By bizn_fun 
Energy companies pay for and distribute the £150 Warm Home Discount to people’s bills, meaning households who are eligible should get the discount automatically, provided their supplier has over 1,000 customers.
The government also said that 345,000 Scottish low-income households would now automatically receive the rebate next winter, bringing Scotland’s policy in line with England and Wales.
Previously, eligible Scottish households have had to apply for the scheme.
The government said a small number of households will need to provide extra information to ensure they get the discount for the current winter period.
If they have received a letter advising them to call the helpline they must do so by 27 February, the government said.
The Warm Home Discount is separate to £150 on average the government has said households will save on their energy bills from April, as set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her November Budget.
While this has received a warm welcome, taxpayers will still be covering some of the cost through other taxes.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has promised to lower energy bills by £300 by 2030. But critics have called this unachievable, and the author of the report his savings estimate was based on has since warned it could be wiped out by rising electricity costs.
The latest price cap set by the energy regulator Ofgem rose by 0.2% for the January to March period, following a 2% increase in October.
Energy suppliers currently cover the cost of giving the Warm Home Discount to lower-income customers through the standing charge, which is a fixed fee that they charge all customers.
But the government is proposing to change this so that suppliers cover the discount with the unit rate – the per-kWh charge for electricity and gas usage – meaning higher-use customers would contribute more to the discount than ones who use less energy.
It recently consulted on this, saying it would be “fairer” and overall “average consumers will see bill savings”. It said it will provide an update “in due course”.