A new energy price cap of £3,549 has been confirmed today by government regulator Ofgem, meaning the average household bill for gas and electricity will jump 80 per cent - from £,1971 to £3,549.
This figure applies to households who have "typical usage" of energy. However, money expert Martin Lewis warned that most homes will use more than this, and could see bills soar to as high as £10,000.
Back in April, the price cap rose from £1,200 to £1,971 annually. As a result, Mr Lewis advised households to submit meter readings the day before the new figure came into force..
He suggested this so people could let their energy providers know exactly how much gas and electricity they used, so they could be charged accordingly before the price cap jumped.
If you apply this logic again before October, then you should look to submit an energy meter reading on Friday, September 30, the day before everything goes up, the Mirror reports.
"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," Mr Lewis told viewers on his ITV show earlier this year.
"Don't start charging me more on the higher rate and estimating I use some of it afterwards."
Energy company E-On hit out at Mr Lewis in March after hundreds of thousands tried to submit their meter readings at the last minute for the April rise, causing its site to crash. Companies such as British Gas and Scottish Power had similar problems during the end-of-March panic.
Ofgem has just announced that it will now review its price cap four times a year, instead of twice a year. It will now review the price cap every January, April, July and October.
How to take meter readings
To send a meter reading, you need to record the first five numbers shown from left to right on your meter to your energy supplier. You can do this over the phone, online or through an app if your supplier has one.
Digital meters will show five numbers in black and white, followed by one or more red numbers. The red numbers can be ignored.
Support for rising energy bills
The Government has pledged help for households this Winter. A discount of £400 will be applied to the gas and electricity bills of households across the country from October.
This will be automatic and people do not need to apply for it.
Around 29 million homes across England, Wales and Scotland will receive the new support.
Experts such as Mr Lewis however have warned that this will not go far enough, and the figure has not been revised since May, with prices changing dramatically since then.
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