British Gas, OVO, EON, EDF, Octopus customers warned 'keep all members of household in one room'

British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON and Octopus customers have been warned to keep all members of the household in "one room". The warning comes from energy experts ahead of the new energy price cap from October 1 onwards.

One of the best ways to get warm is to move about, the Sun newspaper reports, with customers told to do a quick workout at home which will not only warm you up, but pump heat into the air around you as well. But if you're in a large family, the Sun has a different tip.

It says, if you are all in different parts of the house, try and move everyone into one room. The more people in the room, the more body heat is shared and it means you can turn off radiators in other parts of the house too, the newspaper explained.

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Emily Seymour, energy editor from Which?, said: "They (energy firms) are obliged to help you if you tell them you are struggling to pay. This could include a review of your payments, a reduction in your payments or a payment break, more time to pay, and access to hardship funds."

egulator Ofgem’s energy price cap is set to rise by 10%, taking a typical household’s annual gas and electricity bill to £1,717. Experts predict the cap could go up again in January. Next month’s average £149 a year jump will kick in just days before many people are expected to turn their heating on for the first time.

Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “It’s deeply concerning to see how many households plan to get through winter without heating due to financial struggles. Spending winter in a cold home can be a health risk and households should keep the temperature at safe levels.

“People are advised to set their thermostats to between 18°C and 21°C, so households should try to keep within this range even when trying to save money. Electric blankets are a good way to keep warm, and cost a lot less to run than electric heaters.”