New V2G trialist and my installation experience - how much have trialists actually saved on bills from this setup?

This looks like the best place to report that our energy bill for this month was minus £1.65. This is purely through V2G feed-in as we don’t have solar. Pretty pleased with that!

Wowza @MaximumFish - what a trial/what a charger this is! 

#free energy

As an update, after waiting for two months for OVO's ten working days to be up I quit the idea of switching tariffs as it seems too difficult.

Now another challenge for OVO seems to be direct debit billing.  I've even offered to help them improve the process if they only realise there 'is' an issue and stop sending me the frankly patronising copy and paste reply explaining how their direct debit calculator works.

(I hope the readers here can follow the arithmetic involved because OVO cannot)

Using rounded figures:  My electricity usage has doubled from approximately £70 monthly to £140 excluding standing charges in the past few months having had the V2G charger installed.  This is matched by an export credit of usually £100.  This would therefore reduce my bill by £30 on average - and even if we assume the credit were just £70 and nets off the monthly increase, my direct debit should remain the same at worst (and at best come down.. no chance of this atm)

I had five emails in a week stating two different increases and two textbook responses as to how a DD is calculated, with one voice of reason sandwiched in between who stated the DD would not now be increased after my explanation of the V2G credit fully covering the sudden increase.. and then some, which was followed by an email within 48hrs stating an increase greater than even the first proposed increase earlier that week would be enacted.

I wouldn't mind if this lack of understanding of how credits work were limited to the Billing  department and I retain the option to override suggestions, however, this is not the case and I can only set an amount equal or greater to the inaccurate calculation provided when I log in.

I'm quite confident those responding to the emails do not know what the V2G trial is and therefore do not understand what the credit is - this is the only reasonable conclusion I can arrive at for not being able to understand why you cannot simply look at the electricity consumed, without bearing in mind the amounts exported, when calculating a fair monthly direct debit.

@Jequinlan It has been on my mind as to how other triallers have managed with this inherent process flaw aside from just accepting whatever increases are applied.  Good to know my grasp of addition and subtraction isn't flawed 😬

I don't think I have it in me this year... perhaps next year 

@Tim_OVO  Good to hear not just me!   They did promise a hold on the direct debit reviews for the aforementioned 6 months and also stated it would not be increased.  Then, I was charged the higher amount.  I have given up on this issue also tbh, and found the best thing to do is just request a refund (to the extent of the ‘computed’ amount allowed on the website each month) which has been paid in once so far successfully.  

As a Chartered Accountant I can see the benefit of the interest for other triallists, however, I already requested to OVO almost 6 years ago to have no interest paid on my account under any* circumstances (let alone to benefit from this flaw in the V2G trial).

*As a Muslim, usury is strictly not permissible (neither to pay nor receive)

I’ve offered to help find a solution to this process, however, there has been nil acknowledgement of an issue in any of the emails/calls received.

Yep I would love something here to submit. 

In the meantime @IbrahimEV there should be a way to manually change interest % rates by us on the account. Are you able to request this one last time on web chat (super quiet today, so quick responses) here?

@Tim_OVO and anyone else who may be interested in seeing how OVO treat customers after over 6 years (over 5 years continuous customer prior to any V2G scheme)

1.  Last couple of weeks I have had my Kaluza app state it was ‘Offline’ for multiple days and I have very much been home and online - when I have contacted V2G they have said do not worry it is all under control and I will receive the credits irrespective of what the app says (see point 2. where they messed up the calculations for the previous month and point 4. where they have now intentionally stopped my export credits)
2.  On the same day as telling me all is under control and do not worry, they also emailed me to say they messed up my export credits in the previous month and that all would be resolved and I have nothing to worry about - with no indication of what this meant to me £ wise and what would happen with this subsequent ‘correction’.  I reminded them of issue 1. (which we had literally spoke about in the same afternoon) doesn’t fill me with any confidence 
3. Today I received an email in response to my challenge as to why my direct debit had gone up significantly from £132 to £197 last month - I was told I had been informed by an automated email of the increase; this did not answer my question as I didn’t approve of this and most importantly, following the correspondence on this post and what has literally been dozens of messages by phone/chat/email it is clear the system is generating flawed numbers.  I am happy paying more monthly, if it means it genuinely nets off across the year, but there is obviously an issue with the generated DD suggestions (as well documented on this forum) - that said, all of the above I could live with as it should all come out in the wash… the next part is where the insulting response kicks in..
4. I was then told, as I was not on a single rate tariff, unless I switch (per a term in the agmnt, and as to imply I am in breach of my own doing) the charger will be removed and my export credits have been halted (for the time being) - I have unplugged after receiving the email today.  Having tried for months and literally spent hours trying to have my tariff switched to EV Everywhere (even losing the benefit of the BP Pulse/Polar trial and just paying the £7.85 monthly fee myself) as OVO could not switch my account due to technical issues not allowing my tariff to switched on their side and subsequently never enacted my request made via email/chat/phone/on this forum to switch to the single rate EV tariff, it is a real kick in the teeth to be told this is now the end result of half a dozen years

I thought I’d share an update for anyone still following, as to how this trial has panned out.  *Easily the worst experience I have had relating to any energy supplier*

I left my property mid Oct 2021 and the V2G was taken back by OVO as they would not move it to my new address, and following a request in Jan 2022 OVO returned the final credit balance to me by Feb 2022 (retaining £25, which they said would keep until they issue the final bill - I did not mind, given they credited £30 for the delay, at that time of 4 months+ for settling).  I reminded them again late Apr 2022 when it was well over 6 months having left the property that a final bill was not sent.  From Feb 2022  there has been a £25 credit balance.

Last week, a year and a half+ after leaving the property, OVO has issued me a final bill (dated 18 months & 9 days after leaving the property) which goes in to four figures (i.e. £thousands) debit, i.e. owing to OVO they claim.  The bill also notes the final meter readings (smart both fuels) were provided to them on my exit date in Oct 2021 and all DD payments were made whilst a customer without issue, including an unnecessary payment in Nov 2021.

I’m confident this is all to do with the problems caused by this V2G trial noted on this thread such as having my DD tripled during the trial etc.  In any case, this is outside of the back-billing regulations (usage beyond 12 months cannot be billed if accurate readings were provided in time) however OVO now (from late Apr 2023) keep sending reminder and collection emails.   

I have put a formal complaint in, to be escalated to the Ombudsman and the media, whereby they deliberately worded the email to state it was usage up to the final bill date (which if it were an ongoing customer would certainly mislead them to think the bill relates to usage within the previous 12 months), where in fact this is not physically possible given I have not been at the address in question since late 2021.

This is causing mental stress and is a form of harassment as I am no longer a customer (and is contrary to regulations).  As a self-employed parent to five children aged between 1 and 10 this is something I really could do without.  I have communicated to them each email is causing anxiety (.. also sleep issues)

@IbrahimEV  

Regulations from Ofgem ban gas and electricity suppliers from charging customers for energy used more than 12 months previous, if the error in billing is the supplier’s. Despite this, it has been reported that some energy companies continue to send bills to former and current customers to recoup on their own internal billing errors.

If needed

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/ofgem-bans-suppliers-backbilling-customers-beyond-12-months

Tom…

Despite informing OVO of mental stress and now impact on my sleep and eating, they are persisting and today have messaged to state I must be pay the final bill today to avoid any further action - as a reminder, a final bill issued over 18 months after leaving the property.

@Tim_OVO has been in touch - but rather than respond to my formal complaint (which I am still awaiting a response) OVO has instead sent a threatening message.  

As the formal complaint process allows 8 weeks for OVO to respond, and there are around 6 weeks left, this will in theory leave 6 weeks of harrassment.  Any advice welcome.

I’ve also fully updated the Energy Ombudsman of the situation and malpractices occurred to date.