Households have been given a final warning to take an energy meter reading ahead of the October price hike.

The average household energy bill will rise from £1,971 to a frozen £2,500 on Saturday, October 1, under the energy price guarantee announced by prime minister Liz Truss earlier this month.

People should submit a meter reading to their provider to prevent firms from estimating usage and charging for energy used before October 1 but at the higher rate.

Energy bills will rise by 27pc from the previous price cap, which limited the rate providers can charge customers on a standard variable tariff.

The government’s plan only caps the cost per unit that households pay, with actual bills still determined by how much energy is consumed.

Households will receive a non-repayable £400 payment from the government as part of the cost-of-living support package, paid directly to energy accounts over six months in instalments of £66 and £67.

Overall, household bills will still be 96pc higher than last year.

Households will be hoping they do not experience a repeat of the wide-scale crash of energy firms’ websites ahead of the last price cap increase on April 1, when millions of customers rushed to submit readings at once.

At the time, firms described the situation as “unprecedented” and sought to calm customer anxiety by stressing that they could submit readings over the following days without being penalised.

Industry body Energy UK said high call volumes and website traffic were expected, and recommended customers check beforehand for the best way to submit readings as most suppliers were allowing for a few days either side of October 1.

Suppliers offered numerous channels including text, email, apps and online account submissions, but these varied.

If you have a working smart meter or prepay meter, you don't need to do anything.

How to take a meter reading

Your energy supplier usually requires regular meter readings of your gas and electricity usage to calculate how much to charge each month.

The easiest way to take a meter reading is to take a picture of it and then submit it online.

Citizen's Advice has a useful guide for how to read different types of meters here.