In just a week's time, the Ofgem energy price cap will increase for billpayers nationwide. From October 1, the new price cap will rise to £1,717 per year for a typical dual fuel household who pay their bills via direct debit.

This represents a significant rise of £149 higher than the current £1,568 price cap. The energy price cap limits the amount that a supplier can charge for their default tariff.

However, consumers are urged to take accurate and timely meter readings to avoid being overcharged on their electricity usage. Taking an exact reading either on September 30 (the last day of the running energy rates), or October 1 (first day of the new rates), helps prevent energy firms from estimating your energy consumption inaccurately and thus overcharging you.

Furthermore, providing precise meter readings could also help in disputing any questionable charges on your bill or claiming inaccurate or unfair charging. Customers should also never deliberately provide incorrect readings to your energy firm in an attempt to save money as this is highly illegal and classified as fraud.

If your home has a smart meter installed, the readings will automatically be taken care of.

How to take a meter reading

Different types of meters require different reading techniques. It's vital to identify the type of meter your home has to provide an almost perfect reading.

These meters will show five digits in either black or white, potentially followed by one or more red digits. For this meter, you should jot down the first five digits from left to right and ignore any other numbers displayed.

Two rate digital meter

These types of meters will exhibit two rows of digits. To read this meter, you should note both numbers from the top and bottom rows, disregarding any digits shown in red.

Dial meter

An electricity dial meter will display five or more dials that spin to point to a number between 0 and 9. Each dial on the meter will rotate in the opposite direction to the one next to it.

To read this meter, you should jot down the first five dials from left to right, ignoring any red dials or dials marked 1/10. If the pointer is between two numbers, you should note the lower number - if it's between 9 and 0, write down 9.

If the pointer is directly over a number, you should note that number then underline it. Then, if the next dial is between 9 and 0, reduce the underlined number by 1.