Annual energy bills will fall from October but prices are still much higher than they were in recent years, leaving many people worried about how to pay for gas and electricity.

Some of those struggling have been forced onto more expensive prepayment meters, prompting energy regulator Ofgem to introduce tougher rules to protect consumers.

If you don't agree a payment plan with your supplier, they might try to force you to have prepayment meter installed, or they may switch your existing smart meter to prepayment mode.

However, this has proved controversial, with an investigation by The Times newspaper finding debt agents acting for British Gas wrongly broke into vulnerable people's homes to fit meters.

Under new rules, suppliers will have to give struggling customers more chance to clear their debts, contacting them at least 10 times before a prepayment meter is installed. They will also have to conduct a "site welfare visit".

In very rare cases, if you haven't paid a bill after 28 days, you might be threatened with disconnection, but you'll normally be offered a meter first.

If you've reached state pension age, your supplier can't disconnect you between 1 October and 31 March if you either:

Suppliers can pass your details to a debt collection agency - and you might be charged more to cover the cost of this.

Many suppliers also charge extra fees for late payments.

Paying by direct debit is normally the cheapest way to pay for electricity and gas. Cancelling a direct debit means your future bills are likely to be higher.

Finally, not paying bills could damage your credit rating, and make it harder to borrow money in the future.

Suppliers must have exhausted all other options before installing a prepayment meter. In addition they cannot fit meters for:

Those forced onto a prepay meter - either by warrant or remotely - will be given £30 of credit initially to reduce the risk of them losing supply.

From 1 July, the government has said prepayment energy charges will be cut, bringing them in line with customers who pay by direct debit.

Suppliers have also been told to identify where meters were wrongfully installed, return the customer to their previous tariff and offer compensation

Check your direct debit

Your monthly payment is based on your estimated energy use for the year, and your supplier may reduce your bill if its estimate is higher than the amount you actually use, so check.

You can also request a flexible monthly direct debit where you pay for your actual monthly consumption. This requires a smart meter or regular readings.

But two-thirds of gas usage is during the winter months, you need to factor in the impact of reducing your payments during the warmer months.

Pay what you can

If the direct debit is fair, but you can't meet it, ask your supplier for an "able to pay plan" based on what you can afford.

By paying something every month - even if it's less than the amount due - your arrears will grow more slowly, meaning your supplier may be less worried about your debt.

You may also wish to get your name added to the Priority Services Register (PSR), a list of households which should get extra support.

Those eligible include pensioners, those who are pregnant or who have young children, or people who are disabled.

Your supplier can also get your name added to the network operator register if necessary. Ofgem recommends doing this if you rely on your energy supply for medical reasons.

If you have a different supplier for your gas and electricity, you need to contact them both.

Being on the PSR doesn't cancel your arrears. But it does show that you are vulnerable, which your supplier should take into account.

Claim what you are entitled to

Check you are claiming all the benefits you can.

The independent MoneyHelper website has a useful guide, while Policy in Practice and the charities Entitledto and Turn2us run benefits calculators.

You may also be able to repay your debt directly from your benefits through the government's Fuel Direct scheme.

A number of suppliers and charities also offer grants to help with bills.

Check you're getting extra government help

There is a range of government support to help people with energy bills, including help for households on means-tested benefits, pensioners and people on certain disability benefits.

The government launched an Energy Price Guarantee in October 2022, which limited a typical dual-fuel household's annual energy bill to £2,500.

This continued until the end of June, when a typical annual energy bill fell to £2,074 under regulator Ofgem's energy price cap.

Under the new price cap, bills will fall to around £1,923 between October and December.

Adjust your boiler

If you have a combi boiler at home - you don't have a hot water cylinder and there is a (usually white) plastic pipe under the boiler - you may wish to consider turning down the heating flow temperature.

On the front - sometimes behind a flap - look for a dial or set of buttons with a radiator icon. Turn the dial to the number three, or the 12 o'clock position. If it has a digital display, select 60C.

You may also want to turn off the hot water pre-heat. Many boilers come on every few hours - night and day - to ensure there's always some hot water available.

Most homes don't need this, and turning it off saves money.