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Urgent warning for thousands of energy customers to act NOW – or face bigger bills
Watch our video, which shows how to take a meter reading
THOUSANDS of energy customers have hours left to act or risk facing bigger bills.
The warning comes after Ofgem's energy price cap fell by £122 on Monday.
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It meant typical gas and electricity rates are now capped at £1,568 a year, compared to the previous rate of £1,690 a year.
This is the lowest level in two years.
However, Scottish Power customers on the standard variable tariff who don't have smart meters will need to submit a meter reading before the end of today.
This is to ensure that these customers are billed accurately at the lower prices.
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Energy suppliers usually require you to take regular meter readings from your gas and electricity meter to work out how much they should charge you.
Customers who don't do this are billed on estimated usage and will likely pay more.
And those who do not submit readings risk having some of their usage charged at the previous, more expensive rates after prices drop.
But Scottish Power customers have until the end of today (July 5) to submit readings which can be back-dated to June 30.
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Customers can do this on their online account, via its app or over the phone on 0800 027 8000 24 hours a day.
How to cut energy costs and get help with FOUR key household bills
RULES FOR OTHER ENERGY FIRMS
British Gas customers can submit their meter readings on any date before July 14.
Customers can do this on their online account, via the British Gas app, over the phone or a form which can be found on the firm's website.
You can call 0330 100 0056 Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
EDF customers can send backdated meter readings until the end of July 9.
They can do this via their online accounts, WhatsApp, SMS or a form on the supplier's website.
Octopus Energy is letting customers submit their meter readings up until the end of July 8.
They can do this via their online accounts, a form on its website, app or email.
You can submit your backdated meter reading by July 8 if you're a E.On Next customer.
Households can do this via their online account, app, by email or over the phone on 0808 501 5200.
The phone line is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Fridays.
What energy bill help is available?
THERE'S a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don't think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have grant schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria varies depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don't need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill, and some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you're struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
HOW TO TAKE A METER READING
If you don't have a smart meter, your energy supplier will usually require regular readings from your gas and electricity meter to work out how much you should be charged.
Once you've taken a reading, you should be able to submit it a number of ways including text message or phone.
You might also be able to submit it online or through your supplier's app.
It's best to check with your supplier to see what your options are.
It's always worth taking a picture of your meter reading when you submit it to your supplier - just in case you need it as evidence for a future dispute.
The way you take a meter reading depends on what type of meter you have - we've explained how to take a reading depending on your meter type.
Electricity meters
If you have a digital electricity meter, you will just see a row of six numbers - five in black and one in red.
Take down the five numbers in black and ignore the red number.
If you are on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff which gives you cheaper electricity at night - you will have two rows of numbers, so take both readings down.
If you have a traditional dial meter you will need to read the first five dials from left to right ignoring any red ones.
If the pointer is between two numbers, write down the lower figures and if it is between nine and zero write down the number nine.
If the dial is directly over a number, write down that number and underline it.
If you’ve underlined a number, check the next dial to the right.
If the pointer on that dial is between 9 and 0, reduce the number you’ve underlined by 1.
For example, if you originally wrote down 5, change it to 4.
Gas meters
If you have a digital metric meter showing five numbers and then a decimal place, you only need to write down the first five numbers from left to right.
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If you have a digital imperial meter your meter will read four black numbers and two red numbers - note down the four black numbers only.
If you have a dial gas meter follow the same steps for those with a dial electricity meter but ignore underlining any figures.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year - irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type - this will give you your usage costs.
You'll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage - this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you'll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.
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