PRESS RELEASE : Prepayment meter customers urged to claim £160 million in energy bill support [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 25 April 2023.

Government calls on prepayment meter users to claim bills support by redeeming their Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers.

Households on traditional prepayment meters are being urged by the government to redeem their energy bill support vouchers, with £160 million remaining to be claimed.

Prepayment meter customers have so far claimed £620 million under the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).

New figures published today show that more than £780 million in EBSS vouchers have been sent to households, with nearly 80% redeemed by customers.

These vouchers allow eligible customers, often in low-income homes, to access vital discounts of up to £400 on their energy costs, which direct debit customers will have automatically received this winter.

Consumer Energy Minister Amanda Solloway has urged anyone who has not yet redeemed their prepayment meter vouchers to do so now, with the scheme remaining open until 30 June. Customers can redeem the 2.4 million outstanding vouchers at their local Post Office or PayPoint.

The EBSS, together with the cap on energy prices, saw the government cover half of a typical household energy bill over the winter – driving forward the government’s priority to halve inflation. Last month the government also announced an extension to the Energy Price Guarantee, meaning by the end of June a typical household will have saved £1,500 on their energy bill – while wholesale prices continue to fall.

Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability Amanda Solloway said:

Putin’s illegal war on Ukraine had a massive impact on global energy prices and with it, people’s bills.

The government stepped in to provide vital support to households across the country, with £780 million in support delivered to prepayment meter customers. But there’s still £160 million of that yet to claim which will make a huge difference.

Even as the warmer weather sets in I urge anyone on a traditional prepayment meter to act now if they haven’t redeemed their voucher.

Nick Read, Chief Executive of the Post Office said:

We’re urging people not to miss out on this vital support from the government before the Energy Bills Support Scheme closes at the end of June. Claiming your voucher at the Post Office is really simple, just bring your voucher, your energy pre-payment key or card and the ID specified in your voucher letter and we will redeem the voucher for you at the counter. It’s important to check any post you have at home to ensure you haven’t missed any vouchers. They are valid for 3 months but if you have expired vouchers you should contact your electricity supplier and ask for a new one to be sent out.

Under the Energy Bills Support Scheme more than £11.4 billion went to 28 million households across the UK to keep costs down over the winter – the equivalent of £500,000 a day.

Households who do not have a direct relationship with an energy supplier or use alternative fuels – such as heating oil, LPG and biomass – to heat their homes are also being urged to take full advantage of government support, as a number of schemes close on 31 May, meaning from Monday they’ll have just a month to claim.

Customers in these households can apply for:

• the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding which provides equivalent £400 payments to households who do not have a domestic electricity supply and were not eligible to receive the Energy Bills Support Scheme automatically. Eligible applicants include partially or wholly self-funded care homes residents and residents of park homes. These households must apply either via GOV.UK or the contact centre helpline by 31 May 2023
• the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Funding scheme which supports households that use fuels such as heating oil, LPG and biomass as their main heating source but did not automatically receive £200 of support from an electricity supplier. Eligible applicants must apply via GOV.UK or the contact centre helpline by 31 May 2023

Today’s figures on EBSS vouchers show that for the fifth month in a row London had the lowest redemption rate, with a third of vouchers still unused at the end of February. Around 26% of vouchers in both Scotland and the South East of England are also yet to be used.

The government has urged suppliers and consumer groups to continue to make the most of this data and pinpoint help to where it is most needed, with some going door-to-door to get information out to these households.

Londoners also benefitted from government pop-up events to help explain how they can access the support, held in partnership with Citizens Advice and the Post Office. This came as part of a targeted government information campaign, which saw adverts run on community radio, social media, national magazine titles, as well as roaming billboard vans that have been popping up in towns and cities across the country.