Meter reading week: 9 need-to-knows

Why it's worth considering giving a meter reading

If, like about 65% of households, you're on a standard variable tariff, your annual price will rise by 2% on average on 1 January.

To make sure there are no discrepancies in the amount you're charged on the new higher rate, it's a good idea to give a meter reading to your supplier on or around 1 January. This stops your supplier from estimating your usage, and potentially assuming you've used more at the new higher rate than you actually have.

There will be winners and losers here – as some will gain and others lose against what their supplier would have estimated – but if you do a meter reading, you know it's fair.

If you have working smart meters, you don't need to do anything

If you have smart meters that are working properly in smart mode, so they're regularly sending meter readings to your provider, there's no need to do anything, as they do it automatically.

You may want to double-check your meters are sending reads, though. You can usually see this in your account or on your bill. You can also take a photo of your meters on the day, so you have the readings for safety.

If you don't have smart meters, it's a good idea to give meter readings, but it doesn't have to be on 1 January

Giving a meter reading means your supplier will know exactly how much you used when prices change, so you're fairly charged.

Yet if all of us rush to do this on the same day, it can lead to suppliers' websites crashing and phone lines becoming jammed, which can affect vulnerable people (as we saw in March 2022).

To avoid that, you can give a reading a few days before or after and any discrepancy should be minor. Or, some firms let you backdate your reading, so if you take the actual meter reading on the day, note it down, but then submit it at a later date.

How to give a meter reading

The easiest way is to take a picture of your meters, so you have the readings to hand. Then you can log in to your online account and enter the readings.

Most also let you send readings via text message, or through mobile apps such as WhatsApp. You can also call them up – most have automated telephone lines where you can give the readings, to save you joining a queue or clogging up the lines for those who need help.

Some ask: 'Can I give a higher meter reading now, so I'm charged for less use at the new higher rate?' That'd be fraud

We get asked this one a lot – can you submit a lower meter reading ahead of a price drop, so less of your usage is charged at the higher rate?

The short answer is no, you shouldn't do this – it's fraud.

On a (non-smart) traditional electricity prepayment meter? Top up before 1 January to delay paying the new higher rates

With most prepayment meters – both smart meters and all gas meters – you pay the rate on the day you use energy. Yet with many non-smart, prepay electricity meters, you pay the rate on the day you top up.

If you can, try to top up as much as you can before 1 January, and then avoiding topping up for as long as you can, to continue paying the old lower rates, as topping up on or after 1 January will trigger the new higher rates.

Check your Direct Debit is right under January's Price Cap rates

If you're on a price-capped standard tariff – and about 65% in England, Scotland and Wales are – then you should check if your Direct Debit amount is along the right lines based on the new January rates.

If you're heavily in credit, then before asking your supplier to lower the Direct Debit, try to get back a chunk of the amount you've overpaid. Though remember, you should have a decent amount of credit on your account at this time of year.

See your unit rates and standing charges from 1 January

The Price Cap sets a limit on the rates and standing charges you pay. For a full region-by-region breakdown of the rates you'll pay from 1 January, see our Energy Price Cap rates guide.

The table below shows the average unit rates per kilowatt hour (kWh) and standing charges per day (these vary by region) under the new Price Cap from 1 January to 31 March 2026.

There are energy deals worth switching to now

Based on current published Price Cap predictions, over the next year you'll pay roughly 2% more than the current Price Cap if you're on a price-capped tariff.

You can use our Cheap Energy Club to ensure you're on the cheapest deal possible, based on where you live and how much energy you use...

• There are several top standalone fixes that are priced less than January's Price Cap. Use our Cheap Energy Club to find your top deals.

• You can undercut the Price Cap with EDF Energy's Simply Tracker tariff also tracks the Price Cap, with a fixed discount on standing charges – good for lower energy users – meaning everyone who joins this tariff on dual-fuel will save £100 (£50 for single-fuel) over the next 12 months.

• Existing Octopus customers could consider its Octopus Tracker tariff (if you're not already with Octopus, you can try switching to its standard variable tariff, then switch to this). Its rates change daily based on wholesale costs, meaning it's been substantially cheaper than the Price Cap in recent months.
  
  Alternatively, Octopus' electricity-only Agile tariff has rates that change half-hourly, based on wholesale prices – good for those who can shift their electricity use out of peak hours.

If you're still on the Price Cap, our Cheap Energy Club comparison will give you a bespoke prediction of what it'll cost you over the next year, so you can compare that with fixing.