More than five million households with major energy suppliers including British Gas, EDF, EON, Ovo, and Octopus have been warned to submit a meter reading by the end of Tuesday to avoid paying more than necessary. A new price cap from regulator Ofgem takes effect on Wednesday, July 1.
Price Cap Rise Could Hit Non-Smart Meter Customers
Ofgem’s updated price cap will increase energy costs for millions. The 5.3 million customers affected are those on standard tariffs without a smart meter, meaning their supplier does not have automatic access to accurate usage data. Without a manual reading, bills may be estimated at higher rates.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at comparison site Uswitch, said: “Customers who don’t have a smart meter should submit their readings before or on Wednesday 1 July, so their supplier has an accurate view of their account.” He added that while the cap is rising, “your bills don’t have to,” noting that 27 fixed deals are currently cheaper than July’s cap.
Expert Calls for Market Reform and Debt Relief
James Mabey, policy analyst at National Energy Action, highlighted the human cost: “The consequences of energy debt include cold homes, rising anxiety and impossible choices about essentials. The right response is to scale debt relief.”
Nigel Pocklington, chief executive of Good Energy, described rising bills as “a financial nightmare for millions of households across the UK, with many people unsure how they’re going to keep up with the current payments, let alone rising costs.” He urged reform: “We need to urgently reform the way the market operates to deliver and incentivise a cleaner, more affordable energy system. The priority now should be turning that into action.”
Call for Government Action on Energy Prices
Pocklington also called on the next prime minister to “set out a clear plan for how Britain will move away from high gas prices and bring bills down for good.” He stressed that the Labour government “still has time to deliver on its ambition to cut household bills, but doing so requires urgent action to decouple electricity prices from gas, so consumers can fully benefit from lower-cost, homegrown clean energy.”
