Experts say it’s not too late to give meter readings as energy firm sites crash

If you didn’t manage to give your energy supplier a meter reading by the deadline yesterday, don’t worry, as experts including MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis say power providers will still accept them today

Brits unable give meter readings to their energy firm by the deadline of midnight yesterday are being told to keep trying.

Yesterday millions of households tried to submit these readings to offset a 54% rise in energy bills coming in from today, but many missed the deadline.

These bills are rising because energy regulator Ofgem has increased its price cap, which limits how much 90% of British homes pay for energy.

Households rushed to give meter readings yesterday to make sure all the energy they used before the March 31 deadline was charged at the old, lower, rate.

But many were unable to submit readings because the websites of energy firms like British Gas , Eon, Scottish Power and SSE all crashed under the strain .

However, experts say it is not too late to give meter readings today.

What to do if you missed the meter reading deadline

Justina Miltienyte, head of policy at Uswitch.com, has urged people not to panic and confirmed meter reading uploads will be permitted a little past the deadline.

Martin Lewis, the founder of MoneySavingExpert, said Brits might have up to a week to submit these meter readings.

Lewis said: “Can’t submit your meter reading? just take a photo of it, you’ve usually up to a week to get it to them.”

On Twitter, British Gas said it was fine to give meter readings “in the next couple of days”.

Do I have to submit meter readings if I have a smart meter?

If you have a smart meter you don’t have to do anything.

Your meter readings will be shared with your supplier automatically.

How much are energy bills going up?

The Ofgem energy price cap for those on default tariffs who pay by direct debit is rising by £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 from April 1.

Prepayment customers will see a bigger jump, with their price cap going up by £708, from £1,309 to £2,017.

How does the energy price cap affect me?

Households that are affected by the price cap are people on variable rate energy deals, rather than fixed rates.

In short, from today homes on these deals can be charged more a year for average energy use.

That applies until October, when the energy regulator Ofgem reviews the cap. It can decide to raise it, lower it or keep it the same.

A year ago most Brits were on fixed rate energy deals because these were almost always the cheapest.

Energy firms competed to drive down prices and sign up new customers, which worked out to consumers’ advantage.

Before bills started rising in September last year most people would only be on variable rate deals because their fixed rate deal had ended and they hadn’t taken out a new one.

But then energy bills started rising.

Fixed rate deals became so expensive that most homes swapped to variable rate tariffs instead – around 91% of us.

In a situation no-one had predicted, the price cap became a lifesaver for households, as it limited how much they could be charged a year.