If you pay your energy bills through a prepay meter or direct debit there are steps you can take to minimise your bills ahead of the price cap rising.
The energy price cap, which applies to default variable tariffs but not fixed price deals, rises by £693 to £1,277 to £1,971 per year from Friday April 1. It will mean prices rise by 54% for those who use a typical amount of energy, adding to the cost of living crisis.
Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis told ITV's Lorraine there is "not much" consumers can do to protect themselves from rising energy costs, without Government intervention. But there are "a number of small things you can do", including two top tips.
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If you pay for your energy through a pre-paid meter, or through direct debit, then there are steps you can take, but do so before April 1, to try and cut your next bill.
Pre Pay energy meter customers
Martin offered a tip for people who pre-pay for their energy by topping up meters. But he warned the tip definitely will not work for those who use smart meters, or Scottish Power customers and might not for those on Eon either.
Martin said: "What I'm telling you now is with the best knowledge I have today. If you were top up before Friday, on your electricity prepayment meter - and not Scottish Power, I think it will be a struggle with Eon and some of the others - but most of the rest, then you get the price that you pay on the day you top up, and that lasts until you top up again.
"So, if you were to top up before Friday, you would keep the cheap March price into April, until you top up again.
"Top as much as you can now, as much as you can afford to not lose your cash flow, if you can, on electricity."
Take a meter reading before April 1 if you pay by direct debit
Martin is urging people to take a meter reading before the end of March, so they can tell their supplier how much energy they used this month. By doing so, he says, customers can avoid being charged for March's energy under April's rates.
He said: "For those on direct debit it is very important, unless you've got a smart meter, that you do a meter reading. Now the perfect time is 11.59pm tomorrow night, but frankly any time today or tomorrow will do. Because what that does is says to the energy firm, 'every unit of energy I have used before this point should be charged at the cheap rate, don't start putting that into my April rate, I've drawn a line, I've told you what I've used.'"
