Octopus, British Gas, Eon and OVO customers given 12 hour warning - and it's not limited to them
The energy price cap is set to rise tomorrow (1 October) and with it comes an increase in your energy bills.
Ofgem are set to increase the price cap which will see people's energy bills increase by four percent tomorrow, meaning the average household will be paying £1,723 a year for energy, with the price rises it means another £5 a month is going onto people's bills.
It's another £60 a year the average Brit will be expected to pay.
Amidst the concerns over price rises, Martin Lewis has advised Brits who want to plan for price rises starting tomorrow to do something simple which could help in the future.
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He said: "I would still get your phone out and take a picture of your meter today just in case of a future dispute, you don't need to do anything with it, you might want to email it to yourself so you've got proof."
Uswitch is also urging those who don't have a smart meter to send in their readings before the end of the month so they don't end up paying the higher rate for energy used before the price cap increased.
Richard Neudegg from Uswitch told the BBC that now might be a time to find a better fixed deal that looks better with what's to come in the future.
He said you'd 'thank yourself come January' if you looked at the energy price increases to come.
The Uswitch man said there were deals that look like they'll be 'less than the October price cap' and 'a lot, lot, lot less than it's going to be in January'.
Energy price cap rises
Taking a picture of your energy meter now means that if in the coming months you have cause to bring a dispute against your energy provider then you've at least got photographic evidence of what it looked like before the new price rises kick in.
Tomorrow's increase in price is only the beginning of energy cost rises, as energy consumption tends to increase during the winter months and when the cap changes again in January 2027 it's expected to bring another significant increase.
Analysts from Cornwall Insight warn that the price cap rise on 1 January is expected to push up the average bill by 16 percent, bringing the average annual bill to £1,999 and being an annual increase of £276 onto people's bills.
It's the biggest expected rise in energy bills since January 2023 where the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine drove up prices.
This latest increase is being partially put down to the US war with Iran which has closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of the global supply of oil and gas flows.
Four million Brits affected
Around four million Brits will be affected by the price cap change as they are on a standard energy tariff which rises and falls in accordance with the energy price cap.
That cohort ranges from customers with the big energy providers like British Gas, Eon, Octopus and OVO to those with other providers who offer the standard energy tariff.
You'll likely know how your own energy bills are calculated but it may be worth checking whether you're on a fixed rate for your energy bills or if you are facing what looks like quite significant price rises starting from tomorrow and continuing into the new year.
Some help from the government kicks in tomorrow as VAT will no longer be charged on electricity bills, which is expected to save households around £45 a year, and there may be measures in their next budget on 28 October to help.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that he was 'looking at any measure that can give people breathing space, that can take the pressure off'.
The next price cap rise after tomorrow will kick in on 1 January, but we'll hear about it in November.
Topics: Money, UK News, Cost of Living
Joe Harker