The Warm Home Discount scheme in Scotland will open in October 2024, according to the British Gas Energy Trust, which lists the £150 payment towards energy costs for people on certain benefits among the support available to Scottish households this winter1. StepChange also states that the scheme reopens in October 2024, with £150 off an electricity bill2.
The announcement comes as charities working in Scotland report rising energy debt. Citizens Advice clients in Scotland have an average of £2,300 of energy arrears, a figure that rises to £3,000 in rural areas1. Vadims Dzevaltovskis, Project Lead at Aberdeen Citizens Advice Bureau, said most of the clients the charity sees are in emergency credit and many are on prepayment meters1. Ewan Mansley, Energy Support Adviser at THAW Orkney, said genuine debts run up to £7,000 in the cases the charity handles, and that one client was recently told they were over £12,000 in debt when an incorrect meter reading meant they were actually £500 in credit1.
"This year's scheme will open in October 2024."
Eligibility differs by nation. In England and Wales, households qualify through the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or a low income combined with high energy costs; in Scotland, the second condition is that a household fits its supplier's criteria2. The Warm Home Discount is one of several schemes, and the differences in how it operates in Scotland are set out separately. StepChange advises speaking to a supplier if a household is on a prepayment meter2.
Other Scottish support listed by the British Gas Energy Trust includes Child Winter Heating Payments of £251.50 for parents and carers of disabled children and young people under 19 who receive a qualifying benefit, and Winter Heating Payments of £58.75, paid automatically to people receiving certain benefits from December 20241. StepChange states that the Winter Heating Payment has replaced the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland and is an annual payment not based on temperature levels2. In England and Wales, Cold Weather Payments of £25 are made for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March2.
| Payment | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warm Home Discount | £150 | Opens October 2024; Scotland eligibility set by supplier criteria1 |
| Child Winter Heating Payment | £251.50 | Disabled children and young people under 19 on a qualifying benefit1 |
| Winter Heating Payment | £58.75 | Automatic for certain benefits; paid from December 20241 |
| Cold Weather Payment (England and Wales) | £25 per seven-day cold period | 1 November to 31 March2 |
Why it matters for households
The £150 discount reduces electricity costs for eligible households over winter, when consumption is highest. For homes already carrying arrears, the payment offsets part of a bill rather than clearing a debt: the average arrears figure of £2,300 reported by Citizens Advice in Scotland is more than fifteen times the discount1. The Scottish eligibility route runs through supplier criteria rather than the high energy cost test used in England and Wales, so which suppliers take part and how they select households determines who receives the payment2. The Winter Heating Payment is not temperature-based, so it is paid regardless of how cold the winter is, unlike the Cold Weather Payment it replaced2.
What happens next
The scheme opens in October 20241. Winter Heating Payments will be paid from December 20241. The Scottish Government has delayed the launch of its new Pension Age Winter Heating Payment until next year; it will eventually replace the Winter Fuel Payment, and StepChange states it will be introduced from winter 2025/261. For winter 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions has committed to make payments to eligible pensioners in Scotland on terms equivalent to Winter Fuel Payments in England and Wales2.
Sources2 cited
- Scotland experiences rising energy debt levels - British Gas Energy Trust, britishgasenergytrust.org.uk
- Government Help With Gas & Electricity Bills. StepChange., stepchange.org