Winter energy help 2026/27: what you can claim

With the price cap rising in October and gas up about 8%, this winter will stretch many budgets. There is more help available than most people realise, and some of it is now automatic. This guide covers the main schemes, who qualifies, and the steps to take if you are already struggling to pay.

Warm Home Discount: £150 off electricity

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 credit applied to your electricity account over the winter. For winter 2026/27 the criteria have been widened and it is now automatic for most households receiving means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-based JSA and ESA, Income Support, and Housing Benefit.

You do not need to apply if you are in the automatic group. The credit usually lands between October and March. If you think you qualify but nothing has arrived by early spring, contact your supplier. If you are on a prepayment meter, you may receive a voucher or top-up code instead.

Winter Fuel Payment

For winter 2026/27 the payment is £200 per household, or £300 if someone in the household is 80 or over. It goes to people born on or before 30 September 1960 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is paid automatically.

One important change: it is then clawed back through tax if your individual taxable income is over £35,000. It is too late to opt out for this winter. Scotland runs its own Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. Claiming Pension Credit, if you qualify, also protects your entitlement and unlocks other help, so check that first.

Priority Services Register

The Priority Services Register is a free scheme run by energy and water suppliers. You can join if you are of pension age, disabled, chronically ill, have a young child, or are otherwise vulnerable. Benefits include advance notice of planned power cuts, priority reconnection, meter readings taken for you, bills in accessible formats, and a password scheme to guard against bogus callers. Contact your supplier or network operator to join.

Supplier hardship funds

Most large suppliers run hardship funds or grant schemes for customers in energy debt. Some are open to customers of other suppliers. Grants can clear arrears or part of them. You will usually need to show you have had debt advice and cannot afford repayments. Ask your supplier directly, or go through Citizens Advice, who can also check you are getting everything else you are entitled to.

Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund is money given to councils in England to help residents with essentials, including energy. Each council sets its own rules. Help can be a cash payment, energy vouchers, or help with white goods. Search your council's website for "Household Support Fund" or ask its welfare team. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalents.

If you cannot pay

Do not ignore the bill. Suppliers are required by Ofgem rules to offer an affordable repayment plan and to take your circumstances into account. The steps that help:

1. Contact your supplier before you miss a payment and ask for a repayment plan based on what you can afford.
2. Ask about the hardship fund and the Warm Home Discount.
3. If you are on a prepayment meter and cannot top up, ask for emergency or friendly credit. Suppliers cannot force-fit a prepayment meter in many vulnerable households.
4. Get free debt advice. MoneyHelper lists free services.
5. Check your benefits entitlement, especially Pension Credit if you are over State Pension age. A successful claim can be backdated up to three months.

Watch out for

• Cold callers offering "grants" for a fee. Genuine schemes are free.
• Assuming the Winter Fuel Payment is safe if your income is over £35,000. It will be recovered through tax.
• Waiting until spring to query a missing Warm Home Discount. Ask by February.