There are only eight days left for households to cash in all their vouchers worth £400 before the UK government’s energy bill support closes on June 30.

Advice Direct Scotland, the national energy advice service for Scotland, is encouraging eligible individuals to check for any lost or missing vouchers without delay. The charity has also reminded Scots who rely on off-grid energy and received a £200 government payment in vouchers to use them before June 30. More than 1.7 million prepayment meter vouchers were issued in Scotland between October last year and March. But 439,090 (25 per cent) have not been redeemed, new government figures show.

At the end of March, there were over 87,000 vouchers (31 per cent) still unused in Glasgow. In Edinburgh, the figure stood at 36,290 (34 per cent).
North and South Lanarkshire also had high levels of unused vouchers, with 28,390 (25 per cent) and 25,620 (27 per cent) respectively, that had not yet been cashed in.

Fife had 23,540 unused vouchers, accounting for 25 per cent of the total. Aberdeen had 17,560 unused vouchers, also at 25 per cent, while Dundee had 13,550 unused vouchers, representing 18 per cent.

Almost one in five households in Scotland use prepayment meters for their gas or electricity. Most households had £400 automatically taken off their electricity bills in six instalments, or had the money added to their accounts. However, those on traditional prepayment meters need the vouchers, worth either £66 or £67, to get the discount.

If a voucher does expire, customers can ask for it to be reissued. Those with multiple unredeemed vouchers are reminded that most traditional prepayment meters can hold only up to £250 of credit at a time, and it is advised to top up before they become invalid.

Advice Direct Scotland also said those who received Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) as vouchers should check they have redeemed them by June 30. This includes people who heat their homes using tanked or bottled gas, liquid petroleum gas, oil, or solid fuels like coal, wood and peat.

Advice Direct Scotland, wants to make sure that households do not miss out and has urged Scots to:

• Check unopened mail and junk email, in case the vouchers have been missed.
• Contact energy suppliers, using details found on bills, statements, and official websites.
• Contact energyadvice.scot if there are any difficulties getting through to suppliers or resolving issues. The team can be contacted on 0808 196 8660 (Monday to Friday,
• 9am-5pm), or through www.energyadvice.scot.

Hazel Knowles, energy project team lead for Advice Direct Scotland, said: “Given the incredibly high energy prices, it’s concerning that one in four vouchers have not been redeemed, leaving tens of thousands of Scots with traditional prepayment meters at risk of missing out.

“It’s crucial that households ensure they have received and used all their vouchers by checking unopened mail or emails that may have gone into their junk folder.

“Energy companies should reissue vouchers that haven’t been received and check customers are getting support in the most suitable format – be it text, post or email.

“If you haven’t received your vouchers, you should immediately get in touch with your energy supplier or Advice Direct Scotland’s expert advisors.

“Right now, our qualified team are ready to provide free, practical support to anyone in Scotland through the energyadvice.scot service or call 0808 196 8660 for assistance. We can also help any customers having difficulties reaching their supplier.”