Support to help pay for energy costs if you live in Scotland

You could check if you are eligible for:

Warm Home Discount

This pays £150 towards your electricity bill. It is managed by energy suppliers who have chosen to take part.

To find out if you can get this, you will need to know who your electricity supplier is. If you aren’t sure, we tell you how to find out who supplies your energy here.

If your electricity bill is in either your name (or your partner’s) and you receive certain means tested benefits you could be eligible for Warm Home Discount. The payment is made directly in to your electricity account.

Core group

You will receive the payment of Warm Home Discount automatically if you or your partner get:

Pension Credit
extra Universal Credit because you or your child has a medical condition or disability
a disability premium or pensioner premium of income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
a disability premium or pensioner premium and have a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.

If you or your partner have caring responsibility for a child under 5 years old, who normally lives with you, you’ll also get the discount automatically if you are also:

unemployed and get Universal Credit
get Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
or, have a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.

Broder group

If you’re not eligible to automatically receive Warm home Discount, you can ask your energy supplier directly if you’re able to apply.

Some suppliers have extra eligibility criteria which means you can apply to receive the discount from them.

Contact your electricity supplier to find out more about the broader group for Warm home Discount.

Find out more about Warm Home Discount.

If you get low-income benefits and have extra heating needs.

You could check if you are eligible for:

Winter Heating Payment (this has replaced the Cold Weather Payment)

This is a payment towards your heating costs. It is paid during the winter automatically into the same account you get other benefits paid into.

You can find out more about Winter Heating Payment, including if you are eligible here.

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment

If you’re eligible, you could get a payment of around £100 up to around £300 to help with your heating costs over winter.

This payment will be made automatically in to the account you receive your State Pension or any Social Security Scotland benefits you receive.

You can check if you are eligible for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment by completing the online eligibility checker.

For most people, the payment will be automatically. However, you may need to apply if:

You’ve deferred your State Pension since your last received Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (or Winter Fuel Payment as it was previously known).
You’re in a couple, receiving a joint award for one of the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income Support
Universal Credit
with the main person named on the claim being under State Pension age.

Find out how to apply for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

Find out more about Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

If you need help with buying heating oil or LPG

You could check if you are eligible for:

Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme

The Scottish Government is providing support to help people on low income purchase heating oil and LPG. If you qualify, you will receive £300 to support your purchasing fuel.