Martin Whitfield MSP is urging households with pre-payment meters to redeem their energy vouchers before the 30th June deadline.

Under the UK Energy Bill Support Scheme, which ended in March, households with older, non-digital pre-payment meters were issued with vouchers by post, text or email.

Latest figures show that around one in four eligible households in East Lothian are still to claim support they are entitled to.

Anyone whose voucher has not arrived, or is lost or expired, can ask for a new one to be issued.

Martin Whitfield MSP said:

“Prepayment meter users have been among the hardest hit by spiralling energy costs, so it is vital that they benefit from all of the financial assistance available.

“That’s why it is so concerning to learn that up to one in four eligible households in East Lothian have still not redeemed all their vouchers.

“With only weeks to go before the vouchers expire, I want to help ensure that households with these older prepayment meters hear this message and redeem them before the 30th June deadline.

“We urgently need more action from both the UK and the Scottish governments to help people through this cost of living crisis, and to ensure everyone can get what they are entitled to.”

Fuel poverty charity Energy Action Scotland has issued the following key advice for consumers with vouchers:

  • The vouchers issued under the scheme are valid for 90 days, expired vouchers can be re-issued through the energy supplier, but all vouchers expire on 30th June when the scheme ends
  • If a household is ‘storing’ their vouchers to redeem later, they must be aware that most pre-payment meters can only hold up to around £250 of energy credit at a time.
  • If a household didn’t receive, has lost their voucher or had it expire, then they must ask their supplier for a new one to be reissued
  • All eligible pre-payment meter households should have received all six of their vouchers by now. These will have been sent from their energy supplier by post, email or text message
  • If the voucher was initially sent by post, people can ask their supplier to send it by email or text message instead. The Government says suppliers are required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure every household receives their discount.