DWP update as £150 Warm Home Discount to be 'expanded'

The DWP has shared an update as millions more families are set to receive £150 in support this year. The message came in a response to a written question in Parliament, from Lord John Taylor. He asked the Government what it is doing to tackle inflation.

Lord Spencer Livermore wrote a response, in which he mentioned some of the "targeted measures" the Government is bringing in to help ease the rising cost of living. He said: "This includes increasing the Universal Credit Standard Allowance, extending the Household Support Fund with £1billion a year for crisis support through councils, and expanding Free School Meals to all children with a parent on Universal Credit from 2026. The Warm Home Discount will be expanded to cover around 6 million households."

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. The payment was previously mostly available in England to people on the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit and some other people on a low income with high energy costs.

But this is being expanded from this winter to include anyone on a means-tested benefit, such as Universal Credit. This will mean an extra 2.7 million households will be eligible.

The money is paid to your energy supplier who deducts the amount from your electricity bill. You may be able to get the discount applied to your gas bill if your supplier provides both your electricity and your gas.

People on a pre-pay or a pay-as-you-go electricity meter may still qualify. Your electricity supplier will tell you if you are eligible and how you can get the discount, such as in the form of a voucher to top up your meter.

If you live in a park home, you will need to apply online. If you are on a standard credit or smart prepayment meter, you should get the £150 automatically added as credit on your electricity account between October 2025 and March 2026.

In the response from Lord Livermore, he said that the Bank of England is responsible for controlling inflation, with the central bank aiming to bring down inflation to 2 percent. Inflation was at 3.8 percent for the year to August 2025.

He said: "The Government is maintaining stable public finances, reducing borrowing year after year to ease pressure on prices. Borrowing is set to fall by almost a percentage point as a share of GDP this year compared with last, and by a further 0.8 percentage points next year.

"The Chancellor has asked departments to prioritise reducing inflation when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth."