Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will review the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount to ensure that people who would otherwise qualify for support are not excluded because their energy is supplied through a sub-meter.

The Government recognises the challenges faced by low-income households whose energy is supplied through sub-metering arrangements.

Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount requires the bill payer, or their partner, to receive a qualifying means-tested benefit and to be named on the electricity bill. Where tenants are not named on the bill, they may be unable to receive the rebate. The Government has confirmed that the £150 Warm Home Discount will continue until winter 2030/31 and will keep under consideration how energy support can most effectively reach households without a direct domestic supply relationship.

Tenants may also be supported through Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives. These include energy efficiency measures, energy advice, boiler and central heating replacements, financial assistance payments, debt write-off, and benefit entitlement checks. The government has also introduced the £1 billion Crisis and Resilience fund which replaces the Household Support Fund in England, providing support with cost-of-living pressures. We recommend any household struggling to pay for their essentials contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.