More households in Islington received discount rebates on their electricity bills last winter, recent figures show.
By Clara Margotin, Data Reporter
More households in Islington received discount rebates on their electricity bills last winter, recent figures show.
In June the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced the £150 warm home discount will be extended to another 2.7 million households across Great Britain to help with fuel costs next winter.
This will bring the number of households eligible for the rebates up to just over 6 million.
Introduced in 2011, the Warm Home Discount Scheme requires larger energy suppliers to support low-income households with their energy costs through direct £150 rebates on their electricity bills.
DESNZ figures show 11,200 households in Islington received this rebate last winter, representing around 10% of households in the area.
It was up from 10,891 the previous year, but accounted for roughly the same proportion of households.
Across Great Britain the Warm Home Discount Scheme delivered discounts to more than 3.2 million households last winter.
The total spend on rebates was £483 million, including £1.7 million for Islington households.
Nationally, this represents an estimated increase of around 80,000 households and £12 million on the previous winter.
National Energy Action head of policy Matt Copeland welcomed the increasing number of households receiving rebates across the country, adding the scheme “is a lifeline for households in fuel poverty”.
He said he hopes these numbers will continue to rise next winter.
But he warned the value of the rebates is not keeping up with inflation, adding the discount “has only increased by £10 over a period when energy bills have shot up by hundreds of pounds a year”.
He said: “The Government needs to come up with a longer-term plan for providing deeper support in future for people who cannot afford a warm and healthy home.
“Households also need help to repay their debt, much of which was accrued during the height of the energy crisis.
“The Government’s Warm Homes Plan needs to provide serious investment to make our homes easier and cheaper to heat, starting with the homes of those on the lowest incomes.”
Changes announced to the Warm Home Discount Scheme include removing some eligibility restrictions, meaning every bill payer on means-tested benefits will qualify.
The Government claimed around 90,000 families and 1.8 million homes in fuel poverty will benefit from the payment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he has “no doubt” extending the scheme to more families “will make a real difference”.
British Gas Energy Trust chief executive Jessica Taplin welcomed the expansion of the scheme which she said “is a positive step toward alleviating fuel poverty”.
However, she warned delays in confirming the expansion – especially for industry initiatives – create “uncertainty”, making it difficult for fuel poverty charities to plan ahead.
“Clear and timely decisions are critical to maintaining this infrastructure of support,” she added.
A DESNZ spokesperson said: “We are supporting one in five UK households with their energy bills this winter, as we expand the warm home discount to 6 million homes.
“We are also investing £13.2 billion to upgrade up to 5 million homes over this Parliament, saving households hundreds of pounds on their bills every year.”
