Energy companies are failing to pass on cost-of-living support vouchers, research shows

PayPoint have uncovered customers with prepayment energy meters are yet to redeem vouchers that were proposed by the government as part of their Energy Bill Support Scheme.

In September the government announced the Energy Bill Support Scheme which provides people with up to £400 to help with their rising energy costs. 

Under the scheme, people will receive reductions on their bills over the course of six months with £66 being deducted in October and November and £67 from December to March 2023. 

However, PayPoint, a UK organisation that handles top-up payments in shops, has recorded only half of the expected number of people have received their discount so far.

The payment company were estimated to process 800,000 vouchers in October worth over £5m, however the business said only £27m has been redeemed, reported the BBC.

There are numerous reasons people haven’t claimed their discount, including the mild weather which has caused people to postpone putting their heating on, but Emma Bingham from West Lothian, told the BBC her energy company have failed to pass on her voucher. 

Ms Bingham said: ‘My provider said they sent the vouchers on October 7 and blamed the postal system for me not having received them yet.

‘I’m currently in between jobs and so I’m struggling to pay my bills and so it would have been a real help. I’m just a little bit frustrated that my energy company has taken the money from the government but not passed it through to me.’

The Post Office, helping to distribute the vouchers, are now advising people to bring their October vouchers with them when they come to claim their November payment.  

As well as the Post Office helping to bring people’s attention to the ways they can save money, comparison site Uswitch has analysed data from Ofgem, the energy regulator for Britain, which shows more households are switching to prepayment energy meters.

The research shows 7.38 million homes were using pre-paid meters in the first quarter of 2022 as opposed to 7.35 million in the last three months of 2021. 

Photo by KWON JUNHO