The British are facing a huge rise in energy bills from 1 April – a significant part of the cost-of-living crisis facing people across the UK from tomorrow, along with a rise in National Security – when Ofgem raises the price ceiling by 693 £.
Why submit a meter today?
Annual energy bills will increase by 54 percent tomorrow when regulator Ofgem raises the price cap for an average home to £ 1,971.
Sending a meter reading before the new ceiling is set means that households will not be over-indebted for the energy they have already used.
This is because customers will have submitted a meter reading until the price cap is changed on April 1 – helping to prevent companies from charging energy before raising the price cap with the new higher interest rate.
Explaining the situation to Good Morning Britain today, MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis said: “On March 31st, take a measure.
‘Why? Because it draws a line in the sand with the energy company and says “Every unit of energy I have used up to this meter reading should be charged the cheapest price, so do not count the one with the highest price”.
‘So put your meter to measure, put this line in the sand.’
In the long run, inflation is expected to exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis as the country emerges from the Covid pandemic and faces the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the British are also facing the prospect of raising municipal taxes later this year. The average council tax in five of England’s nine districts will exceed 000 2,000 in April.
In view of the increase in the energy ceiling, the British were called by experts to submit a meter reading to avoid possible overload.
However, customers had difficulty accessing their online accounts this morning due to “technical problems” and “substantial maintenance” on the three sites.
Issues only seem to affect account login pages, with customers still having access to other sites.
SSE Energy Services, now part of the OVO family, Shell Energy, owned by Shell, and Scottish Power, owned by Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, have also been affected.
Many of the companies have promised to repair their websites as soon as possible, including E.ON.
But the company also made an unusual move, as it appeared to blame the site’s issues on money expert Martin Lewis, who was accused of “creating unprecedented demand”.
Mr Lewis, a television personality and founder of MoneySavingExpert, was among the personal finance experts urging Britons to submit cash counts before 1 April.
It comes as annual energy bills increase by 54 percent tomorrow, when regulator Ofgem raises the price cap for an average home to 97 1,971.
Sending a meter reading before the new ceiling is set means that households will not be over-indebted for the energy they have already used.
This is because customers will have submitted a meter reading until the price cap is changed on April 1 – preventing companies from charging for energy used before the price increase with the new higher rate.
The pages of British Gas, E.On and EDF Energy collapsed today, with thousands of customers trying to upload their latest cash counts in anticipation of rising energy prices in April
Customers had difficulty accessing their online accounts this morning due to “technical problems” and “substantial maintenance” on the three sites
Issues only seem to affect account login pages, with customers still able to access other sites
Downdetector shows how dozens of customers have complained that they have not been able to access the site since 8 this morning
According to the Downdetector, more than 160 people have reported problems with the SSE website since 9 a.m., and the site landing page has been replaced with an error code since noon Thursday.
Scottish Power said it was working to resolve a problem with its website and told customers they could submit cash counts via an automated hotline. In the photo: Dozens of people have reported problems with the ScottishPower website since 8am
How do I submit my meter reading today?
How to submit your meter reading
Gareth Kloet, energy spokesperson for GoCompare, says don’t panic if you find it difficult to get a cash measurement today. where did you get them “.
He advised you to take receipts for your readings, such as a photo, and note the date you did the reading, and if you are not successful today, try again tomorrow or as soon as possible in the next few days.
He added, “All energy companies will offer different ways in which you can get in touch. These usually include communication methods such as email, telephone, web portals, applications or web chat.
“When you take your measurements and try to report them to your energy company, you should usually give some form of identification e.g. your name, address, account number (so they can find you on their systems) and obviously the clues you received and the date you did this reading.
“They usually do not ask for receipts, but if you want to send a photo of the reading, do so, but keep the photo until you know they have accepted and edited the reading in your account.
“If you can not access their website or application, an email is a good way to communicate as it is fast and efficient.”
Octopus Energy users, meanwhile, were asked to wait until April 2 to submit readings, as they were told to “wait a minute” in a recent tweet.
Ongoing problems seem to affect account login pages, with Scottish Power, for example, telling customers that they could submit cash counts through an automated hotline.
However, experts have also warned that telephone lines can be overwhelmingly busy, as providers such as EDF have encouraged customers to submit their readings online.
Many customers have used social media to complain that they can not access their vendor’s website, as one Twitter user @ willhargreaves5 said: “What a surprise. “I can not submit my meter reading, Shell Energy, you’re a joke.”
@TimDouglasHR said: “Is it just me or Shell Energy has disabled its app to prevent customers from reporting their meter readings one day before prices skyrocket tomorrow?”
While @ RadioKate1 added: “I just tried to submit my meter readings the day before the new energy price cap is set and the Eon Next website is down. Unable to connect. He is not happy.
How can I submit a meter reading on March 31 if the power provider’s website is down?
Households that can submit their cash indications online should seek to do so, as energy companies expect to be flooded with calls from customers trying to submit their metrics before April 1st.
A smart meter usually sends automated measurements to your energy supplier at set dates and times, however, your meter may not automatically send an indication on March 31, so it’s worth checking your settings.
If you are still having trouble submitting your measurements online, you should take pictures that clearly show them and the meter serial numbers.
These can then be submitted to your power provider at a later date and you will need to adjust your energy bill accordingly.
British Gas encourages customers to use their online form to submit a counter indication if its application is disabled.
March 31st, called National Cash Reading Day, has seen an unprecedented demand from energy suppliers as households begin energy end-use controls.
Nearly 22 million households are expected to follow the new limited gas and electricity bills, paying more than 50% more on their basic bills than tomorrow, with even more price increases expected in six months.
However, those who do a final meter measurement today should be able to have the best, cheapest prices for all the energy used until the new price cap goes into effect.
Gareth Kloet, a spokeswoman for GoCompare Energy, said: “The cost-of-life crisis is affecting everyone – so if there’s a way to clear money out of your accounts this April, we’ll urge all bill payers to take the cue. gas and electricity. March 31 and be sure to submit them to your supplier.
“And if you’re paying a flat rate, it may also be a good time to consider reviewing your monthly payments to take into account higher interest rates.”
The incoming price increase was announced by regulator Ofgem in February after a huge jump in gas prices last year as the global economy recovered from the pandemic.
The UK energy market has been hit hard by a fire that shut down a power line connecting Britain and France last September, boosting the UK’s dependence on gas supplies.
British Gas, which is owned by energy giant Centrica, insists that no customer “will be left out of pocket” as a result of this system problem and that people can submit a dated image of their meter reading beyond today.
The company has also sent text messages to customers that allow them to send messages to their meter readings without having to log in to their accounts.
A message on the British Gas website told customers that they were facing “some technical issues that we are trying to resolve as soon as possible”.
An EDF Energy spokesman told MailOnline: “We are aware of technical issues affecting our website and application when customers try to submit cash metrics.
“We are working hard to resolve this and we will encourage customers to try again later. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. ‘
A Shell Energy spokesman also told MailOnline: “Our site is experiencing downtime as we see an increase in the number of customers trying to access their account.
“Our teams work hard to keep it online and we thank our customers for …
