British Gas, EDF, Octopus Energy and OVO will be giving state pensioners a free one-off £150 discount on their electricity bill from this week.

The discount comes as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Warm Home Discount Scheme which reopens in October and provides eligible households with £150 off their electricity bill. The discount is applied to bills automatically by suppliers, which includes British Gas, EDF, Octopus Energy and OVO among others, rather than being paid directly into bank accounts. The DESNZ has confirmed that it will start sending letters to all who are eligible from mid-October – so from this week – but letters can be received up to December confirming the £150 discount.

According to the DESNZ, an extra 2.7 million households will be eligible for the discount this winter, meaning more than six million households will benefit. There are different ways to qualify for the £150 discount depending on where you live, but it is available to state pensioners in England, Wales and Scotland receiving Pension Credit.

The DESNZ said households in England or Wales will qualify for the £150 discount in 2025/26 if they are the named billpayer on their energy bill, and receive any of the following means-tested benefits:

• Housing Benefit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit

If you live in England or Wales, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill automatically.

If you live in Scotland, energy suppliers set the criteria for the scheme so households should contact their supplier to check if they are eligible.

A spokesperson for DESNZ explained: “If you live in Scotland, you will need to call your energy supplier to apply for the Warm Home Discount. This is unless you are receiving Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, in which case you will most likely receive the Discount automatically, and a small number may receive a letter telling you to call the Warm Home Discount helpline to confirm your eligibility.

“Although the government sets minimum eligibility criteria in regulations, energy suppliers in Scotland may set additional criteria, subject to approval by the scheme administrator, Ofgem.

“Households in England and Wales can also qualify for the discount if you are on a low income and have energy costs, while in Scotland you can qualify if you’re on a low income and you meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme.

“Those eligible across Great Britain will receive a letter and should wait for this. Letters start to be sent from mid October, but can be received up to December.

“If you haven’t received a letter by January, or received the rebate directly into your energy account, but think you meet the criteria, you should call the Warm Home Discount helpline. The number will be available on gov.uk when the helpline opens in late October.”

The following 28 suppliers are all part of the Warm Home Discount Scheme, including major firms like British Gas, EDF, Octopus Energy and OVO:

• 100Green (formerly Green Energy UK or GEUK)
• Affect Energy – see Octopus Energy
• Boost
• British Gas
• Bulb Energy – see Octopus Energy
• Co-op Energy – see Octopus Energy
• E – also known as E (Gas and Electricity)
• Ecotricity
• E.ON Next
• EDF
• Fuse Energy
• Good Energy
• Home Energy
• London Power
• Octopus Energy
• Outfox Energy
• OVO
• Sainsbury’s Energy
• Scottish Gas – see British Gas
• ScottishPower
• Shell Energy Retail
• So Energy
• Square 1 Energy Ltd
• Tomato Energy
• TruEnergy
• Tulo Energy
• Utilita
• Utility Warehouse

The DESNZ adds: “Remember – there is no need to apply for the scheme. You will not be contacted by the government or Ofgem asking you to share your bank details to benefit.

“Do not look out for texts. If you are eligible, you should look out for a letter between October and December confirming you will get £150 off your electricity bill. Do not click on links provided in suspicious texts or emails.”