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brown_dog
Rank 1
October 9, 2026
Solved

Allstar EV credit ignored by DD estimated average

  • October 9, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 24 views

We are on the Simpler Energy plan, so it’s a variable rate. We pay by DD and the DD amount is reviewed every 3 months, the amount being determined by how much energy we use and how much our account is in credit. This system has worked fine for years and we have been happy Ovo customers.

Six months ago my husband got a new company car, which is an EV. This is charged at home and they use Allstar as the 3rd party to manage the charging costs. Allstar credits our Ovo account, by bank transfer, each month, for the amount used, in the previous month.

Now, every 3 months, the DD estimating algorithm, sees that we are using way more electricity and puts up our DD by a large amount. The DD estimating algorithm, completely ignores payments coming in to our Ovo account.

I don’t want to have to ring Ovo every quarter and have this conversation.

Any suggestions, from Ovo themselves or helpful customers, appreciated.
Thank you.

Best answer by Chris_OVO

Hey ​@brown_dog,

 

You're absolutely right that our Direct Debit system has picked up on an increase in your energy usage and adjusted your billing accordingly. Unfortunately, it doesn't take charging credits into account when calculating your EV charging.

 

I understand this might be frustrating, but from our perspective, it looks like you're using more energy, which is why your bill reflects that change. 

 

We want to help you manage your direct debit, so our support team shouldn't adjust your direct debit amount. Making changes can cause fluctuations in your calculations. If you have built up credit on your account and would like a refund then just follow our refund guide below, and we’ll take care of the rest.

 

 

4 replies

Chris_OVO
Community Manager
Chris_OVOBest Answer
Community Manager
October 9, 2026

Hey ​@brown_dog,

 

You're absolutely right that our Direct Debit system has picked up on an increase in your energy usage and adjusted your billing accordingly. Unfortunately, it doesn't take charging credits into account when calculating your EV charging.

 

I understand this might be frustrating, but from our perspective, it looks like you're using more energy, which is why your bill reflects that change. 

 

We want to help you manage your direct debit, so our support team shouldn't adjust your direct debit amount. Making changes can cause fluctuations in your calculations. If you have built up credit on your account and would like a refund then just follow our refund guide below, and we’ll take care of the rest.

 

 

Renewable energy jokes never get old.
Rank 1
brown_dogAuthor
Rank 1
October 9, 2026

Thank you for responding promptly. However, it is a disappointing but not surprising response! I am aware of the hoops that need to be jumped through inorder to get a refund of my own money, one of which is likely to be spending alot of time waiting for someone to answer my phone call because the app has refused the refund request. I am looking for a solution that doesn’t involve me overpaying each month or phoning the energy supplier every quarter.

It seems to me that an increasing number of company car users will be charging EVs at home and 3rd parties such as AllStar will manage this. Energy suppliers that handle this sensibly will benefit from an influx of new customers.

Rank 1
brown_dogAuthor
Rank 1
October 9, 2026

After a considerable length of time on the phone, I finally managed to talk to someone who suggested a sensible option. The very helpful Scottish lady, suggested I cancel my DD and just pay off the balance monthly. Obviously, we will no longer benefit from the equalising of the seasonal payments/usage but atleast we won’t be over paying, Ovo will no longer hold a credit balance for us and I won’t have to waste 2 hours per quarter on the phone. One fairly happy customer. 

Firedog
Super User
FiredogSuper User
Super User
October 9, 2026

That solves the problem of quarterly battles, but it does come at a price. Paying ‘on demand’ (OD), as it’s called, carries a premium over paying by Direct Debit. The difference varies across the country, but as an illustration, the GB average price-capped unit rate is 54.83p/kWh if paid by DD, but 63.49p/kWh if paid OD - that’s 16% higher. The corresponding standing charges are DD 26.32p/day, OD 27.80p/day - only 6% higher. It may be possible to negotiate a better deal than this.

One more point in addition to what ​@Chris_OVO wrote. The amount of the DD is calculated on the basis of estimated consumption over a whole year, using the previous year’s consumption for an account and meter that’s at least a year old. This ignores any indeterminate future credits like the ones you’re enjoying. However, the calculation takes the current balance into account, too, so the monthly credits from Allstar will be factored in before the DD is calculated. It rather depends on how they work out how much to reimburse what the overall monthly cost will be once the system settles down. 

You may have a few more sums to do! I’d be happy to help if that sounds just too boring ... 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |
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