24-hour meter warning for all energy customers before bills go up

Brits are being issued a warning to take an energy meter reading before bills go up across the country. It comes before Ofgem's new price cap will come into place on January 1, rising from £1,717 a year to £1,738.

However, it's important to note that your bill may vary depending on your energy usage. This figure is for the typical household who pays by direct debit.

Otherwise, if you're covered by the price cap and don't have a smart meter, it's crucial that you take a meter reading on December 31. This helps to ensure that your supplier is not charging you higher rates for energy usage prior to the price cap update.

uSwitch advises: "To avoid the higher price cap which comes into effect on 1 October, households on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) who don't have a smart meter should record and submit their meter readings before Tuesday. Those on SVTs without a smart meter who fail to submit meter readings on or around 1 October risk having some of their usage estimated and possibly charged under the new higher rates.

"A fixed tariff could help households avoid peak winter rates and give financial stability for at least a year. Some of these deals are up to 7 percent below the predicted October price cap.

"The difference between a week's worth of energy at October's rates compared with September's is £18.81 for the average household. Therefore, if those ten million households didn't submit a reading by 1 October and their usage was estimated, just a week's worth of energy at the more expensive rates could see them overpaying by £186 million in total."

If your meter has two rows of numbers, both readings will need to be noted down. If you have a dial electricity meter, each dial will turn in the opposite direction to the