Warm home discount reform

[Svara]

I was reading about the expansion of the warm home discount and noticed this under the criteria table. You also need to have high energy bills to qualify for the new scheme - the Government says it will provide further info on this in due course.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/03/warm-home-discount-reforms-/

Surely this would disadvantage a family or individual who live within their means, even if this means not having the heating on when it's cold because they simply can't afford it? While another family or individual in the same circumstances may choose to keep the house warm despite knowing they can't pay and therefore qualify for help? No judgement, I think everyone should be able to afford heating but it seems this discount is set up to benefit the energy companies to prevent debt, not to help people struggling.

I guess it's probably aiming to help people like disabled people who may need the heating on a lot to keep warm but may not qualify for whd currently due to not being in receipt of a means tested benefit that qualifies them to receive it.

@Babyroobs it’s doing the opposite, disabled people will no longer be eligible unless on a means tested benefit.

I thought that was the case already ?

No @Babyroobs people in receipt of just pip or AA could get the discount it was up to each energy provider. Under the new system they won’t.

Aah ok thanks. I have assisted people to claim as part of my job before but all the providers I applied with stipulated that people had to be in receipt of a means tested benefit.

Looking at the link, it says in the small print above the eligibility table that those on means tested benefits will also need to be in receipt of high bills to qualify, unless I've misunderstood?

The government is saying
A BEIS spokesperson said: "Our reforms to the Warm Home Discount scheme will prioritise those households who are most likely to struggle to heat their homes. It is a fuel poverty scheme and we are increasing both the number and amount of fuel poor households that can benefit from it."

It seems to me that this would fail to help many of those struggling to heat their homes. If someone had to get by with minimal heating last winter because they were already struggling with price rises, then turned their heating off completely in March then their bills are unlikely to be high. However that doesn't mean they are not in fuel poverty. I'm not understanding the reasoning behind this at all.