The Commons Public Accounts Committee published its report on the government's energy bills support measures, including the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), and National Energy Action (NEA) issued its response on 16 June 20231. NEA chief executive Adam Scorer said the government's response had grown since October 2022 but that many of those who need help most are falling through the cracks1.
Scorer called for any committed but unspent resources to be reinvested, saying that should support more than 2.5 million low-income and vulnerable households who are no longer receiving any government support1. He warned that without more targeted support this autumn and winter, those households would be exposed to the worst of the ongoing crisis, with consequences for health and wellbeing1.
"Even though bills are due to fall by hundred pounds, energy prices will remain hugely inflated and continue to hit households on the lowest incomes. While the Government response has grown to meet this challenge since October 2022, many people who need help the most are falling through the cracks."
NEA also set out the deadlines attached to Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers. Vouchers expire after 90 days, and all vouchers must be redeemed by 30 June 20231. If a voucher does expire, households can ask their supplier for it to be reissued1.
The report examined the government's energy bills support measures introduced in response to the energy crisis1. The sources do not give the report's own findings or recommendations, the total value of unspent resources, or the size of the support NEA is seeking beyond the 2.5 million households figure; none of these has been reported here.
Why it matters for households
The EBSS delivered a discount on domestic electricity bills, and the voucher deadlines mean any household still holding an unredeemed voucher faces losing that support unless it acts before 30 June 2023 or asks its supplier to reissue an expired one1. For homes that have already moved off the scheme, the NEA position is that no further government support is reaching them, which leaves their energy independence resting on the household budget alone at a time when prices remain, in NEA's words, hugely inflated1. The practical levers available to a household in that position are the ones covered in this site's guides, including how much insulation saves on energy bills, how much draught-proofing saves and how much changing habits can save, with payback periods for home energy measures compared setting out how long each takes to repay its cost. NEA is the fuel poverty charity whose work on household energy independence sits alongside the wider regulation and policy picture, and readers new to the subject can start from the getting-started hub.
What happens next
All Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers must be redeemed by 30 June 2023, and expired vouchers can be reissued on request to the supplier1. NEA has called for unspent resources to be reinvested to support more than 2.5 million low-income and vulnerable households ahead of autumn and winter1. No government response to that call, and no date for one, has been reported.