Households across England, Scotland and Wales are being urged to take action as they face a four per cent jump in energy bills next week.
From Thursday (October 1), variable tariff costs will rise in line with Ofgem’s latest price cap, pushing typical annual bills to £1,723 for those paying by direct debit.
The increase, equivalent to an extra £5 per month or £60 over a full year, lands just as autumn temperatures prompt millions to fire up their central heating.
With the increase only days away, more than four million homes still on standard variable tariffs and lacking smart meters are being urged to act now.
Britons need to ‘submit an accurate smart meter reading’ before a looming deadline | GETTY
Customers are being told to either submit meter readings or consider a switch to a fixed-rate deal before winter bills climb further.
Volatile global energy markets remain the primary factor behind shifts in what consumers pay. Ofgem recalculates the cap every quarter, basing it predominantly on wholesale market prices.
The mechanism, introduced by the Government in January 2019, sets a ceiling on the per-kilowatt-hour rate that suppliers in England, Scotland and Wales can charge domestic customers.
Crucially, the cap does not place a limit on total household bills, consumers are still charged according to how much gas and electricity they actually use.
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Comparison site Uswitch has warned that households without smart meters should send readings to their supplier before the end of September to prevent being billed at the higher rate for energy consumed prior to the change.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Submitting a meter reading, if you don’t have a smart meter, before or on Thursday October 1 will ensure the energy used is charged at the correct rates and not estimated by a supplier.”
Without a reading, suppliers may estimate usage, potentially applying the new, costlier unit rates to energy that was actually consumed under the previous, cheaper cap.
Mr Gallizzi added: “That same deadline applies for the 15 million households on standard tariffs wanting to beat the hike entirely by locking in a lower-rate fixed deal before energy costs rocket for winter.”
Ofgem confirmed this week that its energy price cap will increase by four per cent from October 1 | GETTY
Average households on standard tariffs can expect to pay around £145 for their energy in October, a jump of roughly a third compared with the £109 typical in September.
That steep rise reflects both higher unit rates under the new cap and the inevitable increase in consumption as temperatures drop and heating systems are switched on.