The energy supplier said 130,000 more customers than last year have received the £140 Warm Home Discount ahead of Christmas and that it expects to pay 600,000 of its customers a total of £84 million in Warm Home Discount payments this financial year.
The Warm Home Discount is a five-year scheme introduced by government and delivered by energy suppliers to help the most vulnerable with their winter energy costs.
British Gas said it expects to spend more than £300 million over the entirety of the scheme. It has the widest criteria of eligibility for the scheme, with no restrictions on the number of people who can sign up.
The supplier said 400,000 customers had already received their discount payment in September and Pay As You Go customers will receive bar-coded letters with which to top up their meters in January 2015.
British Gas managing director of residential energy, Stephen Beynon said: “No one should be left in the cold during the winter months, especially at Christmas. That’s why we’ve worked hard to deliver the majority of the Warm Home Discount before the holiday period, and give our customers who are most in need £140 to help with their energy bills.
“We do a lot to help people who are struggling with their energy bills and last year we spent more than £380 million helping our elderly, disabled and most in need customers.”