1.9m energy prepayment vouchers are yet to be claimed

Three quarters of energy support vouchers for homes with traditional prepayment meters have now been claimed, according to government data published today.

Some 1.7m energy vouchers were used in January alone; 130,000 more than were used in December 2022. 

The monthly vouchers are worth £66 or £67 each – totalling £400 if you use all six to top up your pre-payment meter.

The best-performing energy firms have managed to help 85% or more of their customers with traditional prepayment meters to redeem the vouchers. These firms are E and Octopus Energy. 

But 1.9m vouchers still haven't been used. Temperatures in January dropped to -10°C in some areas of the country, so accessing this support is vital to help you keep your home warm.

Read our latest cost of living tips, or find out how to claim your traditional prepayment energy vouchers if you haven't yet done so

Who hasn't redeemed their energy vouchers? 

Homes in London with traditional prepayment meters are least likely to have redeemed them, according to the latest data. Just 58% had done so in January. This means that a third of vouchers in the capital are still unclaimed – totalling £266 if you haven't claimed any so far from October to January.

Scotland and South East England had the next-lowest redemption rates (of 68% and 69%, respectively). In Edinburgh, just 59% of eligible households used their energy vouchers in January. Rates were also low in Brighton and Glasgow.

Customers of Scottish Power were some of the least likely to have redeemed their energy vouchers, despite the firm supplying one of the largest numbers of households with traditional prepayment meters. Among the other big traditional prepayment meter suppliers:

• British Gas customers have redeemed 75%
• Eon Next customers have redeemed 81%
• EDF Energy customers have redeemed 73%
• OVO Energy customers have redeemed 75%.

However, more customers of all of these suppliers redeemed their vouchers in January compared with December, according to the government data.

A statement released by the government suggested that more vouchers being redeemed in January than in previous months 'follows the Energy Security Secretary’s push for suppliers to do more to help vulnerable customers and concerns about the low take-up of EBSS vouchers'. 

It said it 'has also expanded campaign activity to reach eligible customers with additional advertising across community radio, social media and national magazine titles'.

How to redeem your prepayment energy vouchers

The vouchers are part of the government's Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) to help all households with the cost of energy this winter. 

You don't need to apply for the payments; they're automatic. Every household that uses the electricity network should have been given £66 in October and November, and £67 per month from December through to March 2023. 

How you get the support depends on how you pay:

• Direct debit customers get the discount automatically
• Standard credit customers get the discount automatically
• Smart prepayment meter customers get the discount automatically
• Traditional prepayment meter customers get sent a voucher that you need to redeem when you top up. Vouchers are sent by email, text or post. Some customers will get an automatic credit when they top up.

Read more about how to use your prepayment energy voucher.

Energy support voucher expired? Here's what to do

Vouchers are valid for 90 days. So October and November's vouchers have expired. 

If you haven't used them yet, don't panic. Your energy supplier can reissue expired vouchers, but you'll need to get in touch with them to ask them for another one. Contact them as soon as possible.

Reissued vouchers are valid for another 90 days. All vouchers must be used by 30 June 2023.

Make sure you use your December voucher before 8 March to avoid it expiring.

Too many energy vouchers still haven't been redeemed

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: 'The sad reality is that we're still seeing far too many vouchers not being redeemed. This recent increase in take up, while welcome, is only slightly up from where we were in January, when 29% of vouchers still hadn't been claimed. 

'As an urgent priority, the government, local authorities and energy suppliers must continue to work together to share best practice and improve the scheme to ensure that all customers on these prepayment meters – who are more likely to be vulnerable and on lower incomes – are able to access this vital support without further delay.

'Traditional prepayment meter customers should also be prioritised in smart meter roll-outs where appropriate, so that financial support can be delivered automatically in future. If you're on a traditional prepayment meter and haven’t received your vouchers, or are unsure of how to redeem them, you should get in touch with your supplier for more information and to make sure they have the correct contact details for you.'