Post Office urges Great Britain energy customers to claim their £66 October Energy Bills Support Scheme payment before vouchers expire in January

• Post Office branches have already provided over £190m of energy vouchers to prepayment customers but £17m remains unclaimed from October
• 80% of eligible customers have claimed their first EBSS voucher for October
• Overall, across October, November and December, 75% of customers have claimed their prepayment vouchers through the Post Office. Over £64m of EBSS payments is still waiting to be claimed through the Post Office
• Millions of people with a prepaid meter should have received a voucher by email or post to take to their local Post Office to redeem the financial support
• Almost 1 in 5 people are using cash to help them budget and manage household finances

Post Office branches in Great Britain have already processed nearly three million Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) vouchers to help people claim the £400 government energy discount. Prepayment meter customers of British Gas, EDF, E.ON, E.ON Next, Good Energy and Bulb should receive a voucher through the post or email which they can claim for energy credit at any Post Office.

Already, 80% of vouchers issued in October have been claimed but there is still £17million of unclaimed vouchers issued in October and these are only valid for 90 days so will expire during January. If customers haven’t received a voucher or have lost it, they should contact their supplier who can reissue a new voucher to claim at the Post Office.

Vouchers are the only way that people with a prepaid meter (topped up with electricity keys or gas cards) can receive the £400 discount to help with energy bills this winter as part of a support scheme first announced by the Government in April 2022. Customers just need to bring their voucher, their top-up key or card and proof of address with them to any Post Office to claim the credit and customers can claim more than one voucher at a time, if there is space on their meter. Post Office is also working with a number of charities to help get emergency funds out to people who need extra support.

There is also money going unclaimed from November and December, though some vouchers might have been delayed due to strike action impacting Royal Mail. In the next few days, January’s vouchers will be issued so some customers could have up to £266 waiting to go straight on their energy meter.

With over 11,500 branches, Post Office has the biggest retail network in the UK and is well placed to support local communities access financial support schemes, such as the EBSS as well as using cash to budget or pay their bills in person.

Andrew Goddard, Head of Payments at Post Office, said:

“We are pleased to have helped over one million households claim the support with energy bills provided by the government. Our Payout service helped get over £500m into customers’ hands in cash or energy credit in 2022 so we know how valuable this service is to our communities.

“Vouchers for the Energy Bills Support Scheme are valid for 90 days – that means that vouchers issued in October will expire in January. There is still over £64m of energy credit unclaimed with the six suppliers we support so we are urging people to come forward and claim their vouchers urgently. Households should check their mail to see if they have received a voucher and if you can’t find it, call your supplier and ask them to issue you a new one.

“Customers can of course claim their November and December vouchers too and January’s vouchers will be issued soon to assist customers during the winter period.”

ENDS