One-day warning for UK households to claim £400 energy bill support before June deadline

Households with traditional prepayment meters have just one day left to claim £400 of help with energy bills from the government.

All households were eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme which was paid in six instalments of £66 or £67 over the winter.

Prepayment customers, who are often some of the lowest income households, were paid in vouchers, but £130 million still remain unclaimed - and must be claimed by the deadline of Friday 30 June.

Electricity suppliers, charities and consumer groups are now joining forces with the government for ‘Claim Your Energy Voucher Day’ - a final call to arms to ensure households don’t miss out on help with their bills before the scheme ends in a month.

The government has said the number of vouchers already cashed in has reached an all-time high of 83%, with prepayment meter users so far claiming nearly £650 million under the scheme.

London had the lowest redemption rate for the sixth month running, with more than 650,000 vouchers still unused by the end of March, figures published earlier this month show. Around 25% of vouchers in Scotland and the south-east of England are also yet to be claimed.

Energy minister 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 June 30; there is still £130 million out there to claim.”

Customers need to visit a post office or PayPoint with the Energy Bills Support vouchers and identification before 30 June. Any lost, missing or expired vouchers can be reissued provided they are redeemed by the deadline.

Anyone on a traditional prepayment meter who has not received the vouchers, is unsure how to redeem them, or needs a voucher to be reissued, is advised to contact their energy supplier.

Charities and consumer groups have also voiced their support to help spread the word in an effort to ensure vouchers are claimed before the scheme comes to an end.

Adam Scorer, chief executive at National Energy Action, said: “We urge anyone who hasn’t yet claimed their vouchers to do so before the June 30 deadline and if you have friends and family that may not have used their vouchers, spread the word.

“It may be the support that keeps their lights on, their oven cooking, their hot showers running, through the summer. It’s vital money at a time when it’s never been needed more.”

Matthew Cole, head of Fuel Bank Foundation, a national charity providing emergency fuel vouchers to prepayment meter customers, added: “We’re really concerned that hundreds of thousands of people with traditional prepayment meters are going to miss out on this vital financial support.

“As part of our own campaigning on this issue, we found that other reasons why vouchers haven’t been redeemed included not receiving them, due to incorrect details or the person having moved house and their records haven’t been updated, or they lost or deleted the voucher. However, whatever the reason, we want to reassure people that if they haven’t claimed their voucher, there is still time to do so.”

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.

The final push to redeem the support comes after it was announced last week that household energy bills will fall by £430 per year on average from July under the Energy Price Cap.