Nearly 4m consumers eligible for cold weather payments

An estimated 4 million people in Britain have so far been eligible for a Cold Weather Payment this winter, according to analysis from comparethemarket.com on data from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

Among those 4 million people eligible in total across Britain, 13,000 lived in the six areas where weather stations have been ‘triggered’ for a Cold Weather snap and are therefore able to receive £25.

The Government provides Cold Weather Payments to help with energy costs during periods of extremely cold weather. To be eligible, you need to be receiving certain benefits, such as Pension Credit, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Universal Credit. Further, the average temperature in your area needs to be below zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days.

Households can check if a payment is due in their area using the DWP’s Cold Weather Payment postcode checker.

Between 1 November 2021 and 11 February 2022, six British weather stations received cold weather triggers, all of which were in Scotland. These areas included Aboyne (1 trigger), Aviemore (1 trigger), Braemar (3 triggers), and Loch Glascarnoch (1 trigger). Within these regions, there were 13,000 eligible recipient households in total. Across all Great Britain, 3,994,000 people would be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment if all stations were triggered, in theory.

Further cold temperatures and extreme weather are expected over the coming weeks across the UK. Recently, the Met Office has announced new yellow weather warnings against the backdrop of ‘Storm Eunice.’ This week ‘Storm Franklin’ brought more high winds across the country, so households can use the postcode checker to monitor if weather stations are triggered.

In addition to cold weather, rising fuel prices are adding a significant burden to households. As the energy crisis continues, millions of families have endured price increases. In response, Ofgem has recently increased the energy price cap by £693 to £1,971. The price cap applies a limit to the cost per unit that energy companies can charge for their default or standard variable tariffs (SVTs) – this amount may go up or down based on usage.

Alex Hasty, Director at comparethemarket.com said “We encourage those eligible to claim their Cold Weather Payment from the Department of Work and Pensions this winter. Should cold weather continue to impact a number of households across the country, the £25 could be useful to help offset rising fuel costs during periods of harsh weather. As the energy market crises continues, we welcome initiatives that will help people navigate this difficult period.”

“Competitively priced energy tariffs still remain scarce, so we also recommend that households move on to a default tariff rather than opt for a fixed rate alternative when their current deal comes to an end. In the meantime, there are various ways to save money and offset the cost of rising energy bills. Reviewing your home and motor insurance, for example, could save you significant sums if you shop around and switch to cheaper deals.”