Thousands missing out on energy support: London, Scotland and South East have most unclaimed prepayment meter vouchers

1.42 million vouchers for cost of living support for prepayment energy customers issued in October and November 2022 have not yet been redeemed, according to government data.

Just 51% of energy vouchers issued for traditional prepayment meters in London have been redeemed for October and November 2022. This means more than 180,000 homes risk missing out on £132 of cost-of-living support. These vouchers have now expired, but you can ask your energy provider to reissue them.

London had the lowest take-up, but a third of vouchers for homes with traditional prepayment meters in Scotland and South East England hadn’t been cashed-in either. Combined, that’s at least another 167,000 homes which could be missing out on help with their gas and electricity bills.

Across all regions in England, Wales and Scotland, 4.07 million vouchers were issued across October and November 2022. Of these, a total 2.65 million have since been redeemed. That leaves 1.42 million vouchers not yet claimed by customers. 

We’ve been calling on the government to publish more data on this scheme so that we can understand where any problems are and make sure energy customers get the help they need amid the cost of living crisis.

Prepayment meter voucher uptake near you 

We’ve analysed the government’s data by region so you can see how many vouchers were redeemed in your area compared with others.

This data is only for October and November 2022. If you have a traditional prepayment meter you should have received vouchers for December and January 2023 by now as well. Data hasn’t been published on these by region yet.

Percentages calculated from government figures published on 14.02.23.

London had the lowest proportion of prepayment vouchers redeemed by customers for October and November. There were 13 London Boroughs with less than 50% of vouchers redeemed. The lowest take-up was in the City of London, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

Scotland and South East England had the next lowest rates of vouchers being redeemed.

Customers in North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber were most likely to have redeemed their two vouchers; 72% of households in both regions had done so.

Though customers in North West England and the Midlands have redeemed their vouchers in line with the country average of 65%, more than 130,000 households may not have received their support payments for October and November.

Am I owed energy payments?

From October 2022 to March 2023 all households are entitled to £400 worth of help with energy bills. This is a government scheme called the Energy Bills Support Scheme. 

It’s paid in six monthly instalments – each month you'll receive either £66 or £67. 

If you pay by direct debit or when you receive your bills, the discount is applied automatically to your bills. If you have a smart prepayment meter, it’s added to your meter as credit automatically. 

But if you have a traditional prepayment meter, you need to take action to get your money.

Your supplier should have told you how you’ll get the support. Your voucher will arrive either by:

• text
• email
• post
• as an automatic credit when you top up.

If you have a prepayment meter that you top up manually and you haven't had these vouchers from your energy provider, get in touch as soon as possible to make sure it has your correct contact details.

Once you have your voucher, you need to take it with you when you top up your meter (at the Post Office or PayPoint) to have the extra money added to your account.

If you haven’t received your vouchers, contact your energy company straightaway. Check that it has your up-to-date contact details. 

Vouchers are valid for three months. They can be reissued for a further three months if they have expired – but you’ll need to ask your energy company to do this.

All vouchers must be used before the end of June 2023. 

Find out more about how to redeem your energy vouchers. 

Vouchers are being issued in Northern Ireland too – find out more about energy support payments in Northern Ireland.

If you are struggling with energy payments, head to our guide to the help available if you cannot pay your energy bills.

Energy customers must be able to access support without delay

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: 'These latest figures are really concerning, with London particularly badly affected as just over half (52%) of traditional prepayment meter energy bill support scheme vouchers were redeemed in the capital last autumn. This is significantly lower than other areas of Great Britain - possibly due to the fact that there are more renters in the capital so contact information may not be up to date. 

'As an urgent priority, the government, local authorities and energy suppliers must work together to share best practice and quickly 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 are 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.'