More than 565,000 E.ON Next customers have already received the £150 Warm Home Discount from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as an automatic credit to their energy accounts. The energy supplier confirmed the payments have been applied ahead of official letters being sent to eligible claimants.
How the Warm Home Discount works
The Warm Home Discount Scheme provides a one-off £150 reduction on electricity bills for eligible households. The discount is applied directly by the electricity supplier to the customer's bill.
The qualifying means-tested benefits are Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Pension Credit. The DWP states that eligible claimants "will get a letter between late October 2026 and early January 2027".
E.ON Next's early payment rollout
E.ON has already acted in advance of those letters, with 565,000 customers receiving the £150 payment automatically as a credit. This allows them to use the support throughout the colder winter months ahead, according to Birmingham Live.
E.ON Next will continue issuing payments until the end of March as it receives new customer information from the government helpline for the WHD Core Group and identifies eligible customers in the WHD Broader Group in Scotland.
Previous support and customer assistance
Last winter, E.ON Next delivered over £140 million of support through the overall Warm Home Discount scheme, assisting more than 800,000 customers.
Ramona Vlasiu, Chief Operating Officer at E.ON Next, said: "For a number of years, we've worked to apply Warm Home Discount payments to eligible customers' bills as early as possible, so they can benefit as winter approaches.
"We know many households are already carefully managing their finances, and the colder months can bring added pressure as energy use increases to keep homes warm.
"We also have a range of support available to customers who need it. Depending on their circumstances, support can include direct financial help, affordable repayment plans and access to specialist advice."
