Overview

• Officials say the £150 will be applied to electricity accounts without an application for most recipients, and warn that unsolicited calls telling people to apply are scams.
• Confirmation letters are going out now through January 2026, with discounts due by 31 March 2026 and a verification helpline for those who must confirm details by 28 February 2026.
• The one-off discount is delivered by participating energy suppliers as a bill credit or, for prepayment users, a top-up voucher rather than a cash payment.
• Government changes mean just over six million households qualify this winter, including around 900,000 more families with children and 1.8 million homes in fuel poverty.
• Rules differ by nation, with most in England and Wales treated automatically, more supplier-led applications in Scotland, and suppliers with over 1,000 customers required to offer the scheme.