Martin Lewis' price cap message to anyone at Octopus Energy - or planning to switch

The average household energy bill will go up by £149 a year, after Ofgem raised the cap

Renowned consumer champion and MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis has shared crucial advice for Octopus Energy customers and other energy bill payers following the latest Ofgem price cap increase. As a result, households across the UK are now facing average bills of an eye-watering £1,717 from October 1.

The trusted voice behind the BBC Sounds podcast sprang into action, urging his social media followers: "If you are genuinely struggling, it's always worth speaking to the energy firm. And if you are vulnerable, also ask to be put on the Priority Services Register."

His guidance comes hot on the heels of re-posting a tweet from a customer expressing relief on Tuesday, October 1: "Martin, I contacted Octopus and said I was struggling on a low income. They asked me to complete a budget, which I did, and they have cancelled my standing charge for 3 months. Always worth asking if you're struggling. Thumbs up to Cctopus."

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Conversely, there was a frustrated customer highlighting less than satisfactory experiences with another provider: "Not with British Gas as if you can't email and we wrote to British Gas about five weeks ago, Martin, about estimates they never have replied."

Yet another individual had a more positive story about securing a fixed tariff, stating: "Fixed last night Martin at 3am on my break on nightshift BG 1 year fix."

Numerous customers chimed in with their approval of Octopus Energy's service. One content user tweeted: "@OctopusEnergy well done to you guys. One of many reasons I'm still a customer of yours."

While another queried about tariffs, asking: "When are the tariffs on cheapenergyclub updated? When comparing it still uses the pre 1/10 tariffs for my current contract, resulting in everything more expensive than what I'm on at the moment.."

But amidst these exchanges, a skeptical voice emerged: "If energy companies have fixed rates without putting up prices by 10% then they could have simply not put prices up on standard tariffs? " Meanwhile, another proactive customer took control of the situation, sharing: "Fixed today with E-on who was my price cap supplier - did it before the news from the Middle East which I can only imagine may make prices rise."

Household energy bills are on an upward trajectory by £149 annually following Ofgem's decision to hike the price cap.

This regulatory body has bumped up the cap from £1,568 to £1,717 for a typical dual fuel household within England, Scotland, and Wales. This translates to households facing an increase of roughly £12 each month on average.