British households on prepayment meters risk missing £130m of energy bills support

British households connected prepayment meters look missing retired connected up to £130m of support for their power bills if they neglect to redeem authorities vouchers earlier they expire in a month’s time.

Under The power bills support scheme, which runs until 30 June, each households are entitled to discounts of up to £400 connected their bills.

Those connected nonstop debits and smart prepayment meters received The payments automatically, but those connected analogue prepay devices were sent vouchers by station aliases email and person had to return them to a station agency aliases PayPoint vendor in bid for The rate to beryllium credited to The meter.

The authorities said that 83% of those vouchers, worthy either £66 aliases £67, had been claimed. Of The 11.6m vouchers issued by suppliers, pinch a full worth of £780m, only 9.7m – aliases £650m worthy – person been cashed in.

Data showed that, for The sixth period in a row, London had The lowest complaint of redemption, pinch much than 650,000 vouchers still unused astatine The extremity of March. About a 4th of vouchers in Scotland and The south-east of England person besides yet to beryllium claimed.

Since The scheme’s motorboat past autumn, information has consistently shown that betwixt a 5th and a 4th of The prepay vouchers person been near unredeemed.

Matthew Cole, caput of Fuel Bank Foundation, said it had recovered that immoderate households had not received vouchers arsenic their specifications were incorrect aliases they had moved house, aliases because they had mislaid aliases deleted The voucher.

The user champion Martin Lewis and run groups had urged The authorities to analyse the debased redemption rates and raise consciousness of The scheme.

The authorities said connected Wednesday it had mounted a “final push” to promote households to declare The support. Amanda Solloway, The curate for power consumers and affordability, said: “Today we are redoubling our efforts to scope anyone who still hasn’t claimed this help.”

Adverts for The strategy person been posted in autobus stops, station offices and occupation centres, connected train position advertisements and in newspapers complete The past week to raise consciousness of The financial aid.

The suppliers who delivered The astir vouchers – British Gas proprietor Centrica, E.On and Ovo – had redemption rates of astir 80%.

The voucher trading push follows a wintertime in which power suppliers were banned from forcibly fitting prepayment meters nether tribunal warrants, aft it emerged that indebtedness agents moving for British Gas appeared to person ignored signs of customers vulnerability. Energy regulator Ofgem has since set retired a codification of conduct for suppliers to force-fit The meters, but has yet to assistance The ban.

The prepay strategy is portion of a wider thrust to thief Britons pinch their power bills pursuing Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, which pushed up wholesale state prices and fed done to home bills.

Last week Ofgem said its value headdress connected yearly state and energy bills for nonstop debit customers would autumn to £2,074 from July, but The mean family will still salary astir double The complaint for their power than earlier costs started to soar.

All households were entitled to £400 of support, costing The authorities £11.5bn. That support will not beryllium replicated this winter, meaning consumers will consciousness small alleviation contempt The easing prices.