Households should actively undertake regular meter readings to ensure they are on top of their energy bills during COVID-19

Paulino Garcia, Head of Energy Policy at The Consumer Council, said: “Electricity and natural gas companies have temporarily stopped taking meter readings to help keep the public and their staff safe. It is therefore very important that consumers regularly provide their own meter readings to their electricity and gas supplier to make sure that their bills are accurate. Otherwise they could have bill shocks and in the worst case could be left in debt as their payments do not cover the higher consumption.”

He continued: “Recent usage reports indicate that households are using around a fifth more energy as they stay at home during the lockdown. Therefore, it is more important than ever for consumers to be energy efficient and to shop around for the best energy deal. Information is available on our website regarding energy efficiency and getting the best deal by using our independent energy price comparison tools for households and small businesses.”

The Consumer Council has additional consumer support information in relation to the COVID-19 crisis on its website: www.consumercouncil.org.uk/coronavirus.