Energy sites fail in rush to read meters
CONSUMER groups have criticised energy firms for failing to avert a widescale crash of their websites as customers rushed to submit meter readings ahead of today’s price jump.
Customers reported issues logging in to supplier websites including British Gas, EDF, E.On, SSE, So Energy and Octopus Energy from early on Thursday.
Experts including Citizens Advice and MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis had urged householders to submit meter readings to avoid being overcharged for their usage after the 54% increase to Ofgem’s price cap comes into effect on Friday.
Citizens Advice head of energy policy Gillian Cooper said: “This is a frustrating situation for customers, many of whom are already incredibly worried about how they’ll cope with rising bills.
“We know some energy companies have put in measures to prepare for a surge of people sending meter readings, but clearly it hasn’t been enough.
“If you’ve managed to take a photo of your meter you’ll be able to contact your provider with proof of your usage on March 31. If you weren’t able to take a meter reading your energy company will use a reasonable estimate of your energy usage before the price cap rise to calculate your bill.”
Which? consumer rights editor Adam French said: “Energy companies should have been prepared for higher numbers of customers getting in touch and should support any customers trying to submit their meter readings today.”
Energy firms described the situation as “unprecedented” and sought to calm customer anxiety by stressing that they can submit a datestamped photo of their readings at any point over the next week.
Octopus Energy said: “It looks like every large energy provider’s website is down today – this is usually due to dramatically increased web visits.
“Martin Lewis’s advice for customers to submit meter readings on the same day as £MeterRead-ingDay has driven incredible traffic – we’ve added additional capacity this morning to bolster our servers and are fairly stable.
“It’s worth noting that Octopus Energy’s price change will actually not come into effect until 00:00 Saturday April 2. If customers are keen to give us a meter reading to coincide with the change, the best day to collect it is on April 2.
“If customers make a note of, or take a photograph of, their readings on Saturday April 2 they have a week to submit it to us via our online account or email, so needn’t worry if they can’t get it to us that day.”
A spokesman for Energy UK, the trade association for the industry, said: “We know that some suppliers are experiencing issues with their websites due to the volume of customers submitting meter readings.
“Suppliers are offering alternative ways of submitting readings so we’d recommend customers try those. Customers with smart meters do not need to worry as their readings are automatically sent to their supplier.”