Retirement experts are reminding older Britons of an important deadline as thousands could miss out on up to £150 in energy bill support this winter.
Pension specialists Spencer Churchill Claims Advice is sounding the alarm that time is running out to ensure households qualify for the Warm Home Discount.
If someone is not named on their electricity account by August 24, they could lose out on the concession reserved for low-income households.
Advisors from Spencer Churchill are highlighting that checking your eligibility for the Warm Home Discount only takes several minutes but pensioners need to be in receipt of certain qualifying benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Britons can get £150 off their energy bill thanks to the Warm Home Discount
|GETTY
Recently, the Labour Government expanded the eligibility criteria for the energy bill benefit which means more than six million households now qualify.
In recent years, Britons have been forced to contend with skyrocketing gas and electricity costs amid volatility in the energy market.
This means that 2.3 million more families are getting support compared to last winter, which is awarded to claimants' bank accounts automatically.
To get this automatic discount in England and Wales, families need to be receiving certain benefits and have your name on the electricity bill.
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Energy bills have reached historic highs in recent years
| GETTYHere is a full list of the qualifying DWP benefit payments someone needs to be in receipt of to claim the Warm Home Discount:
- Housing Benefit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit (both Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit).
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It should be noted that the eligibility criteria is slightly differently in Scotland, where those getting Pension Credit Guarantee Credit usually receive the discount automatically if they're named on the bill.
Other Scottish households on means-tested benefits will need to apply through their energy supplier when applications open in October, rather than getting it automatically.
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The £150 Warm Home Discount is intended to help eligible people with the extra costs of keeping warm in the winter | PAA spokesperson for Spencer Churchill Claim Advice said: "Many of the households eligible for the Warm Home Discount are already managing tight budgets, with rising living costs eating into pensions and benefits.
"A £150 saving on energy bills may not sound transformational, but for pensioners and families on means-tested support, it can mean the difference between heating their home properly this winter or cutting back elsewhere."
Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said: "We took decisive action earlier this year to expand the Warm Home Discount, giving more working families certainty and peace of mind before winter.
"I now want to make sure as many eligible households as possible get £150 off their energy bill, putting more money in their pockets as part of our Plan for Change."