Tag: Warm Home Discount

Civil society urges Government to go further and faster on energy bills crisis

More than 40 charities and civil society organisations have written jointly to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Secretary of State for Energy Security calling for urgent action to protect households from rising energy bills before this winter.

The open letter [1] warns that without further intervention “millions of households will continue to suffer.”

It comes as energy bills are forecast to rise by 18% in July and a further 4% in September. Polling for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit found that the cost of living was the top driver of voting intention overall and energy bills were the single biggest cost-of-living concern among voters in the recent elections.

The letter acknowledges steps already taken by the government, including the November Budget decision to move the cost of the Renewables Obligation from bills to general taxation, the additional £1.5 billion for the Warm Homes Plan, and the 21st April package accelerating the clean energy transition.

But the signatories warn these measures risk being “wiped out before households feel them” unless ambition is increased.

The letter sets out four specific actions: enhanced financial support for households this winter, including an improved Warm Home Discount and action on energy debt; completion of the break between electricity prices and volatile gas markets; expanded support for solar, heat pumps, insulation and electric vehicles, particularly for lower-income households; and a commitment to staying the course on clean power rather than new oil and gas extraction.

On the transition to moving away from fossil fuels to clean energy, the letter points to growing public appetite for change, citing heat pump orders more than doubling in March compared with February, solar installations up 80% and electric vehicle leases up 85%.

According to End Fuel Poverty Coalition research with Survation, majorities of voters across all main parties say they either already have technology to reduce their energy use and lower their bills, or that rising prices following the conflict in Iran have made them more likely to want it. Labour voters lead on 67%, followed by Lib Dems (65%), Greens (61%), Reform (58%) and Conservatives (55%). [2]

The signatories are also calling for a Warm Homes Guarantee [3] to ensure lower bills, provide independent advice, clear consumer rights and fast redress if installations go wrong, alongside protections for renters.

Despite a potential leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, the letter urges the Government to prioritise the forthcoming Energy Independence Bill after the King’s Speech, describing it as the vehicle to “make our energy cheaper, cleaner, fairer and more secure.”

Lord John Bird, a crossbench peer, signed the letter on behalf of the Big Issue and said:

“The British public punished the government at the ballot box last week for not going fast or far enough on cost-of-living pressures. Voters are fed up with being pummelled by rising household bills they simply can’t afford.

“People need to feel the change being promised in their everyday lives by the time winter rolls back in. Lower bills in warmer homes would be a good place to start.”

Simon Francis, Coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition who helped organise the letter, added:

“Voters are clearly worried by the impact of the latest energy price crisis, and are already turning in record numbers to technologies like solar power to free themselves from soaring oil and gas prices. 

“The Government must now make sure that more households, regardless of their wealth, can make that switch to clean electricity too and feel the savings in their bills now. 

“That means breaking the link between electricity and gas prices for good, and rapidly expanding support for solar panels, heat pumps, insulation and electric vehicles, especially for lower-income households who have the most to gain but the least ability to act alone.

“Ministers need to be on the side of bill payers, not billionaires and go much further and faster to get us off the fossil fuel rollercoaster for good.”

Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at learning disability charity Mencap, said:

“Rising energy bills hit people with a learning disability hard. Many have no choice but to use more energy – for specialist equipment, to heat their homes for longer, to simply stay safe and well. The Government has taken positive steps, but must act to tackle the crushing energy debt crisis, widen the Warm Home Discount, and deliver a social tariff that protects those with the highest unavoidable energy costs.”

Frazer Scott, CEO Energy Action Scotland, another signatory commented:

“Far too many people are trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and despair, unable to heat their homes and feed their families. Essential energy is out of reach in an enduring crisis. Break the cycle, reduce costs and increase help for those that need it most. People over profit.” 

Jan Shortt, General Secretary, National Pensioners Convention, said:

“It is totally wrong that customers are always expected to pay the ever increasing price of energy.  Older people, particularly those with complex health conditions, need warmth and comfort even in warmer weather.  Whilst the government has taken some steps the message at the ballot box was not enough to help households stay out of debt.”

ENDS

[1] The full letter can be read as a pdf: https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/260512-PM-Kings-Speech-Letter.pdf

[2] Survation were commissioned by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition to interview 2,047 people from 2-7 April 2026. Data were weighted to the profile of the UK. Data was weighted by respondent’s sex, age, region, household income, highest qualification, and past vote (GE24, EU16).

[3] A separate letter [pdf] to the Minister for Energy Consumers on 11 May asked the Government to introduce a Warm Homes Guarantee. At its core, this must ensure that every household receiving publicly funded energy efficiency upgrades sees a tangible reduction in their energy bills, alongside improved comfort and living standards.

WARM Homes Guarantee

W: Warmth & wellbeing outcomes.

Homes must be demonstrably warmer, healthier and safer to live in, with outcomes measured in real-world conditions, not just installations signed off on paper.

A: Advice you can trust.

Every household receives independent, high-quality advice before and after work is done, delivered in a format that works for them. This includes support for the digitally excluded, help navigating choices, benefits and tariffs, and practical hand-holding, not just signposting to installer lists.

R: Rights, redress and protection.

Clear accountability, strong consumer protections and fast routes to remediation when things go wrong, including compensation and repairs. For renters, this also means protection from rent hikes or eviction linked to upgrades.

M: Measured and fair energy costs. 

A clear, enforceable commitment that upgrades will deliver fair outcomes on energy costs (either lower bills or improved warmth and comfort for the same spend) backed by monitoring, transparency and redress where expectations are not met.

Warm Home Discount extended across GB through to winter 2030/31

The £150 Warm Home Discount will be provided to eligible households every winter until 2030/1.

It follows the expansion of the Warm Home Discount last year, adding 2.7 million families to the scheme and bringing the total number of eligible households to around six million.

In England and Wales, households who are receiving a qualifying means-tested benefit should get the discount automatically.

In Scotland, the UK Government has implied that significant changes are expected. While an estimated 345,000 Scottish households will receive it automatically, some who previously received the benefit may now miss out.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“As gas prices continue to demonstrate their volatility, reaching an 11-month high in recent days, keeping the Warm Home Discount in place avoids a damaging cliff-edge for households struggling through a fifth winter of the energy bills crisis.

“But simply rolling it forward at the same level, with the same rules, risks locking in a scheme that we already know doesn’t reach everyone who needs help.

“If Ministers intend the Warm Home Discount to be the backbone of energy bill support to 2030, they cannot freeze it in its current form.

“Right now, too many people are left out altogether or not given enough support to make a meaningful difference. This includes households with electric-only heating, people living off the gas grid, residents of park homes and private networks, and families facing much higher costs because of disability, illness or poor housing.

“Without uplifts for high-cost households and a clear application route for those not captured by the main scheme, it will continue to miss large numbers of people in genuine fuel poverty.

“Industry Initiatives must also be properly funded and strengthened to catch those the support excludes, including people on non-standard supplies and those with additional health needs. And in Scotland, any move to automatic data-matching must be matched by expanded Industry Initiatives, clear supplier duties, and close monitoring to ensure households who previously qualified do not quietly lose support.”

The Coalition’s full response to the Government’s consultation on this issue is available as a pdf.

Vulnerable customers left waiting 19 months for winter support

Thousands of OVO customers did not receive their Warm Home Discount payments for winter 2023/24 until November 2025, more than 19 months late, leaving thousands without vital support during the coldest winter months.

Of the customers impacted, 7,726 were on the Priority Services Register and classed as vulnerable energy consumers, including 4,066 who were medically vulnerable. OVO will pay a total of £2,765,200 in compensation, including £150 to all affected customers, an additional £150 to those who are medically vulnerable, and £100 for each instance of self-disconnection between 31 March and 31 May 2024.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:
“This is a shocking failure that left thousands of vulnerable households without vital support when they needed it most.

“No one should be forced to go through winter without support because a supplier failed to meet its obligations. While compensation is right, it does not undo the harm caused by people missing out on help during the coldest months, when the risks to health and safety are highest.

“This case underlines why protections for vulnerable households must be automatic, enforceable and backed by meaningful penalties. It also shows why we need stronger consumer standards and faster redress when things go wrong. In this context, it is utterly absurd that Ofgem is currently considering plans to water down regulations in its ‘consumer outcomes’ consultation.”

Ministers should go further on Warm Home Discount reforms

The UK Government’s proposed expansion of the Warm Home Discount (WHD) is a welcome step, but campaigners have urged ministers to go further in ensuring vulnerable households receive the support they need this winter and beyond.

From 1 April 2025, energy bills will rise by 6.4%, keeping costs at levels 77% higher than in 2020.  Millions of households – especially older people, renters, prepayment meter users, and those with health conditions – are struggling to afford these soaring costs.

In a consultation issued by Government, Ministers have proposed removing the high-cost-to-heat threshold from WHD rules which means that more means-tested benefit claimants will be able to qualify for the scheme.

However, in the End Fuel Poverty Coalition response to the consultation, experts stress that disabled people and those on non-means-tested disability benefits must also be included, as they often face significantly higher heating costs.

Furthermore, campaigners argue the WHD should be increased in line with inflation and funded from sources like the £4bn in excess profits made by energy network companies, rather than customer bills.

Expanding the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme (PHWHDS) is also crucial, as many in atypical housing arrangements have been excluded from previous energy support. This includes people living in park homes who tend to be older and also those such as Gypsy, Traveller, and Boater communities.

However, there are concerns that broadening the scheme without increasing funding will mean many existing and newly eligible households could miss out.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“We strongly support the expansion of the Warm Home Discount as set out in the consultation. However, we believe that in expanding the scheme, the Government must also extend the support to more households who will otherwise suffer in cold damp homes next winter.

“Ministers’ proposals must also be properly resourced, rather than diverting money from energy advice initiatives that help those struggling with energy costs.

“Looking ahead, we need to see a more sustainable, long-term energy bill support scheme that targets all low-income households, including those with high energy needs who do not receive means-tested benefits.”

ENDS

Full consultation response available:  https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/news/reports-and-correspondence/

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