The websites of some of Britain’s biggest energy companies crashed on Thursday as consumers worried about an escalating cost-of-living crisis rushed to submit gas and electricity readings before prices rose 54% from April 1.

Consumer advocates, including Martin Lewis, founder of the Money Saving Expert website, Advice for families They filed their meter readings ahead of Britain’s “energy price cap” which rose on average by almost £700 a year from Friday to £1,971. The cap sets the bills for 22 million households that do not trade in fixed-price energy.

But the websites and phone lines of some of the country’s biggest energy providers, including British Gas, EDF Energy, Eon and ScottishPower, were unable to cope with the increased traffic dubbed the national “meter reading day”, drawing criticism from consumer groups that the company has been Realize that many families need advice.

“Energy companies should have been prepared for more customer contact and should support any customer trying to submit meter readings today,” said Adam French, consumer rights editor for consumer group Which?

Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, the UK’s fifth largest energy provider, say on twitter His company had 2,500 calls waiting before lunchtime on Thursday, compared with 150 on a “normal busy day.” But Jackson insisted customers have five days to submit their readings.

Justina Miltienyte, Policy Director, Price Comparison Site Uswitch.com, indicating that supplier website issues are usually temporary, so consumers should try again later. In the meantime, they should take a picture of their reading, “where a date stamp can be seen as evidence,” Miltienyte said.

Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of supplier trade body Energy UK, Say The panic proved how “terrible” these price hikes are for households, not just low-income ones, and “more needs to be done” to help protect consumers from high oil prices. Prices were high even before Russia attacked Ukraine, but volatility in commodity markets has increased since then.

In February, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a £9 billion packaginge Help address the cost of living crisis. This includes a £150 council tax rebate to be paid in April to every property in Grades A to D in England, and a £200 loan to cover all electricity bills in October.

But opposition politicians and consumer groups argue the measures are insufficient, especially given that price caps are expected to rise sharply again in October.

The Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK’s financial watchdog, said last week it expected the annual cap per household to exceed £2,800 in October based on average usage, although some analysts predicted it would hit £3,000.

The charity National Energy Action said it believed 6.5 million households in the UK were living in “fuel poverty”, up from an estimated 4 million before early October. If the price cap hits £3,000 a year in October, the NEA has warned that up to 8.5 million households will be unable to afford energy and heating bills.

“This is the biggest energy price shock in living memory,” said Adam Scorer, chief executive of charity National Energy Action.