UK Power Networks has said it is considering how to build on a fuel voucher trial run with the disability equality charity Scope, which gave more than 1,000 customers of Scope's Disability Energy Support service across England and Wales an £80 voucher towards their energy bill1. The scheme began in November 2022 and ran until the end of March 2023, and was shortlisted earlier this year at the Business Charity Awards1.
The trial was described by the network operator as the first of its kind, and was aimed at disabled people who rely on electricity for medical reasons and have a credit meter1. Vouchers were collected from Post Office branches through its Payout service, which the Post Office says offers a way to manage refunds and customer cash-back without paperwork1. Customers also received longer term support including advice on benefits, energy trust fund applications, water debt relief, and energy and water efficiency1. UK Power Networks reports that 80 per cent of customers reported a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing as a result1.
Scope research cited in the announcement found that disabled households face on average extra costs of £975 a month to reach an equal standard of living with non-disabled households1. The announcement states that financial support at an early stage, when costs start to squeeze a household budget, has been proven to reduce the risk of credit meter customers accumulating more debt or being switched to a prepayment meter1. Since the start of the crisis, the number of users of Scope's online energy information and advice has more than tripled1.
Ian Cameron, director of Customer Service and Innovation at UK Power Networks, said:
"Electricity is a service essential for life. Our customers rely on it, and some lives depend on it. At UK Power Networks, we have a social responsibility to our customers, and it is clear the impact of these vouchers goes much further than their monetary value."
The announcement says learnings from the pilot continue to be shared with the wider electricity industry, and that the approach has been developed so other organisations can help more customers across the UK1. No further trial, funding round or national rollout has been reported1.
Why it matters for households
The trial addresses a specific group of homes: those where electricity is needed for medical equipment and where the meter is a credit meter rather than prepayment1. For those households, a credit meter bill that builds up can lead to debt and, the announcement says, to being switched to a prepayment meter, which changes how supply is paid for and can interrupt supply if credit runs out1. Early financial support is presented as a way of reducing that risk1.
The practical route tested here was a voucher collected in person at a Post Office, rather than a credit applied automatically to an account1. The Post Office says its Payout product has helped get over £1 billion out to people in the last year, and that its network numbers 11,500 branches1. For a household without easy online access or a bank account suited to digital payments, that in-person route is the part that makes the support usable1.
The wider point for energy independence is about who carries the cost of a home's essential electricity use. The £80 voucher is a one-off contribution towards a bill, not a change to how a home is supplied or metered1. The network operator's role here is as a distributor, which is separate from the supplier that bills a household; the UK Power Networks area, connections and flexibility page sets out what that company does, and who does what between UK Power Networks and National Grid explains the split. Households that need to notify the operator about work near its equipment can find the process on the building near power lines page, and the wider picture of supply arrangements sits in the national supply hub.
What happens next
UK Power Networks says it is considering how it can build on the success of the trial1. No date, budget or scope for any successor scheme has been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- UK Power Networks and Scope trial voucher scheme for disabled customers | UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk