Why were energy vouchers delayed in December?

Postal strikes have caused significant delays in the delivery of vouchers to prepayment customers

Thousands of customers have complained about the delayed delivery of their energy vouchers in December during the recent cold snap.

Usually, customers receive vouchers by post within the first 11 working days of each month.

However, last month, many households did not receive their vouchers until 20th December.

Under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) all domestic electricity customers get £400 towards their energy bills – this support is given in monthly instalments of £66-£67 over a period of six months.

It was reported that postal strikes delayed winter energy vouchers to more than one million households.

An Ofgem spokesperson told ELN: “Protecting consumers is our priority, and we want to make sure everyone eligible is cashing in their vouchers and getting the extra help for their bills.

“We take our compliance role over the EBSS vouchers very seriously and have a dedicated team working with suppliers to ensure EBSS payments get to consumers. We have regular individual meetings with all suppliers to track progress, understand blockers and discuss actions being taken.

“If you are yet to receive your voucher, please contact your energy supplier to ensure that they have your correct postal address information.”

ELN has contacted BEIS, EDF, British Gas, OVO and Octopus for comment.

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