Thousands still missing out on energy vouchers

Thousands of Scottish customers with prepayment meters are still missing out on vouchers to help with energy bills, the BBC understands.

Every bill payer is entitled to a discount of £66 a month from October to March as part of the UK government's Energy Bill Support Scheme.

About 300,000 prepayment customers in Scotland should be sent vouchers to top up at a shop or Post Office.

But energy charities say many of the poorest households are yet to get them.

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Last month the Post Office, the UK's biggest voucher processor, said only 60% of those eligible had redeemed the credits, which are valid for 90 days.

Payment company PayPoint, which also processes the vouchers, previously told the BBC it had only redeemed half of the credit it expected to in October.

It is thought issues with energy companies using third parties to send out the vouchers could be part of the problem.

The UK government has told the electricity companies that they must make three attempts by two different means - either post, text or email - to get vouchers to customers.

It has urged people to contact their supplier if they have any issues and to use the credit as soon as possible.

'I could really be doing with the money right now'

Margaret Evans, from Drumoyne in Glasgow, has now missed out on discounts for both October and November.

She received a text from Scottish Power saying her vouchers had been sent to her email address - despite her not having one.

"I've been on the phone to them quite a few times but every time it's always a long queue and you're sitting on the phone for ages," she said.

"One time it was 45 minutes and I just had to hang up because I've got phone bills to think of too."

Mrs Evans received a text saying her vouchers has been sent to an email address which she doesn't have

Mrs Evans admits she could "really be doing with the money right now" as the weather gets colder.

"I say to the kids, go into the one room and we'll heat the one room up to stay warm. That's all we can do at the moment.

"It used to be a £20 (top-up voucher) would do us for the week but now that's £30, £40 or even £45 a week.

"It's really hard for us."

The Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) was first announced by the UK government in May and applies across Scotland, England and Wales.

Under the scheme, everyone's energy bill will be cut by £400. This will be applied over six months, with a reduction of £66 in October and November, and £67 every month between December and March 2023.

The problem is affecting people across the country, according to energy advisor Conor Forbes

Conor Forbes, from Advice Direct Scotland who run an energy helpline, told BBC Scotland that problems with people missing out on vouchers were being replicated across the country.

He said: "In the last month, 11% of our energy-related inquiries were in relation to people not receiving their vouchers.

"That represents thousands of Scottish households and, indeed, they are just the people who have reached out to us.

"There will more than likely be other people who are wondering where their vouchers are."

The energy watchdog Ofgem said the responsibility for getting the vouchers to customers lies entirely with energy suppliers.

A spokesman said: "These vouchers are being sent directly to consumers from their supplier, and can be sent using a variety of methods such as text message, email or post so can take some time to arrive.

"If it has not, or if consumers face difficulties with redeeming their voucher, they should contact their energy supplier directly.

"If this is not resolved to a customer's satisfaction they can raise a complaint in the usual manner.

'Data issues'

ScottishPower said "the vast majority" of its customers had received their EBSS payments on time and as expected.

A spokesperson said it was working hard to get the payments to those who had so far not been able to redeem them.

"This is mostly down to some data issues out of our control," the spokesperson said.

"We are continually amending and updating the information we have to ensure the continued smooth roll-out. We are administering this scheme in compliance with the guidance set out by the government."