Staying warm this winter
If you are on a low income and struggling to pay for your energy bills, there is help available. We have compiled some resources to help you stay warm this winter:
- There are discounts available to help pay for increased costs of energy – to check if you are eligible, see the Help paying for energy bills section.
- There are also schemes available to help pay for improvements to your home, to make your home easier to heat. To check these options, see the Improve your home’s energy efficiency section.
- We have also included some helpful tips which can help you reduce your energy use save money on your bills. To read these tips, see the Energy Saving Advice section.
If you have questions or need help to apply for any of these schemes, contact our welfare team on welfare@citizensrightsproject.org
Warm Homes Discount
This is a one-off discount of £150 off your electricity bill. The payment is made directly to your energy supplier.
You may be eligible if you:
- Receive the Guarantee Element of Pension Credit
Payment is usually automatic, and you should get a letter to confirm this.
If you think you qualify but have not received a letter by early January 2025, you should contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme Helpline on 0800 030 9322.
- Are on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria
A list of energy suppliers offering a discount is available here.
The number of available discounts is limited, so you should contact your energy supplier as soon as possible to apply.
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
This is a tax-free payment of up to £300 paid once per year. Usually, it is paid by Social Security Scotland, but in winter 2024-25 it will be paid by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
You may be eligible if:
- You were born before 23rd September 1958
- You live in Scotland, or an eligible country abroad
- You are eligible for certain benefits during the qualifying week (for winter 2024-25, the qualifying week is 16th Sept – 22nd Sept 2024).
Qualifying benefits include:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
If you qualify, you should receive a letter telling you how much you will get, and how you will be paid. Payments begin in December 2024. If you think you qualify but have not yet received a letter, you should contact the DWP on 0800 731 0160.
Child Winter Heating Payment
This is an annual payment to help disabled children, young people and their families pay for increased energy costs in winter. The amount for winter 2024-25 is £251.50.
You may be eligible if:
- You are under the age of 19
- You are eligible for certain benefits during the qualifying week (for winter 2024-25, the qualifying week is 16th Sept – 22nd Sept 2024).
Qualifying benefits include:
- Child Disability Payment (highest rate)
- Disability Living Allowance for children (highest rate)
- Personal Independence Payment (enhanced daily living component)
- Adult Disability Payment (enhanced daily living component)
If you qualify, you should receive a letter from Social Security Scotland before the payment is made. If you think you qualify but have not received a letter, you should contact Social Security Scotland. You can call them on 0800 182 2222 or use their webchat.
Warmer Homes Scotland
This is a Scottish Government funded programme offering up to £10,000 for home heating improvements like heating and insulation to make your home warmer and easier to heat.
This programme is available for homeowners and private tenants, who live in a property with a poor energy performance rating (if you rent your home, you will need your landlord’s permission before you apply).
For more information, and to check if you qualify, visit Home Energy Scotland’s website. They have a helpful self-assessment tool which allows you to enter your property’s details to check if you qualify.
Great British Insulation Scheme
This scheme offers free or discounted insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills.
It is available for homeowners, private landlords and private tenants (if you are a private tenant, you will need your landlord’s permission before you apply).
You may qualify for this scheme if your home:
- Has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G – check your EPC
- Is in Council Tax bands A-E – check your council tax band
You can use the gov.uk tool to check if you are eligible.
ECO and ECO Flex Schemes
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme is for households in fuel poverty who require upgrades to their home to help them heat their home more efficiently.
How it works
Medium and large energy suppliers have a legal obligation to promote measures that improve the ability of low-income and fuel-poor households to heat their homes.
You can contact any of these energy suppliers to find out if you can benefit from the scheme, even if they are not your energy provider.
The level of funding will depend on the measures required to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Different companies or installers may have different levels of funding available to them and in some cases, you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of improvements.
The types of improvements you could get include heating system upgrades and insulation. What is most appropriate for your home will be determined by a retrofit assessment.
Who is eligible?
The scheme is available for homeowners and tenants (including private and social tenants). If you rent your home, you will need permission from your landlord.
Eligibility depends on your household’s circumstances, including your income, whether anyone in your household claims benefits, and the energy performance rating of your home. You can check up-to-date eligibility information on gov.uk’s website.
How to apply
You can contact your local authority to ask them if they are taking part in the ECO scheme. Local authorities can sometimes refer eligible households to relevant energy suppliers.
You can also contact any of these energy suppliers to find out if you can benefit from the scheme, even if they are not your energy provider.
Making small changes in how you use energy at home can help to lower your bills, here are our quick tips:
Check your bill to make sure you aren’t paying too much, and that you are on the cheapest available tariff
- Watch this video made by Home Energy Scotland about understanding your bill.
Save electricity on appliances
- You can save energy and money by switching off appliances (like TVs, computers and game consoles) at the wall when you’re not using them.
- Turn off lights when you don’t need them, and switch to LED lights so they use less energy.
- Avoid over filling the kettle. Kettles are very energy inefficient. If you are making tea or coffee, fill the kettle with only what you need to save energy.
- Only use your dishwasher when it’s full to reduce the number of times it’s running. You can also use an ECO setting to reduce the temperature down to about 40 degrees Celsius.
Save money on washing your clothes
- Most modern washing machines can be reduced to 30 degrees Celsius and still remove stains. Reducing the temperature on your washing machine saves electricity and lowers your bill.
- Dryers are one of the most energy consuming home appliances. If you can, dry your clothes outside or on a drying rack in a well-ventilated room.
Draught proof your windows, doors, chimneys and floors
- Draughts are gaps in your home’s structure which allow warm air to escape and cold air to come into your home. They can make your home harder and more expensive to heat.
- There are lots of ways to close these gaps and make your home warmer. Energy Saving Trust’s website has some tips on how to do this yourself easily and without spending lots of money.