Affording bills can be stressful (Image: Getty Images)
Households could get around £150 off bills on top of the Warm Home Discount from April. The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill, but now, there could be an additional opportunity to get another £150 off your bill – meaning you could get a total of £300 off.
In the Autumn Budget, the government announced that it would help people manage the cost of keeping their homes warm, including by taking some cash off the costs of energy bills. The energy regulator Ofgem has now confirmed the energy price cap for April – which limits the amount customers on standard variable tariffs pay for each unit of gas and electricity – will fall by 7%.
Energy bills can quickly rise in cost during the colder months (Image: Getty Images)
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Warm Homes Discount
The Warm Home Discount is a Government scheme that gives eligible households £150 towards their energy costs every year. This year, 2.7 million more households will be eligible to get it, meaning more than 6 million households in England, Scotland and Wales qualify for the discount.
The £150 is typically deducted from your electricity bill, but you may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead, as long as your supplier provides both your gas and electricity. You’ll need to contact your supplier to find out if the discount can be applied to your gas bill instead.
You should be eligable if you are in England or Wales and you should get it automatically if you received one the following means-tested benefits AND you (or your partner, or legal representative) were named on your electricity account or bill on 24 August 2025 (the qualifying date for the payment).
The means tested benefits included are: Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, Pension Credit or Universal Credit.
Additional £150 off
Billpayers to start benefitting from an average of £150 off the costs of energy bills from April onwards.
This will be done by ending funding for the Energy Company Obligation scheme, as well as removing 75% of costs for the Renewables Obligation scheme from people’s energy bills.
As a result, energy regulator Ofgem confirmed the energy price cap for April will fall by 7% meaning millions of households will benefit from lower energy bills.
You do not need to do anything to claim the savings. These will be automatically applied to your bill from 1 April onwards.
The exact amount each household saves will depend on how much energy is used and the type of tariff.
Some smaller energy suppliers were never part of the Energy Company Obligation scheme either, meaning their customers have already benefitted from not paying these costs.
There are measures you can take to keep costs down (Image: Getty Images)
The government has also provided advice on other ways you can save money on your bills.
It says you should reduce your combi boiler flow temperature to 60C. Most boilers are set too high – lowering the flow temperature can make yours more efficient and cut your bills.
However, if you’re over 65 or have children under 5 or health conditions, take extra care to make sure your home stays warm enough.
Another tip is to fix draughts around your home. It suggests that you should have a good look for gaps around windows, doors, pipes and floors.
Keep an eye out for visible light, listen for noises on windy days, and feel for air moving around to spot any places where draughts could be sneaking into your house.
By following these tips, you can ensure your bills won’t be skyrocketing to unaffordable costs.