£150 entering British Gas, Eon, Octopus, EDF and OVO customer accounts

A host of energy suppliers are handing households a £150 discount on electricity bills this winter. The discount is being issued through the government's Warm Home Discount scheme. This scheme - delivered by the Department for Energy and Net Zero - provides households which claim certain benefits with the saving on electricity bills between October and March each year.

This year's scheme opened on October 14, and eligible households are being contacted by their supplier. The cash is paid directly into the energy account as credit - rather than into a bank account - by the supplier. If you're on a traditional prepay meter, you are normally sent a top-up voucher - smart prepayments will have it applied automatically, reports MirrorOnline.

Under the scheme's rules, you or your partner should automatically receive the £150 discount if one or both are in receipt of the Guarantee Credit portion of the benefit Pension Credit - known as “core group one” in England and Wales and "core group" in Scotland. You may also automatically receive the Warm Home Discount if you are on a low income, claiming certain benefits and have high energy costs.

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This is known as being in the "core group two" if you are a resident in England and Wales. If you live in Scotland and you claim certain benefits, you will likely need to make an application. You can do this by contacting your energy supplier directly.

The qualifying means-tested benefits include:

• Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Universal Credit
• Housing benefit
• Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits
• Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)

This year's qualifying date is August 11. This means you need to be claiming the relevant benefit on this date to get the discount. If you're eligible - or need to provide more information - you will receive a letter about the scheme between now and early January 2025. If you don't get a letter from your supplier, and you think you're eligible, you can call the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 107 8002.

Which energy firms pay the Warm Home Discount?

Not all energy suppliers are part of the £150 discount scheme. This means if your energy supplier is not signed up, you will not be eligible. According to the DWP website, these companies are taking part in this year's Warm Home Discount scheme:

• Affect Energy (now part of Octopus Energy)
• Boost Energy
• British Gas (including Scottish Gas)
• Co-op Energy (now part of Octopus Energy)
• E (gas and electricity)
• Ecotricity
• EDF Energy
• E.ON Next
• Good Energy
• Home Energy
• London Power
• Octopus Energy
• Outfox the Market
• OVO Energy
• Rebel Energy
• Sainsbury's Energy
• ScottishPower
• Shell Energy Retail
• So Energy
• Tomato Energy
• Tru Energy
• Utilita
• Utility Warehouse
• 100Green (previously Green Energy UK)