An extra 200,000 pensioners will get help with their energy bills this winter, the government has announced.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme - paid for by the energy companies - is now worth £140 per household. The scheme is being expanded, to include everyone who receives Pension Credit Guarantee. Pensioner groups welcomed the move, but warned that thousands of elderly people who do not claim Pension Credit will miss out on the payments. Hundreds of thousands of people on low incomes are also eligible to claim the discount, which in most cases is applied automatically by energy suppliers. However many people do not get the discount, unless they ask for it. Such households are being advised to contact their energy company directly, as eligibility criteria vary between different suppliers.....Read more here