Millions of Britons urged to submit meter readings before energy price cap rises on Wednesday

Millions of UK households face higher energy costs unless they submit meter readings before the regulator’s price cap rises by 13% on Wednesday, adding £221 to the average annual bill. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), the government regulator formed by the merger of the Office of Electricity Regulation and Office of Gas Supply, sets the maximum rates suppliers can charge on standard variable tariffs [5]. From 1 July, electricity unit rates for direct-debit customers will climb from 24.67p per kilowatt hour to 26.11p, while gas rates will move from 5.74p per kWh to 7.33p [1]. The change pushes the typical dual-fuel bill to £1,862 a year, an increase Ofgem attributes to the spike in global energy market prices caused by the war on Iran [1]. An estimated 5.3 million households on standard tariffs do not have a smart meter [1]. Ben Gallizzi, an energy expert at the comparison site Uswitch, said those customers should act before the deadline. “Customers who don’t have a smart meter should submit their readings before or on Wednesday 1 July, so their supplier has an accurate view of their account,” he said [1]. Without an up-to-date reading, some June consumption risks being charged at the higher July rates [1]. Gallizzi noted that switching can offset the increase. “Your bills don’t have to go up,” he said, pointing to 27 fixed deals priced below the new cap [1]. The cheapest at the time of writing was offered by Outfox Energy, a Leicester-based supplier founded in 2017, at £1,577 a year — 15% below the July cap [1][4]. The price cap was introduced after the full liberalisation of gas and electricity markets in 1998 and 1999, and successive governments have used it alongside smart-meter rollouts and energy-efficiency programmes to manage household costs [6]. The current policy framework sits with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which was created in 2023 when the former business department was split [6]. The July increase arrives during warmer months when heating demand is low, softening the immediate impact [1]. A further rise had been forecast for October, but the recent interim peace agreement between the US and Iran has pushed wholesale gas prices lower, making that increase less certain [1].