UK Government To Send £150 Energy Bill Discount Letters as Some Recipients Face a 2027 Call Deadline

Millions of households in England and Wales are being urged to check their letterboxes for confirmation of a £150 energy bill discount this winter.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced on 22 October 2026 that Warm Home Discount letters would begin arriving this week, with the rollout continuing into January 2027.

Around six million households across Britain are expected to receive the discount. Last year's expansion brought nearly 2.3 million additional families into the scheme, including around one million with children.

'I know that many families will be struggling with their energy bills this winter,' said Minister for Energy Consumers Polly Billington.

Who Qualifies for the England and Wales Energy Support?

Eligibility depends on circumstances on 23 August 2026. The household's energy supplier must participate in the scheme, the claimant or their partner must receive a qualifying means-tested benefit, and either person must be named on the electricity bill.

The qualifying benefits are Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Pension Credit. Eligible households fall within the scheme's 'core group'.

Letters will either confirm automatic entitlement or ask recipients to provide further information. Households receiving confirmation of automatic entitlement need take no action; their electricity supplier must apply the discount by 31 March 2027.

Anyone asked to verify their details must call the helpline by 26 February 2027. People who believe they qualify but have received no letter by early January 2027 should contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Scotland Energy Discount Has Different Routes to Support

Scottish households must meet the same supplier, benefit and electricity-account conditions on 23 August 2026, but the rules determining automatic entitlement differ.

Automatic support covers Pension Credit recipients and people receiving extra Universal Credit because they or their child have a disability or health condition.

It also covers recipients of disability or pensioner premiums through income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or those receiving such premiums alongside a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.

Further automatic entitlement applies where the claimant or their partner is responsible for a child under five who normally lives with them, and there is one more condition: the claimant must receive income-related Employment and Support Allowance, have a Support for Mortgage Interest loan or be unemployed and receive Universal Credit.

Other Scottish applicants must approach their electricity supplier directly, which may impose additional criteria. Applicants should contact their supplier early because the number of discounts available is limited, even if they received support last year.

Successful applicants through this route must remain with their supplier until it applies the discount, which must happen by 31 March 2027. Those in the automatic group follow the same letter timetable and February verification deadline as households in England and Wales.

Prepayment Customers Can Still Receive the Discount

The Warm Home Discount reduces electricity bills rather than providing a cash payment to recipients.

Households using prepayment or pay-as-you-go electricity meters can still qualify. Their supplier will explain how the support will be delivered, which may include a voucher to top up the meter.

Park home residents must use the separate Park Homes Warm Home Discount application route. The scheme does not operate in Northern Ireland, which has separate support arrangements.

The department said the announcement followed the removal of value added tax (VAT) from household electricity bills in October. Additionally, the £150 discount is separate from the average £150 reduction in energy costs announced earlier this year.

However, the government has issued a warning: recipients should contact their energy supplier through their usual channels. They should avoid suspicious links and should not provide financial information in response to requests by email, text message or telephone.