Martin Lewis

Households are submitting meter readings for gas and electricity to their supplier today.

However, Martin has urged people not to worry if they aren't able to get a meter reading today. Martin tweeted: "To reiterate again you DON'T need to give a meter reading today if you're on a fixed deal or are in Northern Ireland, or anyone else whose tariff is not on the price cap. This will prevent firms from estimating usage and potentially charging for energy used before April 1 at a higher rate.

Martin Lewis was today blamed by energy giant E.on for bringing down its phone lines and website after the MoneySavingExpert told households to take a meter ...

We ourselves have spent the past few weeks advising customers to submit accurate meter readings ahead of April 1." For those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit, the Ofgem price cap is going up by £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 from April 1. Martin has been advising households to provide a meter reading so they can avoid their energy usage being overestimate by their provider. But the advice saw the websites and phone lines for all the major energy firms crash, as thousands of households tried to supply a meter reading. One person who saw the tweet said: "Pretty outrageous to see @eon_next casually blaming @MartinSLewis for 'bringing down Britain' when his tip to read your meter today (which has been picked up everywhere) is actually for the benefit of Britain's consumers (tweet has since been deleted ofc)." Today (March 31) has been dubbed “meter reading day” after the MoneySavingExpert founder urged households to make a note of their energy consumption before the Ofgem price cap rises.

The Money Saving Expert explains the changes coming tomorrow and why it will cost you money if you don't do this today.

Martin has also tweeted advice to take a photo of your reading when you take it to avoid any room for dispute. They're not saying it's 'meter reading day', I'm saying it's 'meter reading day'." He said: "Let's ignore everything energy companies are saying.

Energy bills are set to surge by 54% when the price cap is lifted on April 1.

This marks an increase of around 25% - and if the price cap does rise to this level, then Martin explained you'd need a fixed deal that is no more than around 18% to 20% above the April price cap for it to be worth fixing right now. Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the price of wholesale gas to soar to record highs this month - and Martin warned bills could surge again in October. If you want to pay by quarterly bills, and that's what most people ditching direct debit tell me they're thinking of doing, then the price cap is £2,100. Do not estimate my usage, I am locking it down so you cannot charge me any more than the amount I've actually used from 1 April onwards." However, the finance guru has shared three things people should do ahead of tomorrow's price hike - as Mirror Online reports. Ofgem has confirmed the cost of energy bills will rise by 54% on April 1.

On Friday 1 April, the harsh reality of the huge energy price hikes will be truly felt by millions of people. As we've been warning for months, the energy ...

The Money Saving Expert has cautioned those who may be tempted to provide a false manual meter reading.

Theoretically if you gave a higher reading on March 31 you would get more of your energy at a cheaper rate. Martin Lewis says people have been asking him if they can give false readings before the April 1 rise. Around 4.5 million prepayment customers will see an average increase of £708 - from £1,309 to £2,017, reports Hull Live.

The Money Saving Expert made an appearance on Good Morning Britain for an energy crisis special alongside Susanna Reid.

This marks an increase of around 25% - and if the price cap does rise to this level, then Martin explained you'd need a fixed deal that is no more than around 18% to 20% above the April price cap for it to be worth fixing right now. Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the price of wholesale gas to soar to record highs this month - and Martin warned bills could surge again in October. If you want to pay by quarterly bills, and that's what most people ditching direct debit tell me they're thinking of doing, then the price cap is £2,100. The consumer champion has been offering advice to energy customers throughout the crisis, but admitted he is "virtually out of tools" as the hikes are set to come into force. If you are a prepayment customer then a bigger increase is expected, with the price cap going up by £708, from £1,309 to £2,017. New analysis from the party comes as the Prime Minister is under increasing pressure to tackle spiralling costs and experts warned of the impacts.

Is it best to stay on a variable rate or fixed rate energy tariff? Martin said: "This is the big question, and people really need to understand what's happening ...

He said the October price cap is also set to see prices increase further. Martin, nicknamed the 'people's chancellor' said he was: "Gravely concerned about the situation that people will experience over the next 12 months." He said the purpose of it was to help those who are having to choose between 'heating and eating'.

MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis has explained what you must do now before the energy price cap rises by 54% at the end of this week.

"It is not worth fixing. Right now, the MSE founder says the cheapest open market deal at the moment is around 40% more than the April price cap - meaning for many homes, the best thing is to stay on the price cap. This marks an increase of around 25% - and if the price cap does rise to this level, then Martin explained you'd need a fixed deal that is no more than around 18% to 20% above the April price cap for it to be worth fixing right now. "If you're on typical usage, the price cap from 1 April - for somebody paying by direct debit - is £1,971 a year," he said. The idea is that you're telling your energy provider that all your energy usage before April 1 should be charged at the current rate, so before the price cap increases on April 1. For those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit, the price cap is going up by £693 from £1,277 to £1,971.

On April 1 the UK's energy price cap will go up by 54%, with standing charges and prices per Kwh going up.

Martin Lewis said: "If you're on typical usage, the price cap from 1 April - for somebody paying by direct debit - is £1,971 a year. "If you want to pay by quarterly bills, and that's what most people ditching direct debit tell me they're thinking of doing, then the price cap is £2,100. "Again, this is my best guess, I do not have certainty or surety here - it is a bit of crystal ball gazing. So you might want to lock into a deal to avoid another hike. In a video on his popular website, he explained three 'urgent must-knows' for people to be aware of before the bills start to rise. Do not estimate my usage, I am locking it down so you cannot charge me any more than the amount I've actually used from 1 April onwards'.

Is it best to stay on a variable rate or fixed rate energy tariff? Martin said: "This is the big question, and people really need to understand what's happening ...

As a general figure at the moment, there aren't any good ones." "What you want to watch for though is does your firm ever offer you a much cheaper fixed deal? He said the October price cap is also set to see prices increase further.

Energy company E.On has blamed the Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis for the industry-wide website crashes that are occurring ahead of the energy price cap ...

Households will see the biggest rise in the cost of energy in living memory from Friday when bills increase by 54%, or almost £700, to just under £2,000 a year. And @eon_next blaming Martin Lewis for the fact that their website isn't able to cope with demand? accompanied by a red angry face emoji and a screenshot of the Tweet from E.On. Meanwhile @samvfood tweeted: "This is appalling blame shifting from @eon_next towards @MartinSLewis, who's definitely not the one 'bringing down Britain'. Also, how can he have created unprecedented demand ONCE AGAIN? It's either unprecedented or not. According to Downdetector, the E.ON, Scottish Power, British Gas and SSE have all gone down. In a previous Tweet, replying to social media user @brucedaisly, they replied: "Hi Bruce, Martin has once again created unprecedented demand bringing down Britain.

The consumer champion also explains why some Direct Debits are going up by more than the 54% price cap.

However, Martin said that if you are in credit, and it’s going up by more than your rate is going up, then it could be an issue and you should take a meter reading before contacting your supplier to challenge it. This could also be higher if you have debt on your account. Responding to a question from a listener about taking a meter reading before the end of March, Martin said: “The price rise is on the 1st of April, so if you don’t have a smart meter and you don’t do a meter reading, then what the [energy] firm will do is estimate what proportion of your usage was before the 1st of April and what proportion of your usage was after the 1st of April and that will be an estimation and that’s how it’s billed.