nd of these groups has been reassessed and was portion of a authorities consultation but charities person said that the results could permission thousands of radical successful superior difficulty.

The authorities said that an further 750,000 radical would present suffice due to the fact that they person lodging benefit, and the caller strategy prioritised households which were astir apt to conflict to vigor their homes.

However, charities National Energy Action (NEA) and Scope said that 500,000 households crossed England and Wales which were antecedently eligible volition present beryllium ruled out.

That is due to the fact that Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments are nary longer qualifying benefits. People connected debased incomes, who bash not person means-tested benefits and who unrecorded successful smaller, newer, houses, volition besides beryllium among those losing out.

Adam Scorer, main enforcement of NEA, said: "Removing a £150 rebate from these susceptible groups is unwelcome and an unnecessary alteration to a captious programme - particularly during an vigor crisis."

James Taylor, manager of strategy astatine Scope, described the determination arsenic "shameful" erstwhile disabled radical were disquieted astir the outgo of moving instrumentality specified arsenic breathing machines and powered wheelchairs.

"Life costs a batch much erstwhile you're disabled. The authorities needs to supply much nonstop fiscal enactment now, not less, truthful disabled radical don't frost and starve this winter," helium warned.

The criteria differs successful the assorted parts of Britain. The discount is not disposable successful Northern Ireland, though immoderate different grants whitethorn beryllium provided to those uncovering it hard to wage bills.

A connection from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "We person introduced an unprecedented bundle of vigor bills enactment for low-income households worthy £1,200, arsenic good arsenic the £400 vigor measure rebate and the Price Guarantee scheme, which volition prevention the emblematic household astir £700 this winter.

"On apical of this, we are besides prioritising households astir successful request this winter, with implicit 3 cardinal homes crossed Great Britain receiving an further £150 vigor measure rebate done the Warm Home Discount, which volition mean an other 780,000 pensioners and low-income families volition payment this twelvemonth compared to last."