Just a quarter of energy bill vouchers claimed in December amid postal strikes

Only around a quarter of the Government’s energy bills vouchers have been claimed in December, as postal strikes have left households across the country waiting on payments amid plunging temperatures.

Just 27% of vouchers issued under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) for people with traditional prepayment meters have been redeemed in December, according to data from PayPoint up to December 18.

In comparison, 80% of the vouchers issued in October and 73% of November’s vouchers have been redeemed, indicating a sharp drop in the volume of households cashing in their payments this month.

Homes across Great Britain have been promised £400 in payments this winter to help them with energy bills.

For a majority of customers the money is automatically deducted from their energy bills. But those who pay through a traditional prepayment meter have to redeem vouchers.

The vouchers are also time-limited, and those issued in December will expire if not redeemed before March 8.

PayPoint, which has payment services in 28,000 UK retailers such as newsagents and convenience stores, and through which households can cash in their postal vouchers in-store, said that December’s redemption figures were lower than it would expect.

Typically, around three quarters of all the vouchers are issued by post and a quarter are sent through email.

Just 17% of December’s postal vouchers have been redeemed, a sharp drop compared to 78% of October’s and 74% of November’s vouchers that have been claimed.

Meanwhile, 63% of December’s vouchers issued by email have been claimed.

Typically, around 70-85% of vouchers from similar schemes like the Warm Home Discount are redeemed, sources familiar with the Government’s schemes said.

It indicates that households have not got hold of vouchers sent by post this month, despite temperatures dropping below zero across the nation in recent weeks.

PayPoint said that the drop-off in claims this month could be linked to strike action in the UK causing delayed delivery.

Royal Mail workers have walked out for several days through November and December due to a long-running dispute with the Government over pay, jobs and conditions.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are set to walk out next on Friday 23 and Saturday 24.

On Tuesday, business and energy secretary Grant Shapps said he was concerned about the gap between vouchers being sent out and people finding the voucher.

“There isn’t one way that this is done because the energy providers are sending them out in different ways, sometimes by text, sometimes by email, sometimes through the door”, Mr Shapps told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

However, PayPoint stressed that people can still claim their Government discounts, with independent shops open early in the morning and late at night.

Steve O’Neill, corporate affairs and marketing director at PayPoint, said: “Tens of thousands of independent retailers are doing a fantastic job processing EBSS vouchers as early as 6am right through until midnight every day, thanks to their commitment to serving their local communities.”

People can also contact their energy supplier to request their voucher is reissued, change their contact details, or switch to receive vouchers through email rather than post.