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Disabled

cripps

hi everyone you all good? I’m just sat here in my wheelchair after getting off phone with my energy provider wondering what the upside of being disabled, I’ve just applied for the warm home discount but to get it you have to have a disability or be in a certain category . This is a good thing because basically i get free energy but it did get me thinking about being disabled , i find it very difficult being in a wheelchair and doing things like this makes it a little bit harder, not much i can do about it and there are good things that come from it but it does make you wonder. NC

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Comments

Angiebabes2410

I think we can get £140 a year usually paid around march. I heard they are making it harder to get, just like everything else xx

wilko

Hi cripps to qualify for the warm front ENGERY discount firstly your supplier for your electricity has to be a member of the scheme, and you have to be in receipt of certain qualifying benefits to be able to get the £140'discountnoff your winter electict fuel bill. Being a disabled person dose not give you or make you entitiled to claiming the discount it relies on which benefits you are claiming at the end of the year and checked are made via DWP

cripps

Thank you for that, they did say they would let me know if i had been excepted or not so it’s just a waiting game, any money my way will be useful. Do you know anyone that had been excepted and how they went about getting it?

susan48

I applied last year, in September or October is when you can apply, thats with the energy supplier I’m with. The £140 goes into your energy account and you do not get the cash.
It helps pay for the higher winter bills.

Hope that helps

cripps

That’s great even crediting the money to my account will help because the winter bills are extremely high. Being in a wheelchair doesn’t help because i don’t move around so much, i do put extra clothing on but it can only do so much, i do hope i get the money it will ease my anxiety a lot and stress paying the bills.

cripps

What benefits do you need to be on to get the winter discount?

susan48

I’m on ESA and PIP but don’t know what other benefits count, go on your energy supplier website and it should tell you

cripps

Ok thanks, in one way (i hope this doesn’t sound horrible but i was hoping if you are disabled it mattered most) I’m on p.i.p and universal credit let’s hope!! I’ll check the website to see what benefits you need. It’s all very complicated just for a couple of quid. NC

susan48

I have mental health problems so I’m classed as disabled.

Ir depends on your supplier who gets it or not and don’t leave it too late, I’m going to apply next month if the scheme has started then.

Hope you get the £140 which is a great help towards energy bills

cripps

It seems that different suppliers start at different times does that mean they pay at different times as well. ? It may be a good idea if it is posted on this forum to remind everyone to apply for the discount. NC

poppy123456

I'm surprised that applications are even open for this already. Having looked a few weeks ago i seen you can't apply until October.

happy91

Thanks for posting about this will definitely apply come winter. Have issues with my knees, awaiting op. Not in a wheelchair. Feel isolated, mobility issues

cripps

I’m with Utilita and there taking applications now but only for one week, not sure about other energy suppliers.

Yadnad

Eligibility

There are 2 ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme:

you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit - known as the ‘core group’
you’re on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme - known as the ‘broader group’

Not too sure why people who are disabled think that they are automatically entitled to the Warm Home Discount of £140 to put towards the winter bills.

The only group of people that are guaranteed this payment are those that are claiming Guarantee Pension Credit. It does not matter if they are disabled or not.

The other group, the broader group, the payment is not guaranteed and it depends on what money each power company has left after paying out to the OAP's. To get this money you have to show receipt of a low income benefit + a disabled element.

susan48

I’m with EDF and winter 2018/2019 is open for applications in September

cripps

Disabled people are not guaranteed but my opinion is and it is my opinion disabled people should get the discount because they use more energy in the winter, just keeping warm is hard enough so get off your horse and back the people that need it. NC

cripps

Put the word out and make sure everyone knows.

Yadnad

cripps said:

just keeping warm is hard enough so get off your horse and back the people that need it. NC

Is there any need to say that? I was only putting people straight about entitlement as quoted from the DWP website.
My opinion as to who should have it guaranteed is here nor there. However the elderly also have a need, sometimes a greater need than a disabled person would have.
And before you ask no we don't get it by right even though we are 70 and 74 and we are both disabled!
The more people who are in the broader group that make a claim could well cause others not to get it. It's a limited amount of money that is available after the core group receive their's by right

Topkitten

@cripps, not all disabilities would necessarily have a higher utility usage and, to start including those that do, would put an unnecessary strain on deciding who to give it to or not. The outcome would likely be to stop the system all together. The idea of utility help was started with old people in mind who really do need more help. I have begun to notice myself that I notice the cold more as I get older. Personally I think it should be means tested but that's just an opinion.

Being disabled does not necessarily mean that we are entitled to every possible help just that, under certain circumstances, we could get some of them. Trying to get every possible help is likely to upset the majority of healthy people and even some of the disabled community. Of course we would all like to have it but then, when you look at other disabled, it might start jealousy creeping in if some got it that didn't really need it and there is enough of THAT already.

All help is limited and, if it becomes more trouble than it's worth to administrate, could easily be taken away altogether.

TK

Yadnad

Topkitten said:

The idea of utility help was started with old people in mind who really do need more help...... Personally I think it should be means tested but that's just an opinion

In fact it is means tested both for the core group (the elderly with guaranteed pension credit) as well as the broader group (those receiving income based ESA & JSA + IS)