Power your solar battery for less with Battery Boost
22 August 2025 | OVO
What is Battery Boost?
Battery Boost is OVO’s new solar battery tariff add-on. It optimises your battery charging at the greenest and cheapest times of the day, saving you up to 60% on your energy bills.
How does Battery Boost work?
Thanks to our clever algorithm, Battery Boost uses energy market data to predict when the grid is at its cheapest and cleanest. Charging your battery during these hours means you use greener electricity to power your home, at a super low rate of 10p per kWh.
We also use irradiance data, which measures the sun’s energy, to work out when your solar panels might not have enough power to charge your battery. Based on this, Battery Boost plans when your battery will need topping up, and controls when and how it charges. So whenever the sun isn’t shining, Battery Boost steps in.
How does Battery Boost help me save on bills?
When you join Battery Boost, you’ll be charged at the usual rate to begin with. At the end of each month, we work out how much energy was used to charge your battery. We then add credit to your energy account, so the cost of your battery charging is adjusted to the lower rate of 10p per kWh, which is 60% cheaper than the Ofgem price cap. This will arrive in the first 7 working days of the next month.
You’ll earn more credit with Battery Boost in winter
In winter months, your solar panels generate less electricity because there’s less sunlight. So we use more power from the grid to charge your battery. This means you’ll earn more Battery Boost credit – as long as you don’t override the battery charging controls. You’ll earn less Battery Boost credit in summer, but free sunshine power will help keep your battery topped up.
How much can I save with Battery Boost?
On average, you could save up to £80 a year on your energy bills with Battery Boost.
Here’s an example of how this could look:
We’d expect a typical customer with 12 solar panels, a 5.2kWh battery, and an average energy use to get around X kWh of Battery Boost each month. That works out at about £X energy credit.
How does Battery Boost reduce carbon?
There’s more demand for energy at peak times, like in the early evening. To help meet this increased demand, we turn on fossil-fuel powered plants which help generate electricity quicker, but rely more heavily on carbon-intensive sources like gas and oil.
Because Battery Boost charges your battery outside of these peak hours, the electricity used to top up your battery is more likely to come from cleaner, renewable sources – like wind and solar.
How does Battery Boost help make energy better in the UK?
Battery Boost helps improve the UK’s energy system by making the National Grid more flexible. This means it can quickly adjust to changes in how much electricity is being produced and used, so there’s less need for fossil fuel plants as a backup.
Battery Boost plays an important role in helping the UK achieve its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2035. That’s because it uses home batteries to store the energy generated from renewable sources, which can then be used during periods of high demand.
How do I get Battery Boost?
To access Battery Boost, you’ll need:
An OVO energy account
A smart meter
A GivEnergy storage battery, connected to Wi-Fi
Solar panels installed by OVO
Customers on Charge Anytime or Heat Pump Plus aren’t eligible at the moment. We’re working hard to unlock Battery Boost for anyone with a solar battery, so register your interest and we’ll let you know when you become eligible.
Important information
Up to 60% saving based on OVO charging the customer's battery at the Battery Boost rate of 10p per kWh, versus charging the battery at OVO's current standard variable rate of 24.51p (Correct at 1 July 2025) which is 59.21% higher. If you override the controls and charge the battery from the grid, you'll be charged at your standard electricity unit rate.
OVO's smart tech aims to charge your battery when the grid has more renewable energy in it, at periods of lower demand. Meaning it’s less likely your battery will be charged by energy from fossil fuels.