Warm Home Discount £150 payments to begin on Monday for around six million households

The Warm Home Discount scheme opens for payments from Monday 2 November 2026, with around six million households now qualifying for a one-off £150 discount on their energy bills¹. More homes get the help than in previous years¹.

The scheme knocks £150 off energy bills one time only during winter¹. The Government describes it as "a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill", applied by the electricity supplier to the bill rather than paid to the household¹. Most eligible households tend to see the discount applied in either November or December, delivered as energy credit or top-up vouchers rather than cash payments, and energy companies will write to customers to let them know what is happening¹. British Gas said qualifying customers will have the discount applied between November 2026 and the end of March 2027 at the latest, with most receiving it before January 2027¹.

People qualify if they receive benefits such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance¹. The scheme was extended to everyone on Universal Credit a couple of years ago, so double the number of households get the support compared with previously¹.

The same article reports that households in council tax bands A-D will get a separate £100 payment paid directly into bank accounts from January to help with energy bills¹. In the Budget speech on 28 October 2026, the Chancellor announced "a £100 energy payment for households" this winter for 20 million households in council tax bands A-D, paid directly into people's bank accounts as a £2.6bn scheme, with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments receiving their share of the funding². The Budget speech does not mention the Warm Home Discount².

Why it matters for households

For a qualifying household, the £150 is taken off the electricity bill once during the winter rather than paid as cash, so it reduces what is owed to the supplier rather than arriving as money in a bank account¹. Eligibility runs through the benefits system: receipt of Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance is among the routes in¹. Because the scheme now covers everyone on Universal Credit, roughly twice as many households qualify as before that change¹. The separate £100 council tax band A-D payment is a different measure, paid into bank accounts from January, and is not part of the Warm Home Discount².

What happens next

Payments under the Warm Home Discount begin on Monday 2 November 2026¹. Suppliers will contact eligible customers, and the discount is to be applied by the end of March 2027 at the latest, with most customers receiving it before January 2027 according to British Gas¹. The £100 payment for households in council tax bands A-D is due to be paid into bank accounts from January².

The Warm Home Discount and other help with energy bills guide covers the scheme, and the Winter Fuel Payment guide covers the separate payment for pensioners.