Where am I going wrong re Energy Bill Support Scheme?

kivoowl

Hi all - I'm not sure where else to turn so thought I'd post on here to seek advice!

I live in a rented property and pay for electric and gas by pre-payment meter. I pop to the Post Office at the bottom of my road and put £20 on there whenever I'm low. Both gas and electric are on EDF Energy.

I haven't received any of the vouchers for the Energy Bill Support Scheme yet.

Everyone I know has either had their £67 a month taken off their bill or vouchers to top up their pre-payment meter, but I haven't had any.

I have contacted EDF numerous times by phone, WhatsApp and email but they insist I am provided by Scottish Power and need to contact them!?

I switched to EDF when I moved into the property in 2019 and haven't changed since. Both my gas card and electric key have EDF Energy on them. When I get a receipt from either, EDF's name is printed on it.

I can't understand how they can claim Scottish Power supply me and just fob me off to them given all this, but then when I phoned National Grid they confirmed I am indeed supplied by Scottish Power! So confusing!

So I contacted Scottish Power and lo and behold - they say they have sent out the vouchers to my address, but in someone else's name!!!!

I have an account with EDF, but not with Scottish Power, so the latter can't help me.

It's almost as though someone has switched my energy supplier for me, but how can EDF still be on receipts when I top up my meter?

I don't know where to turn next - I am currently without heating as I just can't afford it any more.

I am worried that by the time I get this issue sorted it'll be a case of "Too late, those vouchers don't apply any more"

EssexHebridean

Go here: https://www.findmysupplier.energy to find your gas supplier for a start. There is a way of doing it for electric as well but I can't recall offhand how - someone else will know. At least then you will know exactly where you do stand, for sure in terms of supplier. 

Gerry1

For electricity (two stage process): https://www.energynetworks.org/customers/find-my-network-operator

molerat

Did you contact SP when you moved in and set up an account with them ?  If not that is the root of your problem and it will be a bit of a mess sorting it out.

kivoowl

Nope - had absolutely nothing to do with Scottish Power whatsoever.

Contacted both EDF and Scottish Power and been told by both to contact the other party.

Feel like I'm just going to have to admit defeat.

jbuchanangb

You say that you switched to EDF when you moved in in 2019. What did you do to make that happen? The proper process when moving into a property with prepayment meters is to contact the incumbent supplier, request new payment keys, to make sure you aren't paying off the previous occupier's debt, and away you go. If indeed the property is supplied by Scottish Power, but in someone else's name, then now is the time to contact Scottish Power, inform them that you are now the occupier, provide them with details of the meter readings etc, and they should send you new payment keys. You should then start receiving the EBSS vouchers.

macman

That's your problem then. You can't switch to a new supplier until you register with and give opening reads to the existing supplier, with whom you are n a deemed contract from day one. SP will have blocked your switch to EDF because you failed to register with them.

CanNeverThinkOfAUsername

While you are using the EDF prepaid key/card to top up, if the supplier is in-fact Scottish Power all EDF will be doing it passing the money to them behind the scenes. This can mean the tariff details are wrong when you are topping up, so you may get a "catch-up" bill to pay. I would get this sorted ASAP.