In July 2012 I bought some solar panels and registered for a Feed in Tariff (FiT) from Scottish Power linked to the RPI (retail prices index) measure of inflation and guaranteed for 25 years. I put my husband’s name next to mine on the form. For the best part of two years the FiT statements were addressed to me but then, for no apparent reason it changed to my husband’s name. This did not concern me at the time, as we had been married for over 40 years.
My husband died on December 1, 2024. Nothing had changed concerning the account — I stayed in the same house, with the same panels and meters, with payments going into the same bank account. We even shared an email address, but at this point I didn’t think his name should be on the envelopes and statements. So I rang Scottish Power.
I was shocked at the reaction. The company would not check the name on the original paperwork and immediately shut down the account, meaning that I was no longer getting paid for the electricity I was generating. It said nothing could be done until it had sight of probate.
Finally in October 2025 I received my grant of probate to give me authority to manage my husband’s estate and since then I have been corresponding with Scottish Power, filling in forms, finding numbers and sending photographs. I am a 74-year-old widow, my computer skills are limited and I feel I am getting nowhere. I just don’t know what to do next. How many photos of my meter do they need?
Kathryn, Cambridgeshire
I was appalled to read your letter about how Scottish Power has treated you over an amend to your account name. I was also very sorry to read of the loss of your husband. While you have been trying to cope with this, you have been out of pocket because your FiT payments have been frozen.
The FiT scheme, which closed to new applicants on April 1, 2019, pays homeowners with registered renewable technology (like your solar panels) for the electricity they generate and export to the grid.
You have suffered two harsh winters without any payments, all while battling to get the matter resolved. Even once you had your grant of probate, you appeared to be no closer to getting the account reopened.
My involvement, however, triggered fast action by Scottish Power to make the name change and restart your payments. It told me that the problem was rooted in that when you called to amend the name on the account, Scottish Power deemed it to be a “change of responsibility” request, rather than a change of name following bereavement. These involve two different processes and unfortunately the former was the more complicated. Why this hadn’t been picked up along the way is another matter. That would have saved you considerable stress and hassle.
Scottish Power has confirmed that backdated FiT payments of £1,806 will now be paid and offered you £500 compensation, which you have accepted. Its initial offer was just £100, which was far from a fitting amount. Since FiT payments are tax-free the money will be all yours to keep.
You said: “You are a genius! I have been approved, invoices generated, and my money is on its way. Thank you for your help.”
Scottish Power said: “We’re sorry for the difficulties and delays our customer experienced in resolving account issues following the loss of her husband. While this has taken longer than it should, we’ve now updated the FiT account to her name and processed the payments in full. In recognition of the inconvenience and distress caused — especially at such a difficult time — we have also offered an additional goodwill payment, which our customer has accepted, and the matter is now fully resolved.”
Changing names on a utilities account can be problematic when someone has died, so if you are in a couple, it may be worth keeping your accounts in both your names.
The FiT scheme is overseen by the energy regulator, Ofgem, but any issues with money owed should be raised with your energy supplier. If after eight weeks you have not reached a solution you can refer it to the Energy Ombudsman.
On the first day of a three-night break to Norway at the end of February my husband took a turn too fast and fell in our beginner’s ski class. He broke both bones in his lower left leg and shattered his knee.
It was a horrendous freak accident and he ended up getting compartment syndrome too. Cue an extended stay (although our son, 19, flew home at the planned time) and four operations — one in Voss and three in Bergen after being transferred. My husband’s recovery is going to be a long journey but what’s not helping is the fact that our travel insurer, Coverwise, keeps fobbing us off each time we try to chase up our out-of-pocket expenses claim.
The Norwegian health service covered all the medical bills (thank goodness for GHIC — global health insurance cards), and Coverwise automatically arranged for an extended hotel stay (apart from one night I had to pay for while I waited for the team to make arrangements) and the hotel in Bergen. However, it is really stalling in coming back to us on our claim for expenses totalling about £1,500. I have all the receipts, but six weeks after submitting the claim there’s no resolution in sight.
Nikki, London
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What rotten luck to have such an awful accident — and on the very first day of skiing. You told me that he is making a slow and steady recovery.
While the GHIC did the trick for medical expenses, unfortunately your insurer wasn’t quite so efficient when it came to paying your out-of-pocket expenses.
There was the unused ski pass, taxis to and from the hospital, a hotel stay for you in Voss while your husband was in hospital and your train fare from one hospital to the other in Bergen because you couldn’t be accommodated in the ambulance.
Your claim also included the £50-a-night hospital allowance included in the policy. This is designed to cover comforts such as snacks, magazines and books to keep a patient occupied during their stay.
Claims on Coverwise travel insurance are dealt with by Axa Partners UK, which looked into your case after my call. It found that the documentation for your claim had been assigned to the wrong team.
Your expenses of £1,228.72 have now been approved and paid. There was a £50 excess on your single-trip policy that had cost you £52.67.
The amount paid out was a little less than your original claim because some expenses were not accepted, including new clothing you had to buy for your husband’s journey home — you needed shorts rather than trousers, and sliders because his foot was so swollen he couldn’t wear shoes.
You were also told that the insurance policy did not cover replacement costs for the clothes that were cut off him at the hospital or the temporary car insurance to enable your son to drive the family car back from Gatwick airport when he flew home on your original flight.
Oddly it wouldn’t reimburse you for the unused ski equipment hire even though it was included in the policy. I challenged this and Axa paid up an extra £44, as well as £150 compensation.
You said: “We didn’t expect to have to fight so hard for these expenses to be reimbursed. We are really grateful for your help.”
Axa Partners UK said: “We apologise for the delay the family experienced during the claims process. The claim has now been settled. We acknowledge that this experience did not meet the high standards we set ourselves. Feedback has been provided to the relevant teams to strengthen our processes and reduce the risk of similar situations in the future.”
If your claim is taking longer than it should, submit a formal complaint. After eight weeks you can ask your insurer for a “deadlock” letter and take the issue to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
It’s also worth noting that this tale illustrates the importance of a GHIC when travelling in Europe — even for a short trip. Don’t jet off without it.
£1,018,050 — the amount Your Money Matters has won back for readers so far this year
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