One in five of the UK's poorest households have not cashed in the energy vouchers sent to help them pay their bills over the coldest months, according to new figures.
The vouchers are being sent out monthly by energy suppliers from October 2022-March 2023 as part of the Government's Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS). Those who pay by direct debit, on receipt of bill, or have a smart prepayment meter should be receiving the money automatically, but those with traditional prepayment meters - the type which have a key of card that needs to be topped up at a shop or Post Office - get their rebate in the form of monthly vouchers, which then need to be redeemed in the same way.
The vouchers were sent with a 90-day expiry date, so the tranche sent in November ran out on Sunday, February 5. The Post Office had previously urged households to cash their October £66 vouchers, as their figures showed £17m was still outstanding just days before the deadline. And now new data from PayPoint shows a concerning number of people missed the deadline for November vouchers, with only 81% of vouchers redeemed before they expired.
Read more: Cost of living: Work out how much your heating costs per hour
Most households are entitled to the £400 energy bill discount announced by former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in May last year, designed to take the sting out of the planned October price cap increase, which would have seen bills soar to £3,549 a year. Bills have since risen to £4279 on average, but energy price guarantee means that the price for the average household is capped at£2,500 a year.
Although prepay - or Pay As You Go - customers are supposed to get their vouchers in the first week of the month, there have been many cases where customers have been left shivering when their vouchers have not arrived.
Vivian Patterson, from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, was left waiting more than a month to receive her first £66 energy rebate payment, and actually received the second month's payment before the first one arrived. Ms Patterson, who is physically and mentally disabled, told how she broke down in tears after calling EDF daily after October 14, the latest date she says she was told she could expect the voucher in a flyer from EDF.
"We are on a really low income and have no wages coming in," said Vivian, 52. "We have two teenage sons so we need every single penny and while £66 isn't a vast amount, it was a lot to us." EDF apologised for the inconvenience and frustration, saying the vouchers had been reissued along with some compensation for the delay.
And Kerry Emmerson, of Benton. Newcastle, also got in touch after her patience ran out while she waited for October and November's vouchers from Ovo Energy until early December. Ms Emmerson, whose account has been changed from SSE to Ovo Energy after Ovo took over SSE's domestic customers since 2020, had her traditional prepayment meter changed to a smart meter in September, which Ovo said was the cause of the mix-up.
Although Ms Emmerson has received her vouchers, she is still angry that she found it virtually impossible to speak to anyone about the issue. Ovo said that her old account had been left pending awaiting a final meter reading and was closed once the reading was received. The missing vouchers were reissued and all payments are now being made through her new smart meter.
What can I do if my voucher has expired?
If your energy voucher expires before you’ve redeemed it, you’ll need to contact your energy supplier. They may be able to issue you with a new rebate voucher. You should receive vouchers within the first 11 working days of each month. The Government has stated that all energy rebate vouchers must be redeemed by June 30, 2023.
What to do if your vouchers have not arrived yet
Make sure your supplier has your latest contact details: As pay as you go meters don't generate bills, suppliers don't always have up-to-date address details for their customers. You should be able to check this in your online account if you have one or by contacting your supplier directly.
Ask your supplier to reissue missing vouchers: The vouchers are sent from your energy supplier by post, email or text message. If you haven't got yours, or you have lost it, contact your energy supplier and it should be able to resend it. The Government says suppliers are required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure you get your discount, so ask if it can be resent by email or text message instead.
Don't forget to redeem it: Once you've got a voucher from your energy supplier, you then need to take it to a Post Office or PayPoint shop to add it to your gas or electricity top-up key or card.
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