More than £15 million worth of energy vouchers not redeemed in north and north-east

By Denny Andonova

February 21 2023, 6:00 am

Households across the north and north-east have seen their energy bills triple as people struggle to make ends meet. Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire.

More than £15 million worth of energy vouchers have not been claimed by prepayment meter users, data has revealed.

The UK Government launched the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) last October to ease the financial burden on families as gas and electricity bills skyrocketed.

A total of 29 million homes across the country were announced to be eligible for grants of £400 to help with their monthly energy bills.

While direct debit customers received the discount automatically as a deduction to the amount collected each month, prepayment meter users had to claim their vouchers manually.

More than 867,000 vouchers were issued in Scotland under the scheme between October and December last year – 160,200 of which in the north and north-east.

Customers urged to claim discount vouchers before they expire

But new figures released by the government showed a total of 38,920 vouchers across north Scotland – the equivalent of £15,568m – have not been claimed by customers.

Aberdeen and the Highlands have the lowest redemption rates among the regions, with 11,200 and 10,860 rebate vouchers still to be redeemed, respectively.

In Aberdeenshire, 22,120 out of 28,360 discounts have been claimed, while another 3,020 customers across Moray are yet to collect their vouchers.

Orkney and Shetland have the highest uptake in north Scotland, with only 1,990 out of 8,520 left to be claimed.

energy bills — Image: Jacob King/PA Wire.

Scotland’s national energy advice service, Advice Direct Scotland, is now urging families to make use of their December vouchers before they expire on March 8.

Conor Forbes, policy director with Advice Direct Scotland, said: “With energy prices still incredibly high, it’s vital that households get all the support they’re entitled to.

“We would urge any households in Scotland who have a prepayment meter to check whether you have been sent a voucher and use it before it expires.

“It’s concerning that so many people have not redeemed their vouchers and we don’t want to see a similar situation when December’s vouchers expire next month.

“If you haven’t received your vouchers, you should immediately get in touch with your energy supplier or Advice Direct Scotland’s expert advisers.”

How to access energy bills support?

Across Scotland, more than 273,000 vouchers have not been redeemed, meaning as much as £54m of support has been unclaimed.

Advice Direct Scotland has now issued guidance for customers so they don’t miss out on the support available.

Check unopened mail and junk email, in case the vouchers have been missed.
Contact energy suppliers, using details found on bills, statements, and official websites.
Contact energyadvice.scot if there are any difficulties getting through to suppliers or resolving issues. The team can be contacted on 0808 196 8660 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm), or through the website.