❄ Winter Welfare Hub 2026 ❄
Find information about financial support, grants, energy advice and practical help this winter.Explore support by category
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Financial support
Find information about welfare benefits, and seasonal support that may help with the higher costs in winter.
Grants and essentials
Information about finding charity grants, food support and baby banks to access the support that’s needed.
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Home, Utilities & Safety
Information about utilities and energy support, and addressing concerns around damp and mould.
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Financial Support
Benefits, winter payments and financial help available to eligible households.Warm Home Discount
Families may be eligible for a £150 discount off their electricity bill if they meet certain eligibility criteria. The payment is made automatically to eligible families.
You should receive a letter between late October 2026 and early January 2027 if you’re eligible or might be eligible. If you think you are eligible but haven’t received a letter by early January 2027, contact the scheme. Deadline: you must do this by 27 February 2027.
The discount is applied directly to your electricity bill, taking £150 off, but if your electricity supplier supplies your gas, you can contact them to ask if they can apply the discount to your gas bill instead.
Cold weather payment
Some households in receipt of certain benefits automatically receive £25 for each 7 day period where the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be 0°C or below for 7 consecutive days.
Christmas bonus
The Christmas Bonus is a tax-free payment of £10 that is distributed before Christmas to people in receipt of specific benefits during the ‘qualifying week’, the ‘qualifying week’ is usually the first full week of December.
Gas bills: removal of standing charges
The Government have asked Ofgem to remove standing charges from energy bills in early 2027. If you heat your home with gas and are a low energy using household, your bills will likely be reduced. The Government will be looking into targeted mitigation for vulnerable households who unavoidably use high amounts of gas.
Electricity bills: VAT removal
The Government removed VAT from household electricity bills from 01/10/2026. This is estimated to save households £45 per year on average. The VAT cut will be extended until July 2027.
Household Energy Payment
The Household Energy Payment (HEP) will provide a £100 payment to eligible* households in England who live in properties within Council Tax Bands A to D, to help with their energy costs. The payments will be made from January 2027. If you pay your council tax via direct debit, the rebated will be paid directly into your bank account. If you don’t pay via direct debit, your council will invite you to apply for the rebate.
Click here to check what Council Tax band you are in.
Read more about this here.
*full eligibility details will be released by the Government within time. Second homes, empty properties, and households where the householder isn’t responsible for paying council tax will not be eligible.
If you are not eligible, but need help with your energy bills, you might be eligible for discretionary support, see the next information box on Local Authority discretionary funds for further information.
Discretionary Funds
The government is providing £100 million to Local Authorities to provide discretionary support to families who will not be eligible for the Household Energy Payment (see previous information box), such as those who do not live in homes which are within Council Tax bands A to D.
Councils will determine their own eligibility criteria for their discretionary funds, to ensure it means households who most need support. Your council will make information on their eligibility criteria, and how to apply on their website. Click here to find your local council’s website.
Energy Debt Circuit Breaker
The Government are looking to provide targeted, one-off debt relief for vulnerable households who have historical built-up debt. To be eligible, the energy billpayer in the household will need to be in receipt of means-tested benefits, disability benefits or be a pensioner and have built up debt since the energy crisis of 2022-2024. They will be eligible to have their debt written off through the Debt Relief Scheme, provided that they take steps to re-engage with paying their debt. Ofgem are consulting on the final design of the scheme, and will provide further information about this.
Read more about this here.
Welfare benefits
Many families are not receiving all of the financial support that they are entitled to claim.
Use our integrated Benefits Calculator to find out what benefits and other sources of financial help you could be entitled to.
If you’d like to check your entitlement to welfare benefits with a benefits adviser, you can use our integrated Advice Finder tool.
Grants and essentials
Charity grants, food support and practical assistance for families.Grants search tool
Charity eBook
View our Charity eBook to explore charities that can support with specific items for children and young people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Support with food
Baby banks
Home, utilities and safety
Energy support, utility advice, home conditions and winter safety information.Free energy advice
Patients and families can contact Scope’s Disability Energy Support Service for advice.
If you need advice regarding energy-related debts, we would recommend that you contact a debt advisor. Use our integrated Advice Finder tool to search for debt advice. It will bring up trusted online resources, in addition to local advice services that can support with debt issues.
Oxygen concentrator rebates
Priority Services Register
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a service where utility suppliers provide extra support to vulnerable customers. Families can fill out a form on the PSR website to apply for support. Alternatively, families can direct contact their electricity and/or gas providers. You may need to contact your water provider separately to join their PSR.
The PSR provides prior updates in situations like power cuts, advance notice of necessary works, and can help provide electricity generators and bottled water to families in emergencies, if they use medical equipment which is dependent upon electricity and water. Electricity and gas companies work with local authorities, organisations like the British Red Cross and emergency services to provide extra support to people who are on the PSR.
You are eligible to join the PSR if any of the following (amongst other reasons) apply to members of your household:
- they use medical equipment which is dependent upon electricity and/or water
- they have a disability
- they have a chronic illness
- children below the age of five live in the household
Concerns around damp and mould
Cold weather increases the risk of damp and mould because poor ventilation and indoor moisture lead to condensation on cold surfaces. When condensation builds up, it can cause mould to grow.
You can view this page for information on:
- how to identify, treat and prevent damp, mould and condensation
- steps to report issues with damp and mould
- resources and further help
Health and Social Care professionals conducting home assessments can use a Damp and Mould toolkit to support with identifying damp and mould, assess clinical vulnerability, and take action.
Involuntary Installation of Pre-Payment Meters
Energy companies must only make involuntary pre-payment meter installations as a last resort. Inform your energy supplier of any medical needs or vulnerabilities to avoid improper installations. Read more about this here.
Compensation for those previously affected
Energy suppliers who did not follow rules when installing prepayment meters to collect debt without household permission between 1 January 2022 and 31 January 2023, have been ordered to pay compensation. If you have been affected, your energy supplier will contact you. Read more about this here.
Be Ready
You may have heard about the Government’s Be Ready campaign, encouraging everyone to think about how they would cope with unexpected events.
For families of children who rely on electrical medical equipment, a little extra preparation can make a big difference. Our Be Ready, Stay Safe leaflet has simple, practical steps to help you prepare for power cuts, severe weather and other unexpected disruptions. You can view and download our leaflet here.
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