Am I eligible for cold weather payments?
As Storm Bert hits the UK and energy bills rise, the government has released postcodes eligible for the payment.
With confirmation that household energy bills are to rise again from 1 January, concerns have been renewed for the welfare of those already struggling to heat their homes.
Ofgem confirmed that the typical bill for a household in England, Scotland and Wales is set to rise from £1,717 to £1,738-a-year, as it announced a 1.2% increase to its price cap.
The announcement, which follows the price rising by 10% in October, has sparked renewed concerns over energy costs - especially for vulnerable groups. Some people are struggling more after the government scrapped winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.
Citizens Advice has reported a growing crisis in "energy debt", with the amount owed to suppliers now at a record £3.7 billion. The group has called for the urgent introduction of energy bill support targeted at people who need it most.
There is some support available for households that are struggling, including the cold weather payment and the warm home discount.
Cold weather payments have already been triggered after temperatures plummeted across the UK.
But speaking on BBC Radio 4 on Friday, Citizen's Advice chief executive Dame Claire Moriarty said some of the measures are outdated as their levels were set when energy bills were much lower.
She said: "There is a form of support that is already there, it's called the warm home discount, but it was set at a time when energy prices were so much lower than they are at the moment. It's £150, that doesn't make a meaningful difference to people's bills as they are at the moment."
What is the cold weather payment?
The DWP’s cold weather payment is an automatic bank top-up of £25, paid to eligible households when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, OC or below for seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to an eligible person's postcode.
According to the government website, you get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025.
The £25 payments are paid automatically to households receiving certain benefits including, pension credit, income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), universal credit and Support for Mortgage Interest.
The current system of cold weather payments was introduced in 1986. From 1995 the payment was set at £8.50 a week, but on 11 September 2008 the government announced that as part of its ‘energy package’ for winter 2008/2009 only cold weather payments would be increased to £25 a week.
Am I eligible for a cold weather payment?
You may get Cold Weather Payments if you receive the following benefits:
Pension Credit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest
You also need to be living in a postcode where the temperature has met the criteria, which you can check on the government website.
Which postcodes are eligible
The government regularly updates the postcodes that are eligible on its website.
As of Friday, 22 November, the list of triggered postcodes on the website were:-
Saturday 17 November:
Eskdalemuir: DG14, TD9,
Shap: CA10, CA11, CA12, CA16, CA17, LA8, LA9, LA10, LA21, LA22, LA23
Monday 18 November:
Redesdale: CA9, NE19, NE47, NE48, NE49
The DWP confirmed on 22 November that there were no new triggered postcodes in England and Wales other than those already listed.
What other help is available?
Other support is available for households struggling with energy bills. Citizen's Advice includes various avenues to pursue, including: fuel vouchers, the Winter Fuel Payment, or grants.
Some households are also entitled to help from the Household Support fund, which is help with essential costs from your local council. This can help with things like: energy and water bills; food and essential items.
