Power companies - credit question ?

[DustyLee123]

I thought that, if you got to a certain level of credit, the power companies had to pay back your credit as a lump sum? I seem to remember a scandal of elderly people dying in poverty, yet they were massively in credit with their bills.
I ask as we found that we were over £500 in credit, yet all they’ve done is reduce our payments. DH won’t get in the phone and ask for it back, and the account is in his name.

OFGEM says "you can ask your supplier to refund you at any time. Suppliers must do so promptly unless they have reasonable grounds not to". But I think the different suppliers have different policies on when they refund and when they just reduce a direct debit.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/check-if-you-are-owed-money-your-energy-bill

Our supplier says you can ask for a refund if the account's in credit by more than one month’s direct debit amount. But until recently they'd only give a refund if you were more than 3 MONTHS of DD in credit. They must have been holding onto huge amounts of customer money!

You should be able to find your supplier's refund policy online without needing your DH to do anything.

The prices are rumoured to be going down in April so if we have a lot of credit at that point we'll ask for it back. Better the money's earning a few pennies in our savings account than they're holding onto it. But as the account's in your DH's name I guess there isn't a lot you can do if he won't call.