Don't leave it too late to find out if you're eligible for financial help and support through Warm Home Discount schemes this winter. They are run by energy companies but tend to close in late November or early December. One in 10 of allhouseholds are eligible for some form of help with their energy bills. Those that qualify include low-income families, disabled, elderly and other vulnerable customers. http://www.homeheathelpline.org.uk/about/

2 weeks ago there was a discussion on the Winter Home Discount (WHD) if anyone is following this you may want to have a read up on this here >>http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05956/SN05956.pdf or see my attachment Number SN 05956, 6 May 2016 Summary This Commons Library Briefing Paper looks at the Warm Home Discount scheme (WHD). The scheme started on 1 April 2011 and was originally to end on 31 March 2015. Since then it has been extended twice, first until 2015/16 and most recently until 2020/21. The WHD scheme is part of the measures designed to help those in fuel poverty; further discussion can be found in the Commons Briefing Paper Fuel poverty. Information on sources of help for constituents with domestic energy bills can be found in the Library Briefing Paper Help with energy bills. The Commons Library Briefing paper on The Energy Company Obligation sets out details of funding to improve energy efficiency in the homes of ‘those most in need’ and in difficult to treat housing. Extension to 2016/17 and to 2020/21 On 8 April 2016, the Government published its consultation document on an extension to the scheme for 2016/17 (Warm Home Discount Scheme: extension to 2016/17) and an impact assessment . The Government proposes to keep the scheme unchanged for 2016/17 in respect of the Core and Broader Groups. Further details for the period to 2020/21 are to follow in 2017 and are expected to be linked more closely to other fuel poverty initiatives. To check to see if you qualify see here >> https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme List of suppliers of the scheme see here >> https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/eligibility Winter warm discount 2016-2017 SN05956.pdf

Hi all I have claimed warm home discount from Npower for 2 years now and not received any rebate back, I sent them a message but they didn't reply, I rang warm front and they said they only deal with Pensioners, and when I pressed them they said I can't speak to anyone but my energy supplier, why do I think I am in for a long haul! Anyone else had problems, if so how did you get on? Obviously I will try harder, but someone here might know who I can speak to, to save time. Thanks

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/giant-house-spiders-are-invading-british-homes-following-wet-and-warm-summer-10467050.html

hi, i'm not sure where i stand with this, i got my warm home discount, which i'm grateful for..my electricity supplier is EDF, when i phoned to enquire whether i could get a refund of the £140..they said no..it was government money and it was not for me to spend on things as I please, but its for energy needs..they said it wasn't mine really..i enquired about them keeping it as they are making interest on it and he said that no, they're not making money on it..is this normal? i was paid my warm home discount last year..surely this is okay? any pointers or insgihts appreciated thanks.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/winterhealth/Pages/KeepWarmKeepWell.aspx#close

I recently bought a Royal 400 Solo Gas Fire from warmorwet.com (Thermagas Ltd). When my Gas Safe engineer came to do the installation it became clear that the fire was faulty. He diagnosed it as a faulty gas valve. I suppose I should have then smelled a rat when I contacted Thermagas to report the fault, as they said they were not responsible and directed me to the Sirocco Fires (the manufacturer) premium rate support line, which charges £1 per minute! Eventually however, after I said I was not prepared to pay for a premium rate telephone call, and that it was their responsibility to resolve the problem, they agreed to call the company themselves. A couple of days later I got a call back from a Sirocco engineer, who said that he could not come out for at least two weeks, but doubted that it was the gas valve. He said it was most likely an electrical fault and said he would send out the relevant part, which turned out to be a battery box. Please remember that this diagnosis was done on the telephone without looking at the fire, and totally went against what my Gas Safe engineer had diagnosed from a full inspection! When the part arrived I called my gas engineer back, and again, nothing worked. His view was that they had just sent the cheapest part in the hope that it would "do the job" and save them having to come out and properly diagnose what was wrong. I contacted the retailer and manufacturer again by email, and eventually the Sirocco engineer rang again. This time he said that he would order a full "tray", and when it arrived he would arrange to visit. I asked that he contact me with an update, as I did not want to allow the issue to drag on too long. Two weeks passed by, and no call. I then rang and left a message with the engineer (no reply), and also contacted Thermagas by email. After a second email I got a promise that a message had been sent to Sirocco asking them to get in touch. This morning I had an email from Arthur Wright, CEO of Sirocco, with an address in Poland. The email said that the parts were out of stock, and I would have to wait for at least a month before the parts would arrive in Poland from Italy, and then be sent to the engineer. He also had the nerve to suggest that I would have to give them my Credit/Debit card number!! I would warn anyone about buying this type of fire (or indeed any Sirocco fire) as clearly if you have a breakdown it is possible that parts will have to be sourced from Italy via Poland. I could understand it if the gas fire was old, but this model is available from numerous suppliers. I would also suggest that for Thermagas to direct its customers to a £1 per minute premium rate telephone number, rather than seek to resolve issues themselves, cannot be said to offer good customer service. The item was faulty when supplied, and I have to say that Thermagas Ltd (trading as Warm or Wet, Leigh St, Chorley) have tried every trick in the book to deflect me from my rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended). I have no doubt that they have a stock of these gas fires from which they could obtain the required part, and could easily have arranged to get an engineer to visit and resolve the matter during the last month. Instead, I have been played between retailer and manufacturer. I have now formally rejected the gas fire, and advised them that I want the matter resolving this week. I will update as things develop. It is worth adding that this has been going on throughout the coldest March on record.

Hi, I am wondering if anyone knows anything about this? I spoke to Scottish Power today about an whether I could get this but they said they didn't know. You have to quality on 2 parts. I do receive DLA so would qualify on that part. It also says you can qualify if you receive income support which is where my query lies. I do receive a very small amount of Income Support but I receive it as I have overlapping benefit ( I am a carer and cannot receive full carers benefit). Would that count as income support or would that be income related benefit which includes carers premium? Thanks for any help you may have

hello! am new and I need help with my problem with warm sure. just over a year ago I had a ideal logic 24 combi boiler fitted by grant called warm front. my boiler is still under warranty, unfortunately it broke down. The boiler seems like it's got a mind of it's own it comes on and goes off itself. I called warm sure up to come and repair it since it's under warranty, the company the warranty is under is called corrillian. the first time I called them was two months ago. they sent an engineer out and it seemed like he didn't have a clue what was happening so he called another engineer. after making that call he said that he would have to order a part which he didn't have in the van. I waited for a week and made a call and they tell me they are finding it really hard to get the part and I would have to wait few more days. the same story over and over again, one minute they say its the wrong part next minute they send in an engineer without a part and he doesn't have a clue for why he came to visit. I spoke to the manager and he kept on apologising and promising that he will have my boiler repaired asap. even the manager didn't seem too bothered, he tells me he will call back, but never does. they book appointments for the engineer to come out and after waiting all day no one turns up without any explanations. my story can go on, I am desperate for some help it's been going on for 2 months and still my boiler needs to be fixed. I would be grateful if anyone can advise me on what I can do..........thanks