Can I use Charge Anytime if I have my charger installed by another contractor?

Hey ​@Carolnoddings ,

You’re good to go regardless of the installer! Charge Anytime doesn’t require any particular installer - you just have to have a compatible EV or Charger which can come from basically anywhere that is approved by the manufacturer and (for EV Chargers) has been installed by a qualified installer with manufacturer approval.

This allows for folks to switch to OVO with already installed chargers (for example) or so you can choose a preferred installer if you’d rather someone else did it.

Once it’s in place, you can grab the OVO Charge app and go from there.

Just curious, but are you new to EVs and, if so, what EV did you pick?

Thank you so much for the info. Yes this will be my first EV. Gone for Volvo EX30 and my head is all over the place regarding tariffs etc

Nice! In that case, I can help a little bit. I don’t tend to research the tariffs other suppliers do for EVs, but I do know the OVO setup well.

If you want to use Charge Anytime, you can basically just pick whatever OVO Tariff you want for the main home and then trigger the Charge Anytime Add-On for the EV Charging element - they run interpedently from each other so you’re free to mix and match whichever combo works for you. The main requirements are:

• A Smart Meter - OVO can upgrade you for free if you don’t have one yet
• Pay Monthly via Direct Debit
• A compatible EV OR Charger - you don’t need both
• A compatible iOS or Android device for the OVO Charge app

CA will apply the discounted rate by issuing credits once a month to your account as it’s a Type of Use arrangement. There are no time restrictions.

That’s great thanks. I have all of those So is Charge Anytime free or a monthly charge? Sorry if I appear confused ha

Both. If you wish, you can pick a Monthly Plan where you pay upfront for a bundle that includes an allowance of Public and Home Charging or you can go A La Carte with Pay As You Go.

If you go for a Monthly Plan…

You’ll get 700 miles a month of Home Charging included on the Standard plan as well as a voucher for £120 of Public Charging credits to use via the OVO Charge app - this will work at most public chargers and you can check eligible ones via the app. You can also pick a higher plan if you desire a bigger Home or Public Charging allowance. It’s a bundle deal so if you stay within the allowances, that’ll be all you pay for EV Charging. Anything beyond that is at standard rates.

If you go for PAYG…

You pay on an A La Carte basis, for which the current rate is 14p/kWh. You’ll initially see the usage charged at full rate on your OVO bill, but the system will apply Charge Anytime credits once a month to bring it down to the appropriate discounted rate. There is no monthly fee if you pick this option.

You’re welcome to flip between them whenever you want.

You are a star. Thank you

No worries. Feel free to swing by again if you have more questions. I don’t work for OVO myself, but I do know the answers to most things I suspect you’ll ask me. And if I can’t answer, there’s a fairly good chance someone else on here can - we do have a fair few EV owners on here! :)