One in five homes have not cashed energy vouchers

One successful 5 households with prepayment meters person not cashed successful their vigor vouchers issued to assistance wage bills.

Data seen by the BBC showed astir 380,000 vouchers, totalling up to 19% of homes, were not redeemed each period successful October and successful November.

It means arsenic overmuch arsenic £50m of authorities enactment for vigor has gone unclaimed by immoderate of the astir vulnerable.

The authorities has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

The Energy Support Scheme provides £400 to each household successful Britain.

Most of the homes successful England, Scotland and Wales wage their vigor measure by nonstop debit and person been getting astir £66 a period knocked disconnected their bills oregon credited to their relationship automatically.

However, the strategy has been much cumbersome for the 2 cardinal households that person a accepted pre-payment metre for their state oregon electricity. They person the enactment done vouchers successful the station oregon via email.

The vouchers past request to beryllium taken to a section PayPoint store oregon a Post Office to beryllium credited onto a meter.

Many households with accepted pre-payment meters are considered among the astir vulnerable. Customers wage for their vigor successful advance, either done an relationship oregon utilizing a top-up paper and successful galore cases these meters person often been fitted erstwhile radical person a past of missing measure payments.

Figures from some PayPoint and the Post Office showed that 81% of vouchers for October and November were cashed earlier they expired, meaning 19% - astir 380,000 homes - did not currency those vouchers earlier the November expiry day connected 5 February.

Although the deadline has passed, it is inactive imaginable for the voucher wealth to beryllium claimed. A idiosyncratic who has not received their voucher oregon has not cashed it successful clip needs to interaction their vigor supplier, cheque that their interaction details are correct, and inquire for the voucher to beryllium re-issued to them.

With precisely the aforesaid proportionality of vouchers not redeemed for some October and November, it could mean that immoderate households person missed retired some months, and truthful beryllium £132 out-of-pocket.

According to Citizens Advice, the main crushed for radical not cashing an vigor voucher is due to the fact that they haven not received it yet.

Dr Elizabeth Blakelock, an vigor specializer astatine the charity, said immoderate radical had been told to cheque emails for vouchers, but did not person entree to the internet.

"They don't usage an email relationship regularly truthful they can't usage that method," she added. "And determination seems to beryllium galore radical wherever their code information is incorrect, truthful it conscionable hasn't landed connected their doorstep."

Energy suppliers person been criticised for their attraction of susceptible customers, and particularly implicit the contented of forcibly fitted prepayment meters.

Charities accidental susceptible radical who person been switched person not been capable to spend to top-up their meter, leaving them successful the acold and acheronian during the winter.

The latest information comes during a bid of developments connected the contented during the past 24 hours including:

Dr Blakelock said determination was a "core group" of radical who were "just not getting the enactment that they need".

"What we request to spot is for the vigor companies to marque it truly casual for radical to get successful interaction with them truthful that they tin re-issue those vouchers," she added.

Steve O'Neill, firm affairs and selling manager astatine PayPoint said of the radical who cashed their vouchers successful its stores, 23% waited little than a time earlier redeeming it.