People urged to submit meter readings before energy price cap rises on New Year’s Day

dailyrecord.co.uk:

People across Scotland are being urged to submit meter readings to their energy supplier before the New Year ahead of the new Ofgem price cap coming into force.

Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national energy advice service energyadvice.scot, is reminding households to act before midnight on December 31.However, meter readings submitted before the end of this week should also ensure January energy bills are not over-estimated.

Accurate readings prevent suppliers from estimating usage and applying new, higher prices to energy consumed when they were lower.The energy regulator resets its cap on the amount suppliers can charge every three months and the latest change will see annual bills for those on the standard tariff rise from £1,717 to £1,738 on January 1, an increase of 1.2 per cent.

People with smart meters do not need to submit a reading, but should ensure the device is working.Taking a photo of the meter reading can also help to resolve any disputes that may arise.Advice Direct Scotland is also urging households to review how much they are paying and check whether there are better tariffs available.However, it is concerned that many of the best-value deals being offered by suppliers are aimed at more affluent households, while others are only available to those with an installed smart meter.The most recent forecasts suggest that the Ofgem price cap will rise again in April to around £1,762, meaning that pressure on consumers will not ease until the summer.Advice Direct Scotland said the persistently high cost of gas and electricity underlined why the UK needs a social energy tariff, which would automatically put the most vulnerable customers on the cheapest deals.The charity has been campaigning for the UK