ALMOST a third of Scottish households with prepayment meters have not redeemed their energy rebate vouchers, according to the latest UK Government figures.
More than 867,000 vouchers were issued in Scotland under the Government’s energy bill support scheme between October and December last year. But more than 273,000 have not been redeemed, meaning as much as £54 million of support has been unclaimed.
Edinburgh and Glasgow had some of the lowest redemption rates in the UK, at 59% and 62% respectively.
Across the UK around 1.9m vouchers for consumers remain unclaimed, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy statistics showed.
This is despite increased uptake of the vouchers, which hit its highest level in January.
Most households will have £400 automatically taken off their electricity bills in six instalments, or have the money added to their accounts.
However, those on traditional prepayment meters need the vouchers to get the discount. Almost one in five households in Scotland use prepayment meters for their gas or electricity.
The prepayment vouchers are only valid for 90 days. December’s vouchers must be claimed by March 8.
If a voucher does expire, customers can ask for it to be reissued. Suppliers should contact consumers if vouchers are not redeemed.
Scotland’s national energy advice service, Advice Direct Scotland, has urged Scots to check unopened mail and junk email folders, in case the vouchers have been missed; contact energy suppliers, using details found on bills, statements, and official websites and contact energyadvice.scot if there are any difficulties getting through to suppliers or resolving issues. The team can be contacted on (phone 0808 196 8660, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm or visit online at www.energyadvice.scot).
Conor Forbes, policy director with Advice Direct Scotland, said: “With energy prices still incredibly high, It’s vital that households get all the support they’re entitled to. “We would urge any households in Scotland who have a prepayment meter to check whether you have been sent a voucher and use it before it expires.It’s concerning that so many people have not redeemed their vouchers and we don’t want to see a similar situation when December’s vouchers expire next month.
“If you haven’t received your vouchers, you should immediately get in touch with your energy supplier or Advice Direct Scotland’s expert advisers.”
