PEOPLE in Worcester said they have been struggling to submit meter readings on what has been dubbed meter reading day.
Money saving expert Martin Lewis has been among those urging people to submit a reading ahead of the energy price cap rising by an average 54 per cent tomorrow (April 1).
But energy websites have been crashing as customers rush to submit meter readings.
Mr Lewis said in a video posted today: "Today is meter reading day but surprise, surprise many of the energy firms are struggling to cope with demand even though they had plenty of notice this was coming.
"Tomorrow the energy price cap goes up by 54 per cent, which is mammoth.
Pls share. It's #MeterReadingDay DON'T PANIC. I know many firms sites and phone lines are down. This quick vid talks you through
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) March 31, 2022
- Who should & who shouldn't send a reading
- Why I'm suggesting it
- What to do if firm’s sites crashing
Subtitled version: https://t.co/c8v9FzjE8I pic.twitter.com/iTUF4y6OcN
"If you do a reading today (March 31) that draws a line which says every unit of energy I have used up until this point should be charged at the cheap rate.
"Who needs to do it? Those who are on price cap tariffs, who don't have smart meters or pre-payment meters.
"If you are on a fixed tariff you don't need to do this."
What should I do if I can't submit my meter reading?
But Worcester residents have said they have struggled to submit their readings due to problems on the energy firms website.
A Worcester News reporter tried E.on and British Gas earlier, but was hit with a message reporting "technical difficulties".
Sorry, our website is having trouble dealing with the number of meter readings being submitted today 🤦
— British Gas (@BritishGas) March 31, 2022
If you're struggling to do yours, don't worry it's fine to do it later or in the next couple of days - we'll still accept them. #MeterReadingDay pic.twitter.com/nRMWGWPo47
Mr Lewis has urged people not to panic if they aren't able to submit a reading today.
"It is really frustrating this shouldn't have happened and we are alerting Ofgem," Mr Lewis said.
"This is just a way of protecting yourself from them trying to overestimate your usage at the higher rate.
"If you were to do it tomorrow, or the day after - doing it around now reduces the wiggle room for a problem with estimates so a day of two out isn't the biggest panic in the world."
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