Martin Lewis has issued a warning to energy customers using a traditional, non-smart prepayment meter for their gas or electricity. The consumer champion is urging people to make sure they have used their October Energy Bills Support Scheme top-up voucher for £66 as it will no longer be valid by the end of this month.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com shared the warning on his latest BBC Radio 5 Live Podcast, encouraging people to get the message across to anyone using a traditional prepayment meter, especially elderly or vulnerable households.
He said: “If you are on a traditional prepayment meter, you should be getting £66 or £67 vouchers each month, which is that £400 payment [Energy Bills Support Scheme] divided by six. The vouchers are only valid for three months which means the October vouchers are soon going to become invalid - you need to use them to top up your prepayment meter ASAP.”
The £400 energy credit is being paid to customers over six months. Payments started inOctober 2022.
Credit applied:
- October - £66
- November - £66
- December - £67
- January - £67
- February - £67
- March - £67
If you are using a traditional prepayment meter and have not received any of the monthly vouchers through the post, or by email or text message, contact your energy supplier as soon as possible.
The £66/£67 credit is automatically applied by suppliers to households using a smart meter for their electricity.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) recently announced that it is “monitoring effectiveness of the scheme closely, including receiving monthly data from energy suppliers”.
It said that 4,044,554 vouchers had been issued to households across Great Britain up to December 1, 2022. The latest figures were published on GOV.UK last month.
Climate Minister Graham Stuart added that redemption of vouchers issued to traditional prepayment meter customers rose from 59 per cent in October to 72 per cent in November.
He added: “The Government requires suppliers to provide evidence that they have attempted to make a minimum of three attempts by more than one method to contact customers who have not redeemed a voucher.”
The Energy Bills Support Scheme ends in March, however, the UK Government will continue to support millions of households across the country by increasing the Energy Price Guarantee from £2,500 to £3,000.
Further cost of living financial support payments have also been announced, worth up to £1,350 in total over 2023/24.
This includes £900 for those on means-tested benefits including Universal Credit and Pension Credit, £150 for people claiming disability benefits and £300 for pensioner households to be added to the 2023/24 Winter Fuel Payment.
To keep up to date with the latest energy news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
READ NEXT
DWP confirms payment schedule for new cost of living cash support for 8m households
Kettle error that costs £55 and other energy mistakes adding hundreds to bills
Aldi launches new 'energy-saving' range including electric blanket and heated airer
Full list of 13 benefits and payments only available to people in Scotland this year
New website helps Scottish households check for extra financial support
