Householders with prepayment meters are being urged to redeem their energy vouchers to help with their bills before the expiry date.
According to the BBC, numerous customers with prepayment meters are yet to claim the vouchers that were given out as part of the Government's energy support package. Since October 1, households have received an automatic discount to their energy bills.
The sum of £400 is being issued in instalments to everyone. Those with non-smart prepayment meters have been given vouchers that they can redeem - but these vouchers have an expiry date.
Read More: Energy saving tips that will save you money - and others which are a waste of time
However, PayPoint told the BBC they had only seen half of the expected value redeemed. The company said it expected to see 800,000 vouchers in October, worth £52.8m, but only £27m had been claimed.
Prepayment users are being warned that the vouchers are only valid for 90 days, so they will need to be quick to ensure they get money off their energy bill. Customers can redeem them where they usually top up.
Every month, under the Energy Bill Support Scheme, households will see a discount on their electric bill with a £66 reduction in October and November and a £67 reduction from December to March.
Those who pay by bills or direct debit are either seeing the amount credited to their account, taken off their totals or returned to their banks. Those with pre-payment meters, which need to be topped up, have been given vouchers. There are more than four million people with prepayment meters across the UK.
Consumer expert Martin Lewis tweeted: "Are you on a NON-SMART PREPAYMENT energy meter? If so there are reports today many people on these have not yet claimed their £66/mth winter energy help vouchers. If you're in that position, have you claimed, if not why not (maybe just not topped up yet after pre-loading?)"
A spokesperson for the Department for Business told the BBC that customers are being urged to have the credit applied to their meter as soon as possible. The Energy Saving Trust has said people should check their energy supplier has the correct address for them: "If you aren’t sure if your supplier has your correct contact details, get in touch with them and check. This is important because otherwise they won’t be able to tell you how to access the discount."
Those unsure of their supplier can use this tool to check.
Read Next:
