How can we help?

We have two simple ways for you to switch:

1. You can simply click here and follow the 4 easy steps to see for yourself if we can save you money.
2. Or you can call one of our friendly customer service advisors on 0800 5999 440 and they will do all the hard work for you.

Once you have signed up with Ovo, you will be sent a confirmation email with your account details a few days later. If you have not received this email, or can’t find your account number, then all you need to do is to either call us on 0800 5999 440 or send us an email to hello@ovoenergy.com.

The easiest way to save money is to reduce the amount of energy you use. Click here for a list of ways to make your home more energy efficient.

Another way to save money is to switch energy provider. At Ovo we pride ourselves on offering our customers great value and passing on wholesale price cuts. Why not Click here to see if we can save you money on your energy bills.

The switching process can take between 4 to 6 weeks to be completed, but don’t worry we will take care of all details and keep you informed along the way, all we ask is that you submit your meter readings around the switch over date. We have a 10 day window where we can accept these readings, either 5 days before or 5 days after. Don’t worry if you are unable to submit reading to us during this time we will request an estimated reading to open your account. View our page on how switching works for more information.

The first step in the switching process is registration. Once you’ve signed up (either by phone or online) [link to sign up page] to join us, the information you provide is entered onto our system overnight so your pre-registration process can begin.

Next you will be sent your welcome letter. This will include all of your contract information such as your property address, chosen tariff, expected switch date, Direct Debit amount and date for your first payment. Please make sure you check all the information on your welcome letter carefully, and let us know if you’d like to change anything.

After receiving your welcome letter your seven day ‘cool off’ period starts. During this time you can let us know (by email or by phone) if you have changed your mind and decided not to join us.

If we don’t hear from you we will apply to take over your supply. A few days before your transfer date we will ask you to supply your opening meter readings. Once received, we will send these off for validation and once validated we’ll open your account using these readings.

Once you’re account is opened the switching process is over – hooray welcome to the Ovo family!

You should receive your first statement within 4-6 weeks of being on supply with us – unless you have requested our paper billing by post which will be quarterly.

You can view our tariff unit rates for your region with our rate table. If you can’t find what you are looking for here then why not give us a call on 0800 5999 440 and someone will be able to help you further.

Our fixed tariff comes with a fixed price 12 month contract – which means that even if wholesale prices go up, the price you pay will stay the same – offering you peace of mind in an uncertain market. When you sign up to Ovo we buy your energy upfront so by paying in advance for your energy means that your prices will stay the same for the duration of your contract.

You’ll have to contact your old supplier directly. Unfortunately we’re not able to contact them on your behalf, but if you would like to contact us we can give you some tips on what to say to them to ensure they close your account.

In order for us to change your opening meter reading and request for your previous supplier to alter their final reading and send you an amended final bill we would require two actual readings from a minimum of two weeks apart. If the estimates are very different, above 250kWhs for electric and 1200 kWh’s for gas we are able to dispute them based on 2 actual readings provided by you. If the estimated reading used has been underestimated then you will actually benefit as our tariff price we offer per unit is cheaper but to ensure you receive money back for what you have been charged for and have not used we may require further meter readings. Once they confirm your previous supplier will amend their readings and be able to send you an amended final statement. This process can take up to 6 weeks to be resolved and during this time you will not receive regular statements from us.

You have seven days to change your mind from the date you receive your welcome pack. All you have to do is give us a call on 0800 5999 440 to discuss your individual case.

If you change your mind after the seven day cool off period then it will be too late for us stop the switch. All you need to do is nominate another supplier and they will sign you up which in turn will cancel your agreement with us. Please be aware that if you have entered a fixed tariff contract, as we will have already paid for your energy in advance we will have to charge you an early termination fee of £30 per fuel.

To keep your energy usage records accurate, we encourage all of our customers to send us a monthly meter read. This can be done by clicking here or by phoning us on 0800 5999 440 – whichever is best for you. If you feel that you are unable to submit meter readings every month don’t worry we will just generate a month’s statement based estimated readings, which can be balanced out as soon as you are able to provide us with an up to date meter reading.

At Ovo, being transparent about our prices with you is a key value. We would love to keep our prices as low as possible but unfortunately wholesale market energy prices do fluctuate. Although we will try and keep our prices as stable as possible, we may sometimes need to change them. So if this does happen, what will this mean to you?

Fixed tariff

A fixed tariff means regardless of whether wholesale market energy costs rise or fall, you will always pay the prices you signed up to on your tariff. Simple! If you have applied to switch to Ovo, and are waiting to go ‘live’ (i.e. for the switch to be completed) and our prices change, you won’t be affected. You will still only pay the prices you signed up to.

Variable tariff

A variable tariff is a little different to a fixed tariff, in that your energy prices may rise or fall with the wholesale market. At the moment we don’t currently offer a variable tariff but this may change. If you have already signed up to the previous variable tariff we offered, should your prices change in the future we will always let you know in plenty of time, so you can make any decisions you may want to about your energy supply.

We will contact you around 6 weeks before the end of your fixed contract; we will let you know when the contract will expire and what your choices are. We will also quote our new prices to help to decide whether you want to fix for another 12 months or whether you want to go onto our variable tariff, If you decide you want to leave Ovo you’ll have plenty of time to switch suppliers. If we don’t hear from you we will remind you nearer to the end of your contract.

If we still haven’t heard anything from you, we will default you onto our lowest priced like for like variable tariff, for example if you are currently on our Green Energy Fix we will default you onto our Green Energy Variable. We will also contact you to confirm what we have done, so you know your new prices.

Don’t worry it’s never too late to fix your prices, just give us a call and we can add you onto our current fixed tariff.

You have seven days to change your mind. All you have to do is put it in writing – by letter or email. After this time, it’ll depend where we are in the switching process. Give us a call on 0800 5999 440 to discuss your individual case.

In order for us to change your opening meter reading and request for your previous supplier to alter their final reading and send you an amended final bill we would require two actual readings from a minimum of two weeks apart. If the estimates are very different, above 250kWhs for electric and 1200 kWh’s for gas we are able to dispute them based on 2 actual readings provided by you. If the estimated reading used has been underestimated then you will actually benefit as our tariff price we offer per unit is cheaper but to ensure you receive money back for what you have been charged for and have not used we may require further meter readings. Once they confirm your previous supplier will amend their readings and be able to send you an amended final statement. This process can take up to 6 weeks to be resolved and during this time you will not receive regular statements from us.

You should have received a reminder letter or email if you are on a paperless tariff, which would state that to open your account based on actual readings we would need you to submit your opening meter readings to us either 5 days before or 5 days after the supply start date. If we do not receive these reading within our time frame of 10 days, then we would have been unable to submit your readings for verification and an estimated meter reading will have been used. If you would like to call us on 0800 5999 440 then one of our customer care advisors will be able to help you further.

At Ovo we have a Priority Service Register, the PSR is a confidential register of people with special requirements; it allows us and our representatives to identify each customer with a special requirement and to help us to improve our service. Any customer of a pensionable age, disabled or chronically sick can request to be placed on this register, enabling us to be made aware of customers who could be severely affected by the loss of their electricity or gas supplies.

If you feel that you are eligible for our Priority Service Register then all you have to do is contact us on 0800 5999 440 and we can go through the criteria over the telephone or if you’d rather we can post out a copy of our questionnaire for you to complete

When you sign up with Ovo on a fixed tariff contract, this means your prices are fixed for the duration of your contract and it is at this point when we would buy your energy in advance for the year. So if you choose to leave us during your 12 month fixed contract you will pay a termination fee of £30 per fuel inclusive of VAT.

Here at Ovo we want to be honest and transparent with all our customers, the standing charge covers the cost of supplying services to your address. This covers part of the cost of the pipes and power lines that distribute the services. By charging a standing charge it means we don’t have to use structured units prices like other suppliers do, we think our way is much simpler.

At Ovo we believe that all customers should be treated the same. As part of our Fair Price Pledge, we guarantee that new and existing customers get the same price. We believe that as an energy supplier we have a responsibility to provide fairer, more transparent tariffs that help you easily identify the best deals. When your contract ends we’ll proactively tell you about our best current deal available, saving you time and giving you peace of mind. So regardless of whether you’re a brand new customer or ‘one of the family’, you’ll know you’re getting the best possible price with us on your gas and electricity.

We’ll attempt to read your meters once a year. Our Meter Readers, Lowri Beck, have two read cycles. The first attempt to read your meter will be in the Spring. If we are unable to take a meter reading then, we’ll send Lowri Beck back out again in the Autumn. It’s still important for you to submit your own meter readings to ensure we’re billing you as accurately as possible. This can be done online. However, Lowri Beck will still come round. For safety reasons, we need to have a trained meter reader take a reading at least every two years.

When you sign up to Ovo, you agree to pay by Direct Debit, one month in advance (please see our Terms and Conditions, paragraph 6.1). This means making sure that you always have a balance equal to at least one month’s Direct Debit available on your account. If you have a balance of more than £25.00 in addition to this, we’ll happily approve a refund. If your balance falls behind however, we’ll probably ask you to increase your Direct Debit.

An example:

You pay £75 per month Direct Debit and your latest statement shows a credit balance of £115.We can refund you £40, leaving a balance equivalent to one month’s Direct Debit on the account.

Don’t forget, as part of the Ovo Interest Reward, you also receive 3% interest on any credit balance you have on your account.

Once approved, your refund will be with you up to 7 working days from your request (unless you have been advised otherwise).

You can read our Refund Policy here.

When you join Ovo, we take the total estimated cost you will spend for your energy in one year and divide it into 12 equal payments. This helps all of our customers know how much they’re spending. We use your initial meter read you send us, along with your previous energy usage to determine this. If you joined Ovo during the winter months (September onwards), we apply a 25% winter uplift to your Direct Debit. This is your extra winter allowance that will ensure, at the end of the winter period, you don’t end up in debt or are surprised with a high winter bill. Helping our customers keep debt free has always been a top priority at Ovo, and we’re always here to help if you have any questions about your account.

We regularly review your Direct Debit amount to ensure it covers your actual usage. Your Direct Debit should be set at a rate that allows you to build credit throughout the summer to cover your additional winter usage. If you have a positive balance, you are currently benefiting from Ovo Interest Rewards by receiving 3% per annum paid monthly on any credit balances. If your Direct Debit has increased, it was either set too low or you are using more energy than you anticipated when you signed up to us. By providing us with regular meter readings we can ensure you are billed accurately.

Our standard procedure is to take our Direct Debit payments in advance so we can attempt to address the issue of energy debt in the UK; by charging our customer’s upfront for the service they are less likely to build up arrears on their account. Energy debt is becoming a real issue, with thousands of consumers unable to move away from their current ‘high tariff’ supplier as they simply cannot afford to pay for the energy that they have already consumed. As a new company we are taking a fresh approach to what we believe is an old method in a stale industry, and that our customers have found paying in advance each month has been great for keeping them on top of their bills each month, rather than being in debt. Plus at Ovo we pay you interest for being in credit, so it’s a win win situation.

If there’s a problem with your bill please give us a call on 0800 5999 440 as soon as you can. It’s something we take very seriously and our customer care team will work hard to get to the bottom of any issue as quickly as possible. It often helps speed things up if you have a meter reading to hand when you call.

To reduce the amount of paper we use, and to encourage our customers to do the same, we send your statement via email. If you haven’t received an electronic copy of your statement, let us know. We’ll send you another copy immediately and do our best to find out what went wrong in the first place. Please do remember to check your junk emails, as our email may have become lost there.

If you would like to receive your statement by post we can arrange this for you. If you choose to receive your statements by post please there is an additional charge of £5 per quarter.

If you need to request a copy of a statement all you need to do is let us know by email or give us a call on 0800 5999 440 and we will then be able to send another copy. As we are trying to reduce the amount of paper we use, we will send your requested statement via email.

The first thing to do is call us. We’ll do everything we can to help you work things out. For wider advice and information on money worries you might find these organisations helpful:

• The Debt Advice Trust 0800 954 6549
• The National Debtline 0808 808 4000
• Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) 0800 138 1111
• Community Legal Advice (CLA) 0845 345 4 345
• Your local Citizens Advice Bureau

This scheme is about creating a fairer deal for customers. It’s designed to pass on the interest we earn when your account with us is in credit as well as rewarding you for prepayment. The current annual rate of reward is three percent. Each time you receive a statement – which is monthly or quarterly depending on what you’ve requested – the reward for the corresponding period of time will be credited to your energy account automatically.

While not connected to the Bank of England’s base rate of interest, Ovo’s interest reward rate will reflect market conditions. The Ovo interest rate is set until the end of 2010 and will be reviewed every six months thereafter.

Because the Ovo interest reward is actually a prepayment discount for the energy you will use in the future it is treated as other discounts that you receive on goods and services.

No. Ovo interest rewards are only calculated on credit balances.

Your interest reward will be calculated every time your statement is produced. This can be monthly or quarterly, depending on what you have requested. The reward will be credited to your energy account on the date each statement is generated.

The current annual rate of reward is three per cent. When a statement is generated, you will be credited for the corresponding period of time. This proportion is worked out by counting the days between consecutive statements. Divide the number of days between statements by 365, then multiply that by three to see what percentage you will get each time.

This scheme is about giving customers a fairer deal and is something we plan on offering indefinitely from 1 July 2010. The first statement you receive after this date will calculate your reward from 1 July 2010. We will have to review the three per cent rate from time to time in order to reflect market conditions. However, our intention is to have a rate that means customers in credit with us are not losing out.

A section of the statement will show how much you have earned in that statement period. This amount will be automatically credited to your customer account and will appear in the balance. Check out our easy billing section to see a copy of one of our statements.

Ovo Energy is the only supplier to offer a monthly interest reward on accounts that are in credit. It’s about creating a fairer deal for customers so we’ve made our scheme as simple and transparent as possible. We encourage other suppliers to do the same.

In order to offer this reward to customers, we have to impose certain restrictions which you will find in our terms and conditions.

Two examples of this are:

• The maximum sum we will pay you credit on is 12 times the monthly energy account Direct Debit we have agreed with you.
• If you do pay in a lump sum, then request that sum back within six months, we’ll calculate how much credit you’ve earned in that time and reclaim it from your customer account.

If you are unsure give us a call on 0800 5999 440 and we can tell you what your maximum amount is.

Customers can help to keep their statements as accurate as possible by providing regular meter readings. Unfortunately, as you will see in our terms and conditions, we are unable to recalculate interest rewards if estimated readings are later proven to be inaccurate.

You can either sign up online by clicking here, or you can contact us on 0800 5999 440 and one of our friendly team members will be more than happy to talk you through the procedure.

If you are planning on moving home and you need to close your account with Ovo all you would need to do is either give us a call on 0800 5999 440 or send us an email to hello@ovoenergy.com and provide us with the following details:

1. The date you have moved or are moving
2. A meter reading for that date, or near it
3. Your new address or forwarding details
4. Your new contact telephone number

We would also like to know, if possible;

1. The name/s of the new occupier and the contact telephone/email address if possible
2. The expected move in date of the new occupier if known
3. The name and address of the landlord if there is one

If you would like us to supply your new property all you will need to do is to contact us to register your new address, this process will take us 4-6 weeks to be completed. You should take a meter reading as soon as you move in and give it to whoever is currently supplying the property. If you don’t know who this is then all you would need to do is to contact our customer care team and we will look it up on the national database for you.

In terms of our green energy contribution, our ultimate aim is to make green (renewable) energy available to everyone, without customers having to pay a premium for the privilege. A big part of that will be our commitment to building our own generation, which we hope to start in our first two years.

However, as a supplier, we believe that the best thing that we can do to increase the amount of green energy that the UK uses is to help increase the demand. For us, that means offering an energy tariff with 100% renewable electricity which is very competitively priced. In addition, our standard tariff is contains 15% renewable electricity which is nearly three times more than the UK average of 5.9%. We currently source our green energy from local wind farms, and also from landfill gas.

Although we hope to be able to offer FITs in the near future, we do not currently offer this scheme. If you are thinking of installing any equipment to generate your own electricity, please let us know urgently as this may affect your meter.

• The term ‘Smart meter’ is a general term for a meter that provides additional information to that historically provided by a ‘dumb’ meter.
• A true Smart meter should have 2-way communication capability, enabling reads to be received by the supplier and for the meter to be re-configured remotely.
• These meters provide customers with clearer information regarding the energy they consume, enabling them to monitor and manage their use.

We will be able to accurately track each customer’s usage which will quickly alert our team to any potential issues and all statements will be produced to actual readings reducing the number of validations and queries. There is a growing demand from consumers to introduce Smart meters to help track energy usage and ensure accurate statements and for customers that prefer to have more control over their finances or have experienced difficulty in making regular payments.

• Actual reads for accurate billing.
• Allow customer to view their consumption online.
• Estimated 5-10% reduction in consumption by having a Smart meter.
• Reduction in consumption leading to a reduction in emissions.
• Meter can be remotely reconfigured from credit to PAYG (and vice-versa).
• Allows a less problematic process for switching suppliers.

We’ve joined forces with Cool Earth, a leading environmental charity, to protect an acre of endangered Amazon rainforest on behalf of each of our customers (existing and new). Each protected acre ensures 260 tonnes of CO2 are safely locked away, helping keep the planet cool.

This scheme fits exactly with our company ethos of Cheaper, Greener, Simpler. We try to do things differently – we want to prove to our customers that we mean what we say – that we care about the environment. We’re not in to gimmicks so our partnership with Cool Earth is an easy and simple way for us, together with our customers, to do something good for our planet.

This scheme fits exactly with our company ethos of Cheaper, Greener, Simpler. We try to do things differently – we want to prove to our customers that we mean what we say – that we care about the environment. We’re not in to gimmicks so our partnership with Cool Earth is an easy and simple way for us, together with our customers, to do something good for our planet.

Rainforest destruction is a massive contributor to climate change and yet every minute 100 acres of forest is cleared. If this continues it will not only have a devastating effect on our climate and water supplies but will threaten millions of species of plants and animals. Each protected acre ensures 260 tonnes of CO2 are safely locked away, helping keep the planet cool.

There are environmental challenges to be met all over the world, including here in the UK. However, research shows the deforestation of the rainforests is, by far, one of the most urgent issues facing us. And, in terms of investment for results, this scheme has the biggest positive impact on the climate that we could find.

No – this partnership is all about us keeping our promises and doing what we said we’d do at the beginning – remember our mantra of Cheaper, Greener, Simpler – we don’t want these to be just words so this partnership is one example of our commitment. We don’t receive any grants or carbon credits for protecting the rainforest.

Half the £6 cost of each acre is paid for by Ovo and the other half by the customer – just 25 pence per month. We take our environmental responsibility very seriously and, although it’s taken a little while to launch this scheme, making sure this could be incorporated into our great value tariffs has been important to us from the start. We believe that many people doing a little bit, rather than a few doing a lot, is the best way to make a real difference.

We certainly hope so. Our initial agreement with Cool Earth is for 10 years but we envisage this being an ongoing partnership.

We have an initial arrangement with Cool Earth for ten years, but we envisage this being an ongoing partnership. Although it’s impossible to forecast the future, rest assured our company ethics will never change and making sure protecting the environment will always be part of what you invest in when you buy energy from Ovo.

No. If you ever leave us – and we hope you don’t – your acre will be passed on to another new customer. So you can rest assured your patch of rainforest will be safely protected for years to come.

Yes, you can protect as many acres as you like. We can put you in touch with Cool Earth directly and they’ll help you to set up the necessary payments.

Cool Earth invests our donation by running lots of different local community projects. The idea is to make the forest worth more standing than cut down. Through community rangers and satellite imagery they monitor and protect the rainforest from any illegal activity around the clock. By supporting schools, clinics, education and sustainable jobs, Cool Earth makes sure forest protection goes hand in hand with better lives.

Cool Earth works closely with local communities and tribes and gives them the support required to protect the rainforest. Community Rangers are also employed to keep an eye on things and to make sure nothing illegal happens.

Cool Earth uses state-of-the-art satellite imaging and specially developed smoke triggered pagers – all put in place to alert them of any untoward practices.

You’ll eventually receive geographical coordinates so you’ll be able to log-on to your Ovo account and have a look at images of your acre via Google Earth. This part of the scheme is still in development but is coming very soon. Cool Earth will also send you occasional updates on the vital community projects taking place in the area of rainforest you sponsor.

Cool Earth is a charity working with South American local communities to secure rainforests at risk of being destroyed within the next 18 months. Only 10% of donations are spent on admin and governance, making sure every penny possible goes on safeguarding our climate. Cool Earth is the fastest growing environmental charity in Europe.

No. Cool Earth is a fundamental part of the products we supply. Climate change aside, it’s an indisputable fact that rainforests are home to two-thirds of all living animal and plant species on the planet, with hundreds of millions of species still undiscovered. They’re also known as the ‘world’s pharmacy’ because of their wealth of natural medicines and destroying them can destroy the chances of new breakthroughs in treatment – so, these alone are excellent reasons to safeguard this precious resource.

No. This partnership is an extension of our company beliefs and values. Sponsoring an acre of rainforest will happen automatically every time a new customer signs up to one of our tariffs making it a fundamental part of the product they’re buying from us – and, hopefully another reason for doing so.

It’s absolutely important to encourage a reduction in energy consumption. That’s why we have a whole section of top tips for doing this on our website and why we’re looking into Smart Meters and other initiatives that will help people cut down on the amount of energy they use. The reason we launched the Cool Earth scheme is that, in terms of investment for results, it has the biggest positive impact on reducing the amount of CO2 escaping into the atmosphere that we could find.

I think I can smell gas, what should I do? Click here

I have no electricity, what should I do? Click here

We regularly review your Direct Debit amount to ensure it covers your actual usage. If you’re already an Ovo customer, your Direct Debit should be set at a rate that allows you to build credit through the summer to cover your additional winter usage. If you have a positive balance, you are currently benefiting from Ovo Interest Rewards and receiving a 3% monthly credit on your money. If your Direct Debit has increased, it was either set too low or you are using more energy than you anticipated when you signed up to us. By providing us with regular meter readings we can ensure you are billed accurately.

Direct Debits are reviewed regularly at Ovo, usually around autumn and spring. Once we’ve carried out our review we’ll contact you if we think your Direct Debit needs to change. The best thing you can do is make sure you are reviewing your statements and providing us with regular readings. This way any review we do will be an accurate reflection of your usage and any changes over the year.

When joining Ovo, we typically take the total estimated cost you will spend for your energy over the year and divide it into 12 equal payments. This lets you budget for your energy costs and builds credit through the summer months when you use less energy to offset the higher costs you’ll pay to cover your extra winter usage.

If you’ve joined us coming into winter, you will not have had opportunity to build enough credit on your account to cover your usage over the colder months. During winter you’re likely to use up to 25% more energy than you do in summer. Instead of falling behind and having to pay more in the spring to cover your additional usage, we’ve adjusted your Direct Debit now. This does not mean your prices have changed. Being on a fixed deal means the price you pay per unit and standing charge remains the same for the duration of your contract.

We’ll review your Direct Debit amount in the spring to make sure it aligns with your usage. By providing regular meter readings, you can make sure your account is accurate.

Shortly after transferring to Ovo, we receive your Estimated Annual Consumption (EAC) for your electricity and Annual Quantity (AQ) for your gas. This information is based on all the readings that are on record for you over the past two years and is an accurate indication of your annual usage. We then use this information, alongside seasonal consumption profiles, to calculate your usage.

View an example of how your consumption is calculated.

We aim to get you onto a Direct Debit with 12 equal monthly payments as soon as possible, however if you joined us during the winter months (September onwards), when you’re expected to use more energy, we ask you to pay a little higher than one twelfth of the total year to make sure your account doesn’t go into negative balance immediately. We’ll then review your Direct Debit in the spring to make sure it’s closely aligned to the energy you’re using. Being on a fixed deal means that the price you pay per unit of energy stays the same, your Direct Debit can change as the energy you use varies over time.

You’ll need to check your current bill to see whether your balance is in debit and pay any outstanding amount. They should return any credit balance to you but it might be worth checking with them.

This would indicate that the Direct Debit you had previously set up was not high enough. You’ll need to pay any outstanding amounts to them to clear your account. Hopefully the Direct Debit we have set up with you will avoid that situation happening again. By submitting regular meter readings, we can make sure your bills accurately reflect your actual usage.

Yes, we carry out regular Direct Debit reviews. If you are paying too much we will contact you to let you know you might want to consider reducing the amount you pay; you can of course choose to keep paying the higher amount to benefit from our Ovo Interest Rewards.

At the end of the first month your Direct Debit amount will be reviewed. If your usage looks like it will be higher than what your Direct Debit will cover for the winter months, it will be revised, we will contact you to let you know.

The Ovo tariffs are very good value and highly competitive. One of the reasons that we can do this is using the efficiencies of the Direct Debit and online processes. If you choose not to pay your Direct Debit and you have not paid for your energy use, you may be subject to debt collection.

At Ovo we try to pass on the best deal we can to you. One of the ways we do this is by paying for your energy in advance. So we can do this, we ask all our customers to make sure they stay in credit.

Making sure your Direct Debit is set at the right amount for your energy use means that you can budget and plan for the year and also avoid falling into debt – a key concern in the UK. As well as you keeping an eye on your account each month, we also undertake Direct Debit reviews throughout the year. If your forecasted consumption is higher than anticipated, we recommend you increase your Direct Debit amount. Similarly, if it looks like your Direct Debit is set too high, we’ll let you know and suggest reducing it. Our aim is to ensure you build up a credit over the summer months to cover your higher winter usage, so come spring you will have a zero balance ready to start building your balance for the year ahead.

We regularly review your Direct Debit to make sure the amount you pay each month matches the amount of energy we expect you to use. Your Direct Debit should be set at an amount that lets you build credit throughout the summer to cover your higher winter usage. If we’ve written to you to suggest increasing your Direct Debit, our calculations will have shown that your current payment won’t cover your consumption and your account is either already in debt or is shortly due to be. There are a few reasons why this may happen, which include:

• You’ve already used more energy than we anticipated when we last set your Direct Debit
• Your tariff may have changed
• You’ve received a refund from us for a credit balance in the last 12 months, which means your account now doesn’t have enough credit to cover your expected usage

Rather than letting you fall into debt and sending you a large bill, we write to you to recommend increasing your Direct Debit which lets you spread the cost over your monthly payments. We also offer you 3% interest on any credit you have on your account, brought forward from your previous statement meaning you benefit from being in credit with us. Don’t forget, by providing us with regular meter readings we can make sure you are billed accurately.

We’ve reach your new Direct Debit amount by taking your current balance and adding to that the amount of energy we expect you’ll use. We deduct what you will pay by Direct Debit throughout that period. The difference is then divided by the number of payments between now and the end of the calculated period. Finally this amount is added onto your current Direct Debit to make your new monthly payment.

FOR EXAMPLE (with a Direct Debit change for your December payment):

Your current balance is £160 debit
Your forecasted energy usage from now until the end of March 2012 is £400
Payments made between now and the end of March 2012 will be 4 x £100 which equals £400
Your current Direct Debit is £100 per month
£560 – £400 = £160
£160 divided by your remaining payments between now and the end of March 2012 = £40 additional per month required.
£100 + £40 =
New Direct Debit £140 per month.

Our aim is to help our customers stay debt free and we’re always here to help if you have any questions about your account.

To work out how much energy we think you’ll use, we look at your average annual usage and seasonal consumption profiles for each month. We then apply your monthly consumption to your unit rate and standing charge to determine your expected charges.

We use the information you provided when signing up to Ovo to forecast your annual usage for the year and then estimate what your usage is likely to be in the winter months. Your Direct Debit amount should cover your lower summer and higher winter usage. If you’re joining us coming into the winter, your monthly payments will be a little higher than one twelfth of the total for the year. This is to make sure that your account doesn’t go into arrears during the colder months when you’re expected to use up to 25% more energy. We’ll then review your Direct Debit in the springtime. Being on a fixed deal means that the price you pay per unit of energy stays the same, your Direct Debit can change as the energy you use varies over time.

Yes, absolutely. We will let you know and share with you all the important information you need.

By providing us with regular meter readings we can ensure the information we have on your account is up-to-date and accurate. We validate your readings and make sure this information is added to your record.

The change in your Direct Debit is not a price change – if you are on a fixed tariff, the price you pay is fixed for your 12 month contract. Your Direct Debit may change over your contract if it’s not set at the right amount to cover the energy you’re expected to use. If we think your Direct Debit should change, we’ll write to you to let you know what our suggestion is.

If you are on a variable tariff, the price you pay per unit of energy may change but we will always notify you before this takes effect so you have plenty of time to prepare.

There are a number of reasons why we may have recommended increasing your Direct Debit. They include:

• You are using more energy and your Direct Debit should be increased to cover this
• You’ve had a refund throughout the year and now don’t have a large enough balance to cover the energy you’re expected to use
• You may have missed one or more Direct Debit payments and so don’t have a large enough balance to cover your usage
• You may now be on a different tariff

We regularly review your Direct Debit amount to ensure it covers your actual usage. If you’re already an Ovo customer, your Direct Debit should be set at a rate that allows you to build credit through the summer to cover your additional winter usage. If you have a positive balance, you are currently benefiting from Ovo Interest Rewards and receiving a 3% monthly credit on your money. If your Direct Debit has increased, it was either set too low or you are using more energy than you anticipated when you signed up to us. By providing us with regular meter readings we can ensure you are billed accurately.

If we’ve written to you suggesting your Direct Debit be increased, the credit on your account is not enough to cover the energy we’ve forecasted you’ll use and so the amount you pay needs to go up. Rather than face a big bill, increasing your Direct Debit will help you spread the cost over your monthly payments.

Statements on Demand are statements generated when you want them. Rather than receiving statements based on an estimated consumption each month, Statements on Demand are generated from actual meter readings, so there is no estimation at all. You submit meter readings via your My Ovo account and a statement will be sent to you a few days later.

One important thing to note is if we don’t receive a reading we won’t be able to send you a statement,

But don’t worry, if you forget or are unable to submit your meter readings, after 3 months your account will return to standard monthly statements. Please bear in mind that this statement may be based on estimated consumption.

If you decide that you would like to switch back to Statements on Demand, just give us a call and we’ll do the rest for you.

Our online customers receive monthly statements each month, around the same date. Your statement shows either estimated consumption or a combination of actual and estimated consumption, depending on whether you’ve supplied a meter reading and when. Statements on Demand are generated from actual meter reading to actual meter reading meaning there is no estimation at all.

Statements on Demand are statements generated by your meter readings. To receive your Statement on Demand just log into your My Ovo account using your online ID (which looks like 1000XXXXX) and enter in your up–to-date meter readings. We’ll then generate a statement based on this, which you’ll receive a couple of days later.

To enter your meter readings just log into your My Ovo account using your My Ovo ID (which looks like 1000XXXXX) and enter your meter readings by using the “submit your meter readings” page. We’ll do the rest!

Don’t worry, so that you don’t go too long without having an up-to-date statement, after 3 months we’ll generate an estimated statement for you. This will be based on the last meter readings you submitted through your My Ovo account. Standard statements will then be sent to you on a monthly basis like they were before you switched to Statements on Demand.

If you wish to set up Statements on Demand again, just call us on 0800 5999 440 and one of our customer service advisors will be happy to help you out.

A statement can be created as little as 2 weeks apart. In the meantime you can view a summary of your usage by going to your My Ovo account and simply entering your meter readings. Then select the “Generate up-to-date statement” button on the “My Statements” page to view it.

Don’t worry; we should be able to pick this up based on previous readings. We may contact you to confirm the meter readings you have entered are correct. However, we would recommend dropping us an email just to be sure.

Access to your My Ovo account is needed to be able to benefit from Statements on Demand, If you haven’t yet received your log in details or even if you have just misplaced them, just call us on 0800 5999 440 or email us on hello@ovoenergy.com to request them.

This option is currently only available for customers who receive their statements online. If you have access to a computer and hold an email address, you too could benefit from Statements on Demand. You could also save an extra £20 a year by receiving your statements online rather than by post.

Meter readings should be provided via your My Ovo account in order to benefit from Statements on Demand.

Because, your statement is generated once your meter readings have been entered into your My Ovo account, we ask that you enter your meter readings on a monthly basis and use your My Ovo account to manage your statements.

We don’t currently offer the Warm Home scheme as we prefer to offer the best value to all of our customers. We work hard to provide the most competitive fixed tariffs possible and feel that this is the best way to help customers manage their energy bills.