Help with energy bills this winter

[Michael Browne]

It's that time of year again. Make sure you're not missing out on help with your energy bills

 

Cold Weather Payment

You may get a Cold Weather Payment if you’re getting certain benefits.

Payments are made when your local temperature is either recorded as, or forecast to be, an average of zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days.

You’ll get a payment of £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

Use the Cold Weather Payment tool to find out if your area is due to receive a payment.

 

 

What you'll get

 

You’ll get £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. It’s paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.

Cold Weather Payments don’t affect your other benefits.

 

 

Eligibility

 

You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:

 

• Pension Credit
  
• Income Support
  
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  
• Universal Credit
  

How to claim

 

You don’t need to apply. If you’re eligible to get a Cold Weather Payment, you’ll be paid it automatically.

Use the Cold Weather Payment tool to find out if your area is due to receive a payment.

 

 

If you have a child under 5 living with you

 

If you get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance you’ll need to tell Jobcentre Plus if:

 

• you’ve had a baby
  
• a child under 5 has come to live with you
  

Otherwise, you won’t automatically receive any Cold Weather Payments you should get.

 

If you don’t receive your Cold Weather Payment

 

Tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus office if you think you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but you haven’t.

 

https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment

[Michael Browne]

Winter Fuel Payment

 

You could get between £100 and £300 tax-free to help pay your heating bills if you were born on or before 5 January 1952. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.

Most payments are made automatically between November and December. You should get your money by Christmas.

You usually get a Winter Fuel Payment automatically if you get the State Pension or another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction or Child Benefit).

If you qualify but don’t get paid automatically, you’ll need to make a claim.

Any money you get won’t affect your other benefits.

 

 

What you'll get

 

How much you get depends on your circumstances during the qualifying week. The qualifying week for winter 2013 to 2014 is 16 to 22 September 2013.

Any money you get is tax-free and won’t affect your other benefits.

 

 

Eligibility

 

You’ll qualify for Winter Fuel Payment if:

 

• you were born on or before 5 January 1952 (for winter 2013 to 2014 - this date changes every year)
  
• you normally live in the UK throughout the week of 16 to 22 September 2013
  

You may still be able to get the payment if you live in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland and you have a genuine link with the UK.

 

How to claim

 

You need to claim Winter Fuel Payment if you’ve not had it before and either of the following apply:

 

• you don’t get benefits or the State Pension
  
• you only get Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, or Child Benefit
  

If you’ve claimed before

 

You should get your Winter Fuel Payment automatically from the organisation that pays your benefits. Contact them if you have any questions or there’s a change in your circumstances. You can find their details on any letters they’ve sent you.

 

Claim forms - winter 2013 to 2014

 

The claim form you need depends on where you live.

 

• Winter Fuel Payment claim form if you live in the UK
  
• Winter Fuel Payment claim form if you live in another EEA country or Switzerland
  

Claim form - past winters

 

If you’re eligible, use the Winter Fuel Payments claim form - past winters to claim for winters between 1997 to 1998, 1998 to 1999 and 1999 to 2000.

You can’t make a late claim for winters from 2000 to 2001 onwards.

 

 

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/overview

[45002]

I wish Michael Browne would post a short sentence with a url,instead of copy/paste All over the forum

[Gay_guy1986]

Just wondering, will I get a cold weather payment? I am 27 and living on my own in my flat and I also recive Jobseekers. I don't have any health issues.

 

But that shouldn't stop me from getting any payment should it? Can't believe single people like me don't get any help with Gas.

[RaeUK]

If it's income based JSA then you may well do so, G_g. That's what it says in the OP ...

[antone]

Just wondering, will I get a cold weather payment? I am 27 and living on my own in my flat and I also recive Jobseekers. I don't have any health issues.

 

But that shouldn't stop me from getting any payment should it? Can't believe single people like me don't get any help with Gas.

 

You won't get a payment if you're on JSA(IB), have no children or disability, and are under pension age.

 

Young single healthy childless folks get to freeze. Them's the breaks, apparently.

[dx100uk]

Also don't forget

 

the-warm-home-discount

 

 

 

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme

 

dx

[Nystagmite]

A friend phoned up her electricity provider about the warm front discount. They don't give it out until March.

[silverlight]

75 or over and getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit)

 

under 75 and only getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (you won’t qualify if you also get Savings Credit

 

 

It seems very restrictive to me.

 

The core group will only qualify if they are in receipt of Pension Credit.

 

From what I have seen,

the 'Broader Group' for some suppliers (Scottish Power as a prime example) are also very restrictive.

 

One thing that I did notice with SP is that if you receive Pension Credit,

are under 75 AND get ANY amount (1p or more a week) of the Savings Credit element you don't qualify for anything.

 

There are many disabled pensioners that get a very small amount of the Savings Credit

that will be precluded from getting the £135.

 

Almost makes it appropriate to claim Income Based JSA/ESA instead of Pension Credit provided that you are under State Retirement age.

[45002]

To find out your eligibility,check with your supplier

 

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/eligibility

 

 

 

A friend phoned up her electricity provider about the warm front discount. They don't give it out until March.

 

Which is correct,The £135 is Not paid direct to customer bank account or by cheque ...

 

A credit of £135 is made from March on peoples bills or £135 made onto pre payment meters when you top up....

Edited November 10, 2013 by 45002

[Nystagmite]

I can understand it not being paid directly to the customer. But it seems silly that if you pay monthly, it's not paid until March.

[45002]

Eligibility criteria explained a bit better below link

 

http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/files/2010/01/Energy-suppliers-broader-group-schemes.pdf

 

http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creating-an-energy-saving-home/guides/energy-grants/warm-home-discount/

Edited November 10, 2013 by 45002

[dx100uk]

I've seen one of the Scottish hydro -warm-home-discount forms

and WRAG now qualifies you

if you are on income based ESA.

 

the form also says that the discount will be applied BY march & is done in 'groups'

throughout the winter period starting from 1st Nov.

 

dx

[Ros1609]

I'm with British Gas on pre payment meters.

 

I am eligible for the Warm Front Discount

and I'm sure when I phoned them about it they said it would be paid between the 1st November and 31st March.

 

I also had to agree to stay with British Gas til March 2014.

 

I do have to ring them back this week as my circumstances have changed slightly so will double check

[dx100uk]

don't forget we are talking about 2 diff discounts here.

 

the-warm-home-discount

 

and

 

Warm Front Discount

 

dx

[Lilly_Monroe]

A friend phoned up her electricity provider about the warm front discount. They don't give it out until March.

 

March would be lovely super fine with me, in fact any month.

I just don't qualify.

[RaeUK]

... Young single healthy childless folks get to freeze. Them's the breaks, apparently.

Ooops. Thanks for the clarification.

[45002]

You think they would make theses schemes easier to understand

 

Whoops,Silly me they don't do ease to understand a bit like the benefits system

Edited November 10, 2013 by 45002

[tommy456]

Well although i qualify for the WHDS I am now deeper in to fuel poverty as a result of government interference ,as previously i qualified for my suppliers social tariff which was guaranteed to be always 6% lower than their cheapest tariff this £135 is nothing compared to what i saved on the social tariff , and what will happen in 14/15 or after that as this whds will end around then,

[silverlight]

Well although i qualify for the WHDS I am now deeper in to fuel poverty as a result of government interference ,as previously i qualified for my suppliers social tariff which was guaranteed to be always 6% lower than their cheapest tariff this £135 is nothing compared to what i saved on the social tariff , and what will happen in 14/15 or after that as this whds will end around then,

 

I understand what you are meaning, but there are many that were never on the low social tariff even though they were entitled to be on it through ignorance or the inability to understand the complex schemes. They have been paying 'through the nose' for their fuel for years. Many have also never claimed any of the electricity rebates for the same reasons.

This 'interference' was set up for those people. The complex tariffs are being got rid of which should help a lot more in the long run.

 

There will always be winners and losers whatever they do.

 

If I was you I would count myself lucky that I have had the opportunity to receive help from both schemes over the years whereas many others haven't.

 

The bottom line as I see it is that the average dual fuel costs this time next year will be in the region of £1500pa - you like many others will have to learn how to budget for it.

[tommy456]

They may as well come and disconnect both electric and gas then , as i do only use what i need to, no central heating on, fire only at nights, it still is costing too much the prices of domestic fuel are nothing more than a rip off, and the government don't help by scrapping the vat on domestic fuel , What we did have was social tariffs offered by most companies that may of helped a smaller group of people, but it actually did help them, what we now have is a system that may help more people overall but the amount of help isn't sufficient due to the prices we are being charged, So is a farce to make them look good

 

And also they may have simplified their tariffs but they sure as hell won't be loosing out on profits as a result the only people to loose are the customers , government should keep it's nanny state nose out, unless it wants to re nationalise the gas &electric supplies , but it wouldn't want to do that would it?

[silverlight]

They may as well come and disconnect both electric and gas then , as i do only use what i need to, no central heating on, fire only at nights, it still is costing too much the prices of domestic fuel are nothing more than a rip off, and the government don't help by scrapping the vat on domestic fuel , What we did have was social tariffs offered by most companies that may of helped a smaller group of people, but it actually did help them, what we now have is a system that may help more people overall but the amount of help isn't sufficient due to the prices we are being charged, So is a farce to make them look good

 

And also they may have simplified their tariffs but they sure as hell won't be loosing out on profits as a result the only people to loose are the customers , government should keep it's nanny state nose out, unless it wants to re nationalise the gas &electric supplies , but it wouldn't want to do that would it?

 

Is this the place to discuss political decision making?

 

No doubt you would be happy to go back to the 'good old days' of coal fires with coal being provided by the NCB? With discounts for those who receive 'welfare 1950's' style?

 

It is better to help more people but offer less in terms of monetary value than it is to offer much more restricted help to a few but at a higher monetary value.