31st March 2026!!!

The date of 31st March 2026 is likely to be an important accounting date for OVO Energy. Any current deal end date should not be affected but contact customer services for clarification on your account.

It’s never been explained, but a reasonable rationale is that the end of winter is the time when accounts reach their low-water-mark. 31 March is chosen as the end of the winter semester, while 1 October is the start.  This is what a typical electricity account balance (as shown by the DD Calculator) would look like on 1 April:

Last year in November, the end-date suddenly changed from 31 March 2025 to 31 March 2026. I’ve been waiting for this to happen again, but it hasn’t yet, so perhaps it won’t until Spring arrives. Meanwhile, anyone in debt, or who hasn’t yet had their DD adjusted for the new end-of-winter buffer will be hurt, because there are probably only three payments left to create it - not a nice surprise for anybody for January. 

What is the context of this date? Are you about the Direct Debit? If so, it’s probably because of the end of the tax year being on the 5th April of each calendar year.

I queried this with ovo and it seems it is an arbitrary decision to unify the year end for everybody. It is their aim to have every customer to have a balance at year end of  the equivalent of one monthly payment. I questioned the fairness of this bearing in mind that March probably represents the end of the heating season and you perhaps may not expect be in credit at this point. It makes sound financial sense for Ovo though,  to have 8% of their energy turnover in the bank at year end earning them interest

Have a look at the core terms, particularly the bit about Direct Debit (§7.11). If you pay by DD, you are contracted to keep the account always in credit. One way to guarantee that and still have the ability to choose the date for the DD to be taken is to have a credit balance of a month’s costs at the start of the billing period. 

Don't forget that 1st April will also be when the Ofgem energy price cap changes.

PS. It isn't just energy supply. My Housing Assciation also wants you to be in advance with your rent at all tImes. So each month when I pay my DD for my rent my account is 5 weeks in advance - which reduces each week but never goes below zero before I pay my next DD.

If I understand the context correctly, the question is why particularly is the 31 of March is the date for everyone? No matter when you switched to OVO or the date of your DD. I guess it has different points which were said here earlier: the end of the tax year, the end of the heating season, Ofgem energy cap changes. My guess that this date will get changed when we reach the 31st of March 2026. And, as I understand, it’s going to be 31st March 2027.

Once this was put into place, I (surprise, surprise) created my own spreadsheet using my current fixed rate start and end date, fixed rate prices and usage for each month in the previous year.

If, today, I reduced my Direct Debit to the amount shown in the “Your Direct Debit” box on my account Home Page, I would have to increase it pretty quickly for me to achieve my own aims of a) covering my ongoing usage, b) building up credit for the coldest months next year and c) having the freedom to choose how and when I use energy.

I actually ignore that box and argue against any attempt to reduce my Direct Debit. While I have never had a debit balance, I also have an energy expensive hobby, so I build this into my calculations.

Morning ​@MR P and welcome to the OVO Forum!

I can see a few members have come through with some helpful replies here. Just to add, the 31st of March is the end of Winter, the start of a lower usage period, and also the day before the Ofgem Variable Price Cap amendment. 

I personally like to keep my credit running until around March / April, when I’ll then take a refund of surplus credit (if I have any) in the knowledge that I’ll build up credit over the warmer months for the following Winter. 

Yes but as I keep saying MY relavent date is June when my Fixed Deal ends. March 2026 is not relevant!!!