Households have been urged to take a meter reading ahead of the new requirements around the energy price cap being implemented before Saturday, October 1.

This is so a line can be drawn between how much energy the household used before the new price cap and after it.

From the first day of October, the average annual energy bill for a typical household will jump up from £1,971 to £2,500.

The average annual cost for households was set to have been even higher at an earlier point in the year - £3,549 - before the Government set new maximum charges.

As part of the changes, the cap limits the unit rates for gas and electricity, as dual-fuel customers on a standard variable tariff who pay by direct debit will be charged a maximum of 10p per kWh of gas and 34p per kWh of electricity.

The Leader: The unit rates for gas and electricity will go up from October 1 (PA)The unit rates for gas and electricity will go up from October 1 (PA) (Image: PA)

This is an increase from 7p and 28p for gas and electricity respectively of what people are paying at the moment.

How to take a meter reading?

Smart meters will send a reading to your energy supplier for you, but it would probably be safe to make a note of what it states to quote back to your provider if needed.

For a single-rate digital meter, you should see five numbers in black or white, followed by one or more red numbers. Write down these first five black or white numbers, ignoring the others.

Meanwhile, for a two-rate digital meter, you’ll have two rows of numbers. The top one, labelled ‘low’ or ‘night’, shows how many units of cheaper electricity you’ve used, while the lower one, labelled ‘normal’ or ‘day’, shows how many units of standard-price electricity you’ve used.

This only applies to people who pay less for electricity at certain times.

You should record the first five numbers of both rows, ignoring any numbers shown in red.

Be sure to note the date you took the reading on, and take pictures for safety.