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Greetings,

 

I trust you’re all well.

 

Last year, with the changes to the Warm Home Discount (in Scotland) it was changed to a Core and Broader group. I was still with SSE at that point and put my application through them (as a broader group) before I was moved to OVO. I was successful in my application and the money was applied to my account.

 

This year, however, I am  unable to make any progress using OVO’s form to apply. (See: https://api.warm-home-discount.ovotech.org.uk/form) my circumstances have not changed since last year (other than being moved from PIP to ADP) however I’m continually met with the error message “EXIT_NOT_ELIGIBLE” with no other information on the page. I’m guessing that code is suggesting that I am not eligible, but I cannot understand why as I do meet the criteria this year again as far as I am aware.

 

  • Housing Benefit / Council Tax Reduction as single person
  • Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
  • ADP + severe disability premium (unsure if that folows over from PIP)

 

Any helpl or insight with regards to this?

 

EDIT:

Based on this pdf (https://www.ovobyus.com/m/1c27c3dc8b2a314/original/ovo-whd-eligiblity-criteria.pdf) it’s saying that with income related ESA you also require something like PIP, which is what I applied on last year, but can’t help notice there is zero mention of the new Adult Disability Payment which those of us from Scotland were moved from PIP to ADP.

 

I’m confused.

“Computer says no”

It looks like your assessment may be right - that the form requires you to be getting PIP from DWP, but the PIP scheme has changed in Scotland and those receiving it now get ADP from SSS instead. 

There doesn’t appear to be an appeals process against the form’s decision, since it simply assesses the information you enter. In your situation, I would submit the form again, this time saying that you receive PIP to find out if this makes a difference. 

You may have to prepare yourself for the worst: that it’s OVO’s decision, and they’ve decided against you. By the time you’ve complained and explained that this change was made without your involvement, the fund may well be empty. 

You won’t be alone in this situation, so please come back and tell us how you’re getting on. 

 


“Computer says no”

 

 

Unfortunately the form couples PIP & ADP together so it’s not a case of one or the other.

 

EXIT_NOT_ELIGIBLE

 

EDIT: I have called OVO’s WHD team and the operator ran into the same situation as me upon trying to submit and has kindly put in a request for a paper form to be sent in place of the online one for me. The downside is it can take a couple of weeks to arrive then perhaps more to process.

 

If anyone else has similar circumstances as me and have actually progressed I’d love to hear about it.

 

Cheers!

 


Updated on 08/10/24 by Emmanuelle_OVO:

 

What is the Warm Home Discount (WHD)?

 

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 discount given to eligible domestic electricity customers to help with their energy costs. It's usually paid between October and March of each scheme year. It's a Government scheme funded by participating energy suppliers like us. It’s designed to help people who need it most.

 

The Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme is closed for the scheme year 2023/24 and will reopen again later this year. 

 

The Warm Home Discount (Broader Group) has now opened to applications from our customers based in Scotland.

 

Customers can apply online here

 

Broader Group Eligibility Criteria can be found here.
 

We encourage all customers who believe they fall into the Broader group (Scotland Only) to apply online via the OVO and Boost websites. 

 

However, If a customer needs some assistance completing their WHD application please contact our support team

 

OVO Broader Group: https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/warm-home-discount-scheme 

 

Boost Broader Group: https://www.boostpower.co.uk/help/support/how-do-i-get-the-warm-home-discount 

 

Ways to get financial support

 

If you’re struggling financially or you’re worried about your energy bills, we’re here to support you. Find out about the different ways we can help here.

 

How do I register for the Priority Services Register (PSR)?

 

Check out the Customer Support package here: https://winter-support-package.ovoenergy.com/

Hey @Woojee,

 

Sorry for the issues you’re having, 

 

We also asked internally on your behalf and were advised you’re still likely to be eligible, it sounds like a bug in the system. A customer should be able to submit a form even if they aren’t eligible for their application to be reviewed. It shouldn’t be rejecting the application at all.

 

The advice was to fill in a paper application, which is sounds like you’re doing anyway.

 

Let us know if you have any issues receiving the paper application. 


Unfortunately the form couples PIP & ADP together so it’s not a case of one or the other.

 

Perhaps I’m being a bit dense here, but are you saying that the form asks whether you’re receiving PIP or ADP, you answer yes and the application is rejected - even though every other criterion is met? 

Or is it asking how much your PIP amounts to, and you answer zero?

It’s at least promising that you managed to get hold of the right people, who understood your predicament and set about helping you to burrow out of it.

 


Unfortunately the form couples PIP & ADP together so it’s not a case of one or the other.

 

Perhaps I’m being a bit dense here, but are you saying that the form asks whether you’re receiving PIP or ADP, you answer yes and the application is rejected - even though every other criterion is met? 

Or is it asking how much your PIP amounts to, and you answer zero?

 

So basically it’s just a bunch of checkboxes.

One asks do you get PIP or ADP (both are rolled into one question) you check if you have either of those two. I believe the criteria is ESA + another qualifying benefit which I should have (ESA + ADP), but it’s just my opinion that the ADP is getting ignored because it’s the only change for me personally since last year in that I was moved to ADP from PIP.

There’s no real mention of money or things like that. Closest you get to something like that is an option asking if income is below a certain amount. Nothing directly related to ESA or PIP or ADP.

It’s good that both a paper form is on the way and the online version should be reviewed regardless according to Emmanuelle_OVO :)


Hi Guys,

 

Just a little updated re: OP. The paper application was sent out and returned and I was successful in gaining the WHD. :)

Hopefully others in my situation were able to apply in time.

 

Cheers!


Hey @Woojee 

 

Glad to hear you’ve received the Warm Home Discount after the difficulty getting the application through.

 

I’m sure it’s shone a light on this situation and if others are in the same position, hopefully they too can take the same route if needed.

 

Feel free to pop back to the Forum any time if you’ve got any issues or questions.


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