Householders are being urged to take action with their gas and electricity meters ahead of a hike in bills coming into force on October 1. People should take a meter reading on or before September 30 to ensure bills stay accurate.
Even if you have a smart meter, which sends updates directly to your energy supplier, it is worth reading the meter to double-check you are charged the correct amount.
Gas and electricity bills will go up on October 1, meaning you will be charged a higher rate. If you take a meter reading before that date you can make sure any energy you have used so far is only charged at the current lower rate.
Money expert Martin Lewis previously said: "That way you draw a line in the sand that says to your energy firm, I've only used this amount at the cheaper rate."
To send a meter reading, record the first five numbers shown from left to right to your energy supplier. You can do this over the phone, online or through an app, reports The Mirror.
Digital meters will show five numbers in black and white, followed by one or more red numbers. The red numbers can be ignored.
Those with prepayment meters may be able to 'stock up' by paying for credit now at a lower rate, although experts say that may only work for a very limited number of customers.
According to Andrew Capstick at MoneySavingExpert: "On Saturday 1 October, prepay energy prices are rising by 27% on average. One question we get asked all the time is: "Can you top up energy NOW to keep cheaper prices for longer?" We've worked hard on this, but it has been tough to nail down.
"To the best of our knowledge, this trick won't work with any prepayment gas meter, or on any smart meter. Yet if you've got an older, non-smart electricity meter, you may be able to legally 'stockpile' electricity credit before prices rise, which could mean decent savings – but only try it if you can afford to."
MSE says it may work if you have an old electricity meter with British Gas, Bulb, EDF, Octopus, Ovo, Shell or SSE.
