Green tech & greener living

Many of those who are used to retrieving their usage data from third parties have noticed an interruption in the service recently. For me, it started on 13 June and has yet to be resolved. Third parties (called ‘other users’ by DCC) are supposed to be able, with the customer’s permission, to contact a smart meter and retrieve usage and tariff data stored in it, which they can then present in a friendly form and also make it possible to download the data. This is in many cases a more efficient system than what suppliers offer via their websites. So far, we’ve heard from customers using n3rgy and Hugo, and also apps like Loop which piggyback on n3rgy to get the data. It appears that only those with Aclara meters are affected, although this may be a red herring: all of the affected customers I’ve come across have indeed Aclara meters, but another common factor is the communications hub - in all cases WNC. Both n3rgy and Hugo say that their credentials are not being accepted when they try to retrieve data, which suggests a fault with the secure DCC network rather than the meter itself. Can the mods get an update on this error from those responsible? Will anyone having this problem please reply here and say so? It would help if you could give your region (the first two digits of the 13-digit MPAN), your supplier, the time stamp of the last data packet received and the make and model of the meter and the communications hub. Here are my details for starters: Region 11 (East Midlands) Supplier OVO Meter Aclara SGM 1416B CH WNC SKU1 Last data packet 13/06/2024 03:00

So, room temp is 19C, I have put the desired temp at 24c. Flow temp I have turned up to 50 to see if that will kick start the heating. No luck. Water is on timer and when forced play, the fan works and water is heated. On the main control panel the heating is showing as restricted and paused, however, when you go into the settings where you can control the heating as on, timer or off, it is showing the play button. Any ideas/thoughts so I don’t have to pay Mitsubishi £300 for a call out? I phoned their helpline and after 20 mins of going through everything, they don’t have a clue. Hoping someone else has experienced the same and has a solution?

Sent email last week to customer service although I got a reply I sent a second email to hello@ovo.com assuming it’s the same department In original email I pointed out that as I have never been able to use app due to THTC meters I can only use online access A smart meter was installed on the 16 th October I notice about 10 days later that as well as the smart meter/IHD displayed the tariffs and standing charge Simultaneously I noticed that the online account is stil increasing the standing charge on a daily basis as well as the smart meter/ ihd I was told that the online account is halted the day prior to the smart meter being installed So why the online account still increasing standing charge which in effect produces Two standing charges for the same account Also noticed 10 days later that the online account energy plan was changed from THTC to Economy 9 which is fine but the contract date was Year was 2000 (24 years ago) despite only being migrated across from SSEE a year ago 2023 Was told it was a clerical error but still not updated I initially when arranging smart meter installation I was quoted tariffs and standing charge which appeared to be what was displayed on theirs/smart meter when the online account was updated 10 days into tge smart meter both the online energy plan and displays was increased Was told the VAT was added hence the increase in prices yet the VAT addition to the original quote would not have increased tariffs to this amount I put these points in my second email I sent on Monday stating I was not happy with the irregularities with the tariffs and online energy plan date not updated and wanted it escalated As yet I have had no reply from Ovo Only been with Ovo for a year now but I’m not impressed with their customer care and actually anyone being able to correct situations when they are not correct seems they work to a script and a hit and miss if they escalate the situation or even get back to their customers

We have recently bought a Jaguar I-Pace, and we have been offered a free EV charger from them, but it is a podpoint. We are now in a quandary as to whether to have OVO fit their charger at cost, but allow OVO anytime, or have Jaguar fit a free one, but not compatible with a Podpoint. Is there any news that OVO may allow podpoint in the future?

New smart meter fitted 11th October along with conversion from THTC to Economy 10 but my Ovo account is not showing any readings for heating and two sets of meter readings in Anytime section.

Is there room for a smart meter here ? Would I have to get a local electrician to move that doorbell transformer somewhere else (assuming that’s what it is), or is there a smaller version available that a meter man could fit so they could get a smart meter in ? British Gas is the supplier.

Charge Anytime When I tried to Addon charge anytime tariff gets to last page says Sorry, there's a bit of a problem We couldn't connect to your EV charger. Omhe home pro charger which works on OVO standard tariff any one fixed this problem I have emailed smarthome they are looking into this but no reply since last week

My meters are on the outside of my house with the garage between us. The ' in home display' constantly says ' lost connection '. Is it because its more than 2 metres from the meter or is it faulty?

Can anyone recommend an economical standalone electric heater? We are thinking this would be a better solution for my husband who works from home than turning on the heating.

Do any Audi owners use MyAudi app with Ovo Charge Anytime? I am having to do constant resets as the MyAudi app overrides charge anytime with random timers. Its driving me crazy! After the usual advice to uninstall/reinstall/update etc etc without improvement, it seems you can’t use the two apps together. But that completely defeats the point of charge anytime!! Why would I want to pay 22p per kWh when I’m signed up for 7p ??

We have a podpoint EV charger installed at home. We are on simple energy tariff with OVO. Can anyone advise the cheapest time to charge my vehicle? We have been advised that our off peak rate for gas and electric is between 12 midnight and 7 am, however when charging my vehicle during this time the rate shown on my smart meter was £1.25 per hour, which seems rather high considering I only got 20 miles charge for 2 hours on my hybrid vehicle

Feel like if you do the maths on that usage throughout the day, it does not come to 10.22 kWh for that 24 hour period. And I’m seeing the same thing for every day.. either I can’t math good, or somethings wrong here as it appears I’m being charged for way more energy than I use every day

I have a Charge Anytime account and my Hyundai is a registered car. My Indra Smart Pro will be installed next month by OVOs technician. How do I transition from my present arrangement in which charging is by reference to a supported vehicle to charging by reference to the Indra? Should I keep the account and delete the Registered Car (Hyundai) or delete the account and go through the process of opening a new account and linking to the device? Should I notify customer support in advance that I am about to make the transition so that I can benefit from Charge Anytime immediately after installation or allow some time for the changes to take effect? Finally, may I expect OVOs technician to deal with adjusting my account after installation to resolve these issues?

The website today shows the last smart meter readings as 30 September. Last night’s readings should be logged as 1 October. Have the new charges caused a problem? I have SMETS2 electricity and gas meters. It is now 10am on 1 October. My in home display is working. Readings seem to have ceased at 00:30 on 30 September according to the app.

In August this year I had a smart meter installed and moved from a THTC tariff to the single variable rate tariff. All this went well till the next bill when I’d gone from a balance of -£11 to a credit of £900! It transpires that OVO have changed all my historic bill charges to £0 and the credit of £900 is effectively the monthly direct debits I’ve paid since being moved from SSE to OVO. Support had no idea when I previously phoned last month, other than a note on my account saying it was being investigated, and my attempt this week to get an update led to nothing, the support agent told me he couldn’t escalate it any further and there was no point raising a complaint as it wouldn’t help the process? It felt like the issue sits with the billing team so support were basically saying there’s nothing they can do and no-one they can contact for assistance. My issue is that I have no idea what my correct ongoing balance is and there seems to be no process to get any escalation or update as to when it’ll be resolved. This also locks me into OVO should I decide I’ve had enough! I’ve already had a successful complaint through the ombudsman process, but it looks like getting a complaint raised to give me a starting point has become a bit more difficult. Maybe I’ll suggest to them that I’ll put my direct debit on hold till they resolve my account balance. Anyone offer any advice? This was a simple contract change that they’ve screwed up, it leaves me with little confidence they’ll resolve it quickly or properly!

Would anyone who has electric heating only be able to advice on what type of heating they use and the rough costs (relative to the property size)? We were thinking of chaining from old storage heaters to new electric radiators and just wanted to get an idea from people who use either electric radiators or storage heaters as to the real cost.

Hi Just switched from boost to ovo. I tend to use the energy app to topup and monitor the credit levels, with were fairly accurate when I used the boost app. Unfortunately, the ovo energy app is, well, bad. I get absolutely no reading from electricity despite the ihd being about 3 feet from the meter, and the gas reading that I do has is from February… Not to mention how many times the topup through the app has failed leaving my money in limbo.

I had a smart meter installed in Mid September removing an old night rate meter and day meter. Around two weeks ago I was unable to access my online account. I’ve never been able to use the app and I now cannot access the online account. I have tried using every known browser known to man, different PC, tablets, Mac, phone, different locations and still can’t access it. I had an email exchange for fits@ovoenergy.com around 2 weeks ago and haven’t received a reply.. I am sick to my back teeth of the service provided by OVO and have been met with incompetence at every turn. If I don’t hear from them shortly I’ll be going to the Ombudsman again.

Hi, my new OHME Pro which didn’t ever work is now replaced and working. I have questions 😂 however, I just tried to get charge anytime but it tells me my vehicle isn’t able to work with it MG4 so can’t register with charge anytime! Q1. Is this right? I just put my charger on my car and it’s all reacted but says it’s now scheduled. Given me a list from 18:00 on but my MG4 app is not showing it’s charging and I’m confused (easily done 😂) Q2. Is there something else I need to do? Im concerned I’ll get up in morning and it won’t have charged!

Hi there, I am still using the web-based Indra portal to set my charging times with Charge Anytime. This was the advice given as at the time of installing my charger, a few months ago, as there was a compatibility issue with Kaluza and the latest Firmware of in Indra Smart Pro. Has this issue now been resolved? If so, can I now download the Indra App and connect my Indra Smart Pro so that I can use with the Charge Anytime tariff to set charging times. Thanks, Gary

Just got going with Power Move Flex along side Charge Anytime this morning. I have the Charge Anytime schedule set to max charge of 80% at 09:00. The car has been plugged in since Saturday evening and seemed to be charged to 81% this morning (which I guess is within spec). I happened to go into the garage at lunch time and discovered that the car was charging again. Quick look on the app shows that it has reached 84% and it's still charging at max rate. What is going on? Does Power Move Flex cause Charge Anytime to ignore the max charge percentage? If I understand Power Move Flex correctly, I am supposed to keep the car plugged in as much as possible so that OVO can better decide when to actually charge the car. However, if it is going to keep charging the car above the set maximum percentage, then I don't see how I can keep it plugged in.

Updated on 23/01/25 by Abby_OVO The Great British Insulation Scheme is a government initiative that’s all about insulating your home. It works alongside another government energy-efficiency scheme called ECO4 . Draughty homes lose heat fast, and it costs more to keep them warm. Some sources say the UK’s housing is among the least energy efficient in Europe. This new scheme, with more than £1 billion behind it, will help around 300,000 households across the country with the cost of installing new home insulation. If you’re eligible to get insulation through the scheme, you might get it for free or at a reduced cost. This’ll depend on the type of insulation you need and your property type. What’s included under the scheme The Great British Insulation Scheme focuses on all types of home insulation. If you’re eligible, you’ll get support with one type of insulation for your home. We’re currently offering support for cavity wall and loft insulation. Who’s eligible for the scheme There are 2 eligibility groups under the Great British Insulation Scheme – a general group and a low-income group, both with different levels of support. Whichever group you belong to, you don’t need to be an OVO customer to apply for the scheme through us. The general group To access the Great British Insulation Scheme, you’ll need to: Live in and own a home in council tax bands A to D in England, or A to E in Scotland and Wales Have an EPC rating of D or below If you're eligible, you’ll get one insulation upgrade and you’ll typically need to pay a contribution towards the install. The low-income group To get free insulation through the Great British Insulation Scheme, you’ll need to: get means-tested benefits (see below). have an EPC rating of D or below If you're eligible, you’ll get one insulation upgrade and you might get heating controls too. These upgrades will typically be free. If you’re in private rented accommodation, your EPC must be band D or E. Eligible benefits for the Great British Insulation Scheme Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Income Support Pension Credit Guarantee Credit Working Tax Credit Child Tax Credit Universal Credit Housing Benefit Pension Credit Saving Credit Child Benefit (maximum income levels apply – see below ) Warm Home Discount payment Customer Testimonials "We thought it was an excellent service. From the booking service, the installation workmen - everyone was very friendly and helpful" "The company who carried out the installation were efficient and professional at every stage of the process." "Such a great scheme and a great shame it's not more well known - I've been telling friends and family about ever since I signed up and they didn't know anything about it. Everyone involved was really friendly, and communication was clear throughout. " How to apply for the Great British Insulation Scheme You can apply for the scheme through our form . We’ll check the details you’ve given us. Then, if it looks like you’ll qualify for the Great British Insulation Scheme, we’ll pass them to one of our trusted partners. Our partner will contact you. They’ll ask for more details, check the info you’ve provided (including your EPC rating and benefits status), and ask some questions about your home. Then, if you’re eligible, they’ll arrange your in-home assessment . An assessor will come to your home, review its energy efficiency and suggest what kind of insulation might work for you. Booking the installation. If you’re happy with the recommendations, you can go ahead and book the installation. Our partner will arrange a date to visit your home and install your new insulation. The installer will have their own terms and conditions, and you’ll need to sign a contract with them before the work begins.

A warning to charge anytime customers. I received our monthly bill yesterday and thought it looked quite a bit higher than normal (around £80 more), when I checked I noticed the charge anytime credit was missing from the bill. I took a look in the app and found that our car, a Tesla M3LR, connection had expired and had been since the 6th September!!! (we connect directly to the car rather than via a smart charger). We're not sure why this happened whether it was a Tesla software update or something OVO’s end. As we never really go into the app to alter the charge schedule we weren't aware that the car had become disconnected 🙁 Due to the timing of the bills and when it became disconnected it wasn't apparent until I got the latest bill. Last months bill was normal and as the connection had expired a week before the end of the bill period the credit appeared on the bill and was around the normal amount. I have emailed the chargeanytime team to ask for a feature request to have a notification alert sent from the app to let customers know that the car (or charger) has become disconnected. In the meantime we’ll be checking in the app regularly to make sure things are working properly so we’re not caught out again. Lucky it was only around £80 and I spotted it as soon as I could. Has this happened to anyone else?

Having trouble connecting my tado wireless to my Internet. Think it's a compatibility issue with virgin broadband. Anyone know of a way to get thr Internet bridge to connect? Thanks everyone

Hello! I am in the process of getting my THTC meters upgraded to a smart meter but have hit a brick wall of sorts. I’m waiting on advice from a private electrician, but figured there are some helpful people here who could confirm/deny my suspicions. So after years of waiting, an engineer turned up to upgrade my meter, and I was quickly told it would not be possible, but was not really given any advice as to what to do. Later, Ovo has told me that there needs to be more room for the meter installation, so my plan as of now is to move the nearby consumer unit by about 5cm away from the meter, something a customer service advisor seemed to think might be enough. This might be costly but we’ll see. The problem as I see it is that to do so, I assume the electrician will need to move the meters, and Ovo, to install a new meter, would need to move the consumer unit. i.e. neither side can touch the other’s equipment unless they’re both there at the same time? They are both on a probably plywood board (according to the last owner, although the Ovo installer thought it was plaster, and was very confused how a meter was installed on it), which is screwed into something but obviously I cannot unscrew it without messing with the meter/consumer unit. It is also on an interior wall, which the internet seems to suggest is already not allowed, but maybe was back in the early 2000s when these meters were installed. It also seems to me that moving the meter to the right of the consumer units would probably solve any space issues, but I realise that is another large job that I’d have to pay Ovo for. I’ve attached a picture of the wall with the meters and the consumer units. The top consumer unit is directly attached to the plaster wall, and the bottom one on the same probably plywood board as the meters. I’m wondering if anybody can clarify what the issue might be as the new meter is not substantially larger than the current one?