How to take a meter reading ahead of the energy price cap rise

This is so a line can be drawn from how much energy the household used before the price and after it.

It means energy prices will rise by £693 a year for millions of households after regulator Ofgem hiked the price cap on bills to £1,971.

The energy regulator is responsible for the energy price cap which limits how much providers can charge customers on their energy bills.

This increase follows a 12% rise in October and will take effect this week.

Energy bills are set to increase heavily from Friday, April 1 (PA) (Image: PA)

The energy price cap increase comes as households across the UK are facing increasing financial pressure amid the cost-of-living crisis with everyday goods such as food, clothes and petrol on the rise.

How to take a meter reading?

Smart meters will send a reading to your energy supplier for you, but it would probably be safe to make a note of what it states to quote back to your provider if needed.

For a single rate digital meter, you should see five numbers in black or white, followed by one or more red numbers. Write down these first five black or white numbers, ignoring the others.

Meanwhile, for a two rate digital meter, you’ll have two rows of numbers. The top one, labelled ‘low’ or ‘night’, shows how many units of cheaper electricity you’ve used, while the lower one, labelled ‘normal’ or ‘day’, shows how many units of standard-price electricity you’ve used.

This only applies to people who pay less for electricity at certain times.

You should record the first five numbers of both rows, ignoring any numbers shown in red.

Be sure to note the date you took the reading on, and take pictures for safety.