ENERGY bills will fall for millions of households this summer – but it’s important to make a key move before then.
The price cap will go down by £129 on July 1, cutting the average energy bill from £1,849 to £1,720 a year.
Energy bills are falling for millions of households from July[/caption]
Over 22million households on standard variable tariffs are directly affected by the price cap, which is updated every three months.
Many might still pay more than Ofgem’s headline figure because the cap limits the prices you pay, not your total bill.
Those on a standard variable tariff – as opposed to a fixed deal – should submit their electricity and gas readings to their supplier as close as possible to July 1 to ensure they are billed accurately at the lower prices.
If you don’t submit readings, you risk having some of your usage after this date charged at the previous, more expensive rates.
Suppliers who have not received meter readings base their bills on estimated usage, meaning households could be overpaying, while others may not be paying enough.
But even if you took your meter reading close to July 1, you don’t have to submit it straight away.
Many firms actually offer longer for customers to submit the reading.
Some give you a few days after the price cap changes to submit a backdated meter reading, while others give you a week or more.
For example, E.On Next customers can submit their meter reading from five days before the price cap change until five days after.
While British Gas asks customers to submit the reading a few days before or up to 14 days after.
Check with your supplier to find out the latest date you can submit a reading.
It’s worth noting that if you’re on a fixed rate tariff, or if you have a smart or prepayment meter, you don’t need to submit readings.
How to submit a meter reading
The easiest way to take a meter reading is to take a photo of your gas and electricity meters.
This means you have evidence in case you need to dispute a bill.
You can send in your meter reading online via your energy account.
Some providers will also let you send in the numbers by text or through their app.
Check which options your supplier offers on their website.
Electricity meters
If you have a digital electricity meter, you will see a row of six numbers.
Five of them will be in black and one will be in red.
Write down the five numbers in black, which are shown from left to right.
If you are on an economy 7 or 10 tariff, which gives you cheaper electricity at night, then you will have two rows of numbers.
You need both to take a reading.
If you have a traditional dial meter then you need to read the first five dials from left to right.
Ignore any red dials.
If the pointer is between two numbers then write down the lowest figure.
If it is between nine and zero then write down the number nine.
Gas meters
If you have a digital metric gas meter showing five numbers followed by a decimal point then you need to write down the first five numbers.
If you have a digital imperial meter then you will see four black numbers and two red numbers.
Write down the four black numbers only.
If you have a digital gas meter, follow the same steps as the digital electricity meter.
What energy bill help is available?
There’s a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you’re struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill.
Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
