warm home discount. Any idea how to appeal?

paulie67

any idea how to appeal not gettin whd i am in broader group they says i don’t get qualifying benefits to which i do and have done last 2 years with utilita this is 1st year been told no i get universal credit support group also highest pip rate and council tax reduction yet got refused

poppy123456

If you live in England claiming certain means tested benefits is not the only criteria this year because it's all changed. They also look at the size of the property you live in. You no longer need to apply, if you qualify you will automatically receive it. You can check eligibility here. https://www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-eligible-for-warm-home-discount

I don't know if there's any way to appeal that decision.

Puja

That link above has the info on from gov.uk but theres a phone number and address too if you think you should have been eligible 
https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income

If you’re on a low income

If you do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you may still be eligible for the Warm Home Discount.

If you live in England and Wales

You may be eligible if on 21 August 2022 all of the following apply:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your property has a high energy cost score based on its characteristics
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill

This is known as being in the ‘core group 2’.

Qualifying benefits and tax credits

The qualifying means-tested benefits are:

• Housing Benefit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit
• Universal Credit

You could also qualify if your household income falls below a certain threshold and you get either:

• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

Check if you’re eligible for the discount online.

How to get the discount

You’ll receive a letter between November 2022 and January 2023 telling you about the discount if you’re eligible.

Most eligible households will receive an automatic discount. Your letter will say if you need to call a helpline by 28 February 2023 to confirm your details.

If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31 March 2023.

If you do not get a letter

Contact the Warm Home Discount helpline if you do not get the letter by mid-January 2023 and you think you’re eligible.

You’ll need to call the helpline before 28 February 2023.

Warm Home Discount helpline 
Telephone: 0800 107 8002  
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm  
Find out about call charges

110552 Warm Home Discount Scheme 
PO Box 26965 
Glasgow 
G1 9BW 

If you live in Scotland

If you do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit you may be able to apply directly to your electricity supplier. All the following must apply:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill

Your supplier may have additional criteria so you need to check with them if you’re eligible.

This is known as being in the ‘broader group’.

To get the discount you’ll need to stay with your supplier until it’s paid.

How to get the discount

Your electricity supplier decides who can get the discount in Scotland.

The number of discounts suppliers can give is limited. Check with your supplier as early as possible to see if you’re eligible and how to apply.

Check with them even if you were eligible for a discount last year.

You cannot apply for the discount by calling the Warm Home Discount helpline.

If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31 March 2023.

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Tori_Scope

Thank you for sharing that @PSp27pe2 Have you been able to make any progress on this @paulie67?

paulie67

hi no no progress been told not getting it xx

poppy123456

I don't think there is any appeals process for the new criteria. It's not just based on the benefits you receive, it's now based on the size and age of your property. I've been claiming this for years and when i checked for myself it told me i probably wasn't entitled either but i haven't yet received any letter.

L_Volunteer

That sounds really difficult @paulie67 How are you managing it all at the moment?

CarolynC

After checking online found out no longer eligible,
I called helpline (not helpful at all) and was told that they couldn't help me, when I asked what I should do if I didn't agree I was told to contact my local MP and go to gov.uk and look up BEIS, I've got to look up who my local MP is and email them. But when I went to gov.uk and searched BEIS I got a list of links (4070 in total) but none of them mentioned warm home discount, so no help there.

JBS2022

I used to receive the discount but also got refused this year because my property doesn't fulfil the energy criteria.

2oldcodgers

Effectively only those eligible for the State Retirement Pension and claiming Guaranteed Pension Credit will automatically be awarded the WHD.
The rest will be in part assessed on the size & type of their home plus also receiving a qualifying means tested benefit.
What the government is saying is that State Pensioners are the most vulnerable in society. They may live in a £1m+ home but they are still vulnerable simply because they receive an income for Pension Credit purposes of no more then £761 a week.
Obviously this also depends on how disabled they are for this figure to apply.

rebel11

If you are struggling, there are criteria for everything, but regardless contact your energy suppler, see what they can do, they should be able to do something. Some have put funds aside that you might able to tap into at their discretion.  Especially the big 6 energy companies. If you get 'knocked' back by customer service, write an email to the CEO, only takes a few minutes of your time.