In-Home Display troubleshooting

How do I switch on my In-Home Display (IHD)?

Usually, our engineer will set up your IHD, but on a rare occasion, they may not have one available when your smart meter is installed. In this case, or if your IHD is faulty and we’re replacing it, we’ll send your IHD in the post. 
When your In-Home Display arrives, the screen will look blank because it’s gone into standby mode to save you energy – don’t worry, it’s not broken. You just need to give us a call on 0330 303 5063, so we can link your IHD to your smart meters. 
Once your IHD and smart meters are linked, press the on-off switch (the little black button on the left-hand side of your IHD screen), and lots of useful things will appear. The IHD main menu screen will light up and display a range of IHD icons representing all the things the IHD can show or tell you. These icons work as buttons which you simply tap to move across from screen to screen.

If you have an In-Home Display that looks like the one above, it has a handy 3 minute tutorial that shows you the main features using some example energy use data. Just access the tutorial by pressing the Home button, then the right arrow button five times.

What do the buttons on my In-Home Display (IHD) screen look like?

The IHD main menu will look like this:

What does the ‘Dual’ button do?

If you get both gas and electricity from us, tapping this button will allow you to compare how much energy you’re using right now, how much you’ve spent in pounds and pence, and your CO2 emissions.

Tap the ‘Dual’ button and this ‘Account Info’ screen will appear.

  The lightning bolt sits above your electricity information. The gas flame sits above your gas information. Tap the ‘A/C’ button at the bottom of the screen, and you can move on from screen to screen to see:

• The hourly cost of your gas and electricity.
• How much energy you’ve used that day.
• Your CO2 emissions.
   

What does the ‘Message’ button do?

We might send messages to your message inbox from time to time – for example, to confirm that you’ve changed your OVO plan. 

Just tap the envelope symbol to see your message inbox.

The number of new messages is shown in the top right corner.

Unread messages are shown in the list in bold, and you just tap on a ‘View’ button to open them. Important alerts (like the one below) will pop up and stay on the screen until you tap ‘OK’.

What does the ‘History’ button do?

Tapping on the ‘History’ button tells you how much energy you’ve used over the last 12 months. You can also see how much you’ve used each day, week or month, or over the full year.

Once you’ve pressed the ‘History’ button, you can choose between ‘Gas’ or ‘Electricity’. You can then scroll through these screens by pressing ‘Hour’, ‘Day’ etc in the top right corner.

What does the ‘Settings’ button do?

The ‘Settings’ button in the main menu screen lets you change the settings in your meter and IHD. These are the options:

• Info – confirms your meter and IHD serial numbers.
• Target – set kWh or £ targets.
• Sound – enable/disable button sounds.
• LEDs – enable/disable lights.
• DST – Daylight Saving Time (changes the time on your IHD).
• Backlight – set the backlight timer.
• Network – confirms that your network is paired or not paired (only for use when installing). 
• Contrast – set contrast.

What does the ‘Tariff’ button do?

The ‘Tariff’ button shows you information about your OVO plan, including its name, your unit rates and our standing charge.

If you renew with us on a new OVO contract at a different rate, or your rates change for any other reason, we’ll update your IHD remotely to show your new rates. 

Electricity and gas are shown separately, so tap on the one you want and you’ll see a screen like this. Just use the arrows on the right to scroll through the information.

What happens if my contract, tariff or rates change?

If you renew with us on a new OVO contract at a different rate, or your rates change for any other reason, we’ll update your IHD remotely to show your new rates. 

Does my In-Home Display show prices including VAT?

Yes – all the prices and unit rates shown on your IHD screen include VAT.

What should I do if my IHD breaks?

That depends on whether you mean ‘breaks down’ or if it has actually suffered physical damage from being dropped or knocked. 
If it’s not working properly, so it’s no longer showing any figures or messages on screen, or is not moving properly from one screen to the next, please get in touch (0330 303 5063 or hello@ovoenergy.com) to let us know, and we’ll see what needs to be done. 
If your In-Home Display unit has been physically broken – for example, the screen is smashed, you should also contact us. We can give you a replacement, but we may need to charge you.

Where should I keep my In-Home Display?

Your In-Home Display needs to be able to pick up clear signals from both your electricity meter and your Wi-Fi router, so you need to place it within range of both devices. That means within 20 metres (nearly 66 feet) of your electricity meter, and somewhere it can easily pick up the router’s Wi-Fi signal. Occasionally thick walls can interrupt a signal, so try not to put the In-Home Display too many rooms away from your Wi-Fi router.

How do I connect my In-Home Display to my Wi-Fi?

You can’t add your In-Home Device (IHD) to your Wi-Fi – and you don’t need to. It’s already connected to your HAN (Home Area Network), so it can receive data about your energy usage.

Will my device work without a Wi-Fi connection?

Even if your In-Home Display can’t get a Wi-Fi connection, you’ll still be able to use it to check details of how much energy you’re using on its screen, but you won’t be able to access the data in My OVO on your own devices.

Will the connected IHD use up my broadband allowance?

Yes, some of it – up to around 20MB per day. That adds up to 600MB over a month. If you have a plan with unlimited broadband, this won’t cause you any problems. However, if you don’t, you should contact your provider to ask what your allowance is, as we won’t be able to cover the cost of data used for your IHD.

20MB is the same as the amount you’d use if you were doing 1 hour of web browsing or downloading 4 average-length music tracks.

How much does it cost to run my IHD?

Your In-Home Display (IHD) is very power efficient. The average amount of power it uses when it’s switched on, including the plug-top power supply, is less than 0.5 watts. Over a year, this adds up to 4.38 kWh or 54p (based on a unit rate of 12.33p/kWh).

Do I have to keep my IHD plugged into the mains, or can I run it on batteries?

It’s best to keep your IHD plugged into your mains supply all the time, as it will work out cheaper than buying batteries – and it’s better for the environment. However, it’s also a good idea to keep two AA batteries handy in case your electricity ever cuts out or goes off supply.

How do I request a new IHD?

Just give us a call on 0330 303 5063 or email hello@ovoenergy.com. We’ll ask you to return your broken IHD, so we can send you a new one. If it’s faulty, we’ll replace it for free. However, if you’ve damaged it, a new one will cost you £28 plus a £5 postage fee.

How much does an IHD cost?

An IHD won’t cost you anything, as you get one with your smart meter. However, if you damage your IHD, a replacement will cost you £28 plus a £5 postage fee. 

Is the IHD for both electricity and gas?

Yes. It will cover both your fuels – or just electricity if you only have a smart electricity meter with us.

Where can I find my IHD pin number?

You’ll need to call us to get your IHD pin. However, you’ll only need it if we’re troubleshooting with you. The pin allows you to de-pair your IHD from your HAN network.  

If you need more help

More help is on hand for this topic on the OVO Forum. And if you don't find the answers you need, feel free to ask a question and one of our forum users can help.