Fuel poor households could miss out on £150 energy discount

Abby Neve

The UK Government has urged households to check if they are named on bills or miss out on an energy discount of £150 this winter.

The discount is only accessible if those receiving means-tested benefits are named on their energy bill by 23 August.

In Wales and England, households in receipt of Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, and Universal Credit are all eligible.

If you have recently moved to a new house or are on pre-payment meters and use a key or card to top up, your bills may not be registered in your name.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “If you know someone who might benefit, please start spreading the word and encourage them to check they are named on their energy bill.”

National Energy Action’s Head of Policy, Matt Copeland, worries that the scheme does not cover enough fuel poor households.

He said: “The Warm Home Discount will provide welcome support to many households in Wales this winter, but for those on the lowest incomes, £150 can only go so far when energy bills remain well above pre crisis levels.

“While many eligibility barriers have been removed through the expansion of the scheme, fuel poor households outside the benefits system still miss out.”

In Wales, one in four were living in fuel poverty in October 2024.

National Energy Action is calling for the government to do more. Matt Copeland said: “Our practical work regularly finds people in severe financial hardship struggling to afford adequate warmth, while many others are carrying significant energy debt built up during the energy crisis.

“That debt is not only causing ongoing hardship for affected households, it is also helping to keep bills higher for everyone. We urgently need a more comprehensive package of support, including action on energy debt, to ensure everyone can afford to live in a warm home.”

Dan Snipe, of Cardiff’s Acorn branch, agrees that it’s not enough. He says that the government has done ‘next to nothing’ to help with high costs.

He said: “Our members, and the wider working class, have been at the blunt end of the stick for too long when it comes to energy bills.

“For far too long we have been given the choice each winter of either heating our homes and going skint in the process, or saving money for other essentials and getting sick in the process. Here in Cardiff we have some of the oldest and most rundown homes in the country.

“Our local governments have done next to nothing to help relieve people of the burden of energy bills.”

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