Energy UK has set out what households should expect from the Warm Home Discount this winter, stating that eligible individuals should look out for a physical letter by post between October and December 2025 confirming they will get £150 off their electricity bill. The letters are sent by Warm Home Discount Scheme, PO Box 970, PRESTON, PR2 0FX1.
The trade body describes the discount as "a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill", applied by the electricity supplier rather than paid to the household. Where a supplier provides both gas and electricity and the household is eligible, the discount may be applied to the gas bill instead, and Energy UK directs customers to contact their supplier to find out1.
"Individuals are advised not to click on links provided in suspicious texts or emails."
Energy UK states that individuals will not be contacted by the UK Government or Ofgem asking for bank details, and that people should not look out for texts. It also sets out where applying is and is not needed1:
| Nation and circumstance | Action |
|---|---|
| England and Wales | No need for individuals to apply |
| Scotland, in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit | No need to apply |
| Scotland, all other qualifying means tested benefits or otherwise meeting supplier criteria | Must apply to their energy supplier |
The guidance sits within wider fraud prevention material. Energy UK says suppliers and the police take energy scams seriously, and describes social engineering fraud as scammers fooling people into giving away information or money by pretending to be trusted individuals or organisations, often using fake emails, calls or personal visits and pushing victims to act quickly1. It advises customers to verify who is contacting them, avoid unknown links and contact their supplier directly if unsure1.
Reporting routes are listed: suspicious emails can be forwarded to a reporting address, texts or SMS to 7726 free of charge, and suspicious phone calls to Action Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland on 1011. Energy UK also notes reports of people contacting households pretending to be suppliers and promising extra payments or funds towards bill increases, and says customers should question unplanned visits and unusual communications1.
Why it matters for households
The £150 is credited against a bill rather than paid out, so it reduces what a household owes its supplier rather than adding to income. For a home trying to hold down its electricity costs, the practical effect is a smaller balance over the winter period when consumption is highest. Because the discount is applied by the supplier, a household that is eligible does not need to hand over bank details to anyone to receive it, and Energy UK states that neither the UK Government nor Ofgem will ask for them1.
The letter itself is the signal Energy UK points to, arriving between October and December 2025. Households in Scotland on qualifying means tested benefits other than Pension Credit Guarantee Credit are the group that still needs to apply to their supplier, so for them the letter is not the end of the process. Whether a household qualifies at all depends on criteria that Energy UK does not set out in this guidance; the eligibility rules are separate from the fraud warnings. Energy UK does not compare the discount with a social tariff in this material, and no such comparison is made here; the two are distinct mechanisms, as set out in the comparison of an energy social tariff and the Warm Home Discount.
What happens next
Letters are expected by post between October and December 2025. Energy UK gives no further dates, and no closing date for the scheme is stated in this guidance. Households that do not receive a letter have no stated next step in this material; the guidance on what to do if no letter arrives covers that situation. Further grant schemes are listed separately.
Sources1 cited
- Fraud prevention - Energy UK, energy-uk.org.uk