Households have been urged to take meter readings before Saturday when the price cap will come into force.

Energy suppliers are expected to have more website traffic that might cause delays or even disruption in the entire process of submitting meter readings as was the case on 1st April, the last time the price cap was updated.

However, Energy UK said: “There is no need to submit a meter reading on 1st October – there is no need to act urgently as most suppliers will accept readings for a few days either side, and offer numerous channels including text, email and apps, online account submissions, but these vary.

“Customers with a working smart meter (credit or prepayment) or on fixed-term tariffs, do not need to submit meter readings.”

“Providing up-to-date meter readings is always sensible – especially with a price rise coming in. With high call volumes and website traffic likely, make the most of the different methods of submitting meter readings.”

The trade association has also stressed that the government’s £2,500 Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), represents an average annual bill for a typical household paying by direct debit. 

While £2,500 is indicated by the EPG, the cap is actually per unit of electricity or gas so customers; bills will depend on how much energy they use and will also vary if they are prepayment customers or pay by standard credit.

Juliete Sanders, Energy UK’s Director of Strategic Communications, said: “In most cases, customers don’t need to do anything to benefit from the support being provided to bill payers, but equally households will still be facing higher bills than last winter so it’s important for them to be aware of any actions they should take and where they can go for further support and advice.”