More than 150,000 Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers in the West Midlands were still unclaimed as of 22 February 2023, according to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which said Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, was urging households to redeem them before the 31 March 2023 deadline1.
The scheme provides a £400 discount on energy bills and applies to all households in Great Britain, the WMCA said. The discount was initially applied over a six-month period, with reductions of £66 in October and November 2022 and then £67 every month between December 2022 and March 2023. The vouchers were first announced in May 20221.
As of the end of January 2023, 76% of all vouchers issued had been redeemed, which the WMCA said meant support had reached more households than at any other point since the scheme began1.
Street said:
"That's why I want to ensure that everyone is receiving all the help that they're entitled to from the government so I'm urging those 150,000+ households in the West Midlands who have yet to redeem their vouchers to make sure to claim the benefit before it is too late."
The WMCA said people who use prepayment meters may be required to redeem their vouchers at their local top-up point. It said suppliers have a responsibility to inform customers how to access government support using the vouchers and must make several attempts to contact people who have not redeemed them1.
The WMCA did not report how many vouchers remain unclaimed in individual local authority areas, nor how the 150,000 figure breaks down by supplier or by household type. It also did not report whether the 31 March 2023 deadline could be extended1.
Why it matters for households
The £400 discount is delivered through vouchers rather than as an automatic credit for every household, so a voucher that is not redeemed is money a household does not receive. For homes in the West Midlands, the unclaimed total represents support that has already been allocated but not yet taken up1.
Redemption matters most for households on prepayment meters, who the WMCA says may need to act at a local top-up point rather than through an online account or direct debit1. For any household, the practical effect of redeeming is the same: a reduction in the amount paid for electricity over the winter months, at a time when the WMCA describes rising energy bills as central to cost of living pressures in the region1.
The scheme sits alongside other government support for home energy costs, including the Energy Company Obligation, which funds efficiency measures rather than bill discounts. Households looking at installer-delivered grants may find the grants and schemes hub useful, and those dealing with installer-led voucher schemes can read how long an installer has to redeem a Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher. Delivery of ECO and related schemes is handled by bodies such as YES Energy Solutions.
What happens next
The deadline for redeeming Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers is 31 March 2023, according to the WMCA1. The WMCA said households that have not yet claimed should check online or contact their provider before that date1. No further steps beyond that date have been reported.