Cold Weather Payment update: DWP doubles energy bill support to £50 as ONE MILLION Britons now eligible

Patrick O'Donnell

By Patrick O'Donnell,

Published: 11/01/2026

- 11:10

Updated: 11/01/2026

- 11:50

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An estimated one million households are now eligible for the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Cold Weather Payment initiative, which offers families energy bill support as temperatures plummet.

Notably, the DWP is doubling the £25 financial assistance to £50 for certain households who have experienced a prolonged period of extremely cold weather over the past week.

Due to Storm Goretti sweeping the country, the UK has been hit with snow and sub-zero temperatures, which have reached as low as minus 12 degrees in certain areas.

To assist people in paying for their energy bills, which are expected to be hiked as a result of this weather change, the DWP offers assistance to vulnerable households through Cold Weather Payments.

Woman feeling cold at home and icy thermometer

Are you eligible for a Cold Weather Payment?

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GETTY

Who is eligible for Cold Weather Payments?

This energy bill benefit is usually a one-off payment of £25 that is activated for every seven-day period where the temperature in a postcode area is at or below zero degrees.

It is reserved for those claiming benefit support from the DWP, with the following payments qualifying someone for the financial assistance:

Pension Credit
Income support
Income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)
Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for mortgage interest.

The scheme from the Government department operates from November 1 to March 31 every year, and is separate from similar schemes such as the Warm Home Discount.

Notably, areas that experience two or three seven-day periods of sub-zero weather will receive Cold Weather Payments of £50 and £75, respectively. Due to dozens of postcode areas experiencing two weeks of extremely cold weather, families living in these communities are expected to get £50.

Energy Owl or Energy Ostrich?

"Energy Owls" actively manage their energy usage, check tariffs, and track their bills. | Uswitch

Here is a full list of the postcodes eligible for two Cold Weather Payments of up to £50 from the DWP:

Person in cold weather

Very cold weather has sparked Cold Weather Payment triggers in parts of the UK | GETTY

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Here is a full list of the postcodes eligible for one Cold Weather Payment from the DWP:

Woman doing finances and energy bill

Energy bills are expected to rise this winter | GETTY

Recent research found that the annual UK electricity bill surged by 163 per cent between 2008 and 2024, which is indicative of the hike in household energy costs as of late.

OHMS Renewables' analysis of Government data revealed the average UK electricity bill jumped from £425 in 2008 to £1,118 in 2024, with direct debit customers being hit with a 181 per cent rise, while prepayment meter users saw a smaller increase of around 128 per cent.

When adjusting for inflation, if service costs had simply kept pace with prices since 2008, British households would be paying only around £265 more per year in 2025.

However, due to costs having risen far beyond inflation, millions of people are now paying around 62 per cent more than they should have based on the original expected bill.

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