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Need to know
The government scheme launches in October – who qualifies and how the support is applied
Energy bills: what you need to know as government prepares action within days
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government’s energy department is preparing to take action within days over energy bills as households face growing scrutiny over heating costs.
- The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has faced questions in Parliament about heating costs for vulnerable households, particularly those with medical conditions requiring higher indoor temperatures. The update comes as households brace themselves for steeper energy bills when the Ofgem price cap rises on October 1.
- Polly Billington, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, outlined government measures to ease the burden on bill payers – including one beginning in October. She said: “The government is very aware of the cost-of-living pressures faced by households.”
- The government, she said, has already removed VAT from electricity bills and taken £150 off energy bills since April. The Warm Home Discount extension reached 5.7 million households last winter.
- She said the government is investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan, described as “the largest home-upgrade programme in British history”. This aims to improve homes, reduce energy costs and help lift one million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
- She pointed out that the Warm Home Discount Scheme provides a one-off £150 reduction on electricity bills from October. Eligible households include those receiving DWP support such as Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, Pension Credit and income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
- The Ofgem price cap will increase by £60 per year to £1,723 for the average household from October, though approximately 11 million households on fixed tariffs will not be affected by this rise.
- READ THE FULL STORY: Andy Burnham government ‘heating costs’ scheme from October – eligibility
