Households on prepayment meters told to claim Energy Bills Support vouchers by 30 June, in final push to help those yet to benefit from £400 off their bills.
Electricity suppliers, charities and consumer groups are today joining forces with government for Claim Your Energy Voucher Day – a call to arms to make sure households with traditional prepayment meters avoid missing out on £400 worth of help with their bills.
Prepayment meter users, who are often in low-income households, have so far claimed nearly £650 million under the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme. This means vital help is getting out to those that need it most, which direct debit customers received automatically over the winter – bringing the total delivered through the scheme to £11.5 billion.
Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability Amanda Solloway said:
We’ve made huge strides in getting nearly £650 million from our Energy Bills Support Scheme out to prepayment meter customers, often in the homes that need it most.
Today we are redoubling our efforts to reach anyone who still hasn’t claimed this help, and it’s fantastic to see so many join our final push to spread the word.
Tell friends and family or anyone on a traditional prepayment meter to use their vouchers for up to £400 off bills before 30 June – there is still £130 million out there to claim.
Ministers are leading a rallying call for customers to head to a Post Office or PayPoint with their Energy Bills Support vouchers and ID before 30 June, so everyone can get the help available.
Today marks a final push in the government’s multi-billion-pound intervention, that protected families and homes over the winter, by covering nearly half a typical household’s energy bill. It comes after news last week that energy costs will fall by £430 per year on average from July, under the Energy Price Cap – marking a major milestone in the government’s efforts to halve inflation.
Latest figures, published earlier this month, show that for the sixth month in a row London had the lowest redemption rate, with more than 650,000 vouchers still unused at the end of March. Around 25% of vouchers in both Scotland and the South East of England are also yet to be claimed.
In a further drive to boost numbers, posters and reminders are popping up throughout the country, with details of what people need to do to claim up to 6 vouchers, each worth between £66 and £67, and get their energy bill discounts before the 30 June deadline.
Customers are urged to contact their electricity supplier as soon as possible over the next few weeks, if they have any issues with their vouchers.
Households using prepayment meters who use alternative fuels such as LPG, heating oil or biomass as the main way they heat their homes also have until 30 June to use their vouchers worth up to £200 in energy bills support. Customers will have received these vouchers in the post from their supplier and should contact them if they have any questions.
