Overview

• The cap for a typical dual‑fuel household paying by direct debit increases by about £35 a year to £1,755 from October 1 under Ofgem’s quarterly review.
• Customers on standard variable tariffs without working smart meters are urged to submit readings on or before October 1 so late‑September use is not billed at higher October rates; smart meters submit automatically.
• Uswitch estimates potential overpayments of about £17.02 per affected household and roughly £125 million in total if readings are missed around the changeover.
• Suppliers have set differing cut‑offs for manual submissions: British Gas October 14, Octopus October 8, E.ON Next October 6, EDF October 9, OVO October 11, and Scottish Power October 5.
• Most firms allow short backdating of readings, so take a dated photo for evidence, and consider fixed‑rate deals currently advertised as around £215 cheaper than the new cap for typical use.