Hello, I'm Martin Lewis and this is the cunningly named the Martin Lewis podcast. I do wonder what that's going to be about. Today it's a special. The energy price cap has gone up by 10%. Meaning if you're one of the 85% of the UK whose home is on the price cap, your bills will rise by 10% too.

So this is all about how to beat the price cap rise, or as I'm renaming it, the pants cap rise,

because nobody should be on the price cap anymore.

We'll start with the interview I did with Nagamunchetti on her Radio 5 show,

but most of it is just for you, lucky, lucky podcast listeners,

as I really want to go through the gritty nitty of what you need to do.

Included in this pod, why the energy price cap is rising,

even though wholesale rates are dropping,

and how you can use that to beat the

10% energy hike. Whether you should fix, go for a discounted tracker, an EV tariff or even Octopus's

special 30-minute price change deal. I'll tell you which one's right for you. How you can lower your standing charges if you're a lower user.

The outrage that many older, vulnerable customers will pay more to boil a kettle than I do.

And there's lots more. Let's play the theme to you.

I got meals. I got meals.

I got to pay. So the energy price cap, explain that.

Right. So the energy price cap dictates the price that 85% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay.

It does not apply to Northern Ireland. That's because it sets a maximum standing charge and unit rate,

although it is regionalised. It isn't a UK rate. It's a regional rate, a maximum standing charge and unit rate that firms can charge on their standard tariffs,

their default tariffs. It does not apply to other tariffs. Now, people say to me, how do I

know if I'm on the price cap? My honest answer is, if you're not sure whether you're on the price

cap, you're on the price cap. Because to not be on the price cap, you're on the price cap.

Because to not be on the price cap, you need to have fixed or be on an EV tariff or have actively moved to a specialist tariff. So if you haven't done that, you're on a price cap tariff.

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