What to do if you cannot submit a meter reading to your energy provider today

People are being urged to submit a meter reading before October 1 to avoid unnecessary additional costs on their energy bill.

Some people may be unable to submit a meter reading, either due to a faulty meter or a supplier's website going down due to a high number of visitors - something that has happened before when bill prices were due to increase. If for whatever reason, you're unable to submit a meter reading on the eve of the price cap change, there's no need to panic.

First of all, the reason it's important to take a meter reading is that any energy you use from Saturday will be charged at a higher rate than before. By submitting a reading to your supplier, you're letting them cross-reference your bills with your usage, ensuring that you're charged a more accurate bill.

Read more: Martin Lewis issues meter reading advice on Good Morning Britain

Most suppliers will let you backdate a meter reading from around a week, therefore, if you're unable to submit a meter reading on the day, you should immediately take a picture as evidence of your meter reading - just remember to submit it as soon as you can. A website is also not the only way you can submit a reading, many suppliers have customer service email addresses or automated phone lines which may be quicker than trying to do it online.

Providing advice around meter readings, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has said: "Do it today, do it tomorrow, do it the next day. Most firms let you submit the reading - so take the reading today - but you can submit for up to a week.

"And in some cases up to two weeks after the date. So if you can't get through, don't worry about it, do it a couple of days later."

Martin continued: "You don't need to do a reading by the way, if