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Power your solar battery with low cost, greener energy

Power your solar battery with low cost, greener energy
Abby_OVO
Community Manager

Updated on 11/03/25 by Bradley_OVO

 

What is Battery Boost?

 

Battery Boost is our new solar battery add-on. It uses our smart charging technology to allow us to top up your battery when your solar panels aren’t generating enough electricity from the sun. 

 

What are the benefits?

  • We’ll continue to charge your battery even when the sun isn’t shining, at an exclusive rate of 10p per kWh, meaning you can power your home for 58% cheaper than your usual rate*.
  • Our smart charging tech ensures that your battery will be charged at time’s when the grid is using cleaner energy**.

 

How does it work?

  • We use energy and weather data to predict when your battery will need to be topped up.
  • We'll charge your battery when energy is cheaper and greener, leaving room for your solar power when the sun's out.
  • We'll work out the energy that we've used to charge your battery each month and add credit to your account in the first 7 working days of the following month.

 

This means the cost of powering your battery reflects the 10p per kWh rate for Battery Boost.

 

For example, let’s say your standard electricity rate is 28p per kWh. The Battery Boost rate is 10p per kWh. We’ll credit you 18p (the difference between the rates) for each kWh you’ve used to top up your battery. 

 

Here’s what one of our Battery Boost customers had to say about using this add on:

 

“‘Battery Boost has been doing exactly as it says, a boost to our finances. The system decides when to charge the battery from the grid and we get the benefits of cheaper electricity during these winter months. We are saving an average of £50 per month with this solution, so it will help to make the overall system pay for itself even quicker than the 9 years we were expecting.’”

 

With Battery Boost,  your battery could save you money and cut carbon, even when it’s not storing energy from your solar panels. Our clever tech tops up your battery when the grid is using more renewable power. So you get greener electricity*** – better for you, your wallet and the planet.

 

Eligibility 

 

  • We’re launching this to anyone who’s had their solar panels and battery installed by OVO. Currently only customers with a GivEnergy battery are eligible.
  • This isn’t currently available for customers on Charge Anytime or Heat Pump Plus, but we’re working on making this possible.

 

You can sign up to Battery Boost here. We’re also working to open this up to everyone with a solar battery, regardless of the type of battery or who installed it. If you’re not eligible yet, you can still register your interest, and we’ll get in touch when your set-up is compatible.

 

If you have any feedback for us please let us know.

 

Thanks

The OVO Team

 

*You'll pay our Battery Boost rate of 10p per kWh for any electricity used to top up your battery when OVO call on the battery to charge. If you override the controls and charge the battery from the grid, you'll be charged your standard electricity unit rate.

**Our smart tech aims to charge your battery when the grid has more renewable energy in it, at periods of lower demand. Meaning it’s less likely your battery will be charged by energy from fossil fuels.

***You'll pay our Battery Boost rate of 10p per kWh for any electricity used to top up your battery when OVO call on the battery to charge. If you override the controls and charge the battery from the grid, you'll be charged your standard electricity unit rate.

22 replies

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  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 4 replies
  • November 4, 2024

Hi , what will be/are the typical ‘times’ of the day/night when the grid is using cleaner energy and solar batteries will be charged if you signed up to battery boost ? Appreciate the times may fluctuate during the year . I am considering installing a solar panel / battery system with OVO and wanted to understand the approximate times that battery boost would be operating , to predict how often the battery could be charged. Our household has a large electricity consumption (>10,000 kwh per year) due to no other available fuels and having a heat pump and EV car , so maximizing the use of the solar battery charge has a major benefit to us as we are likely to use 100% of the power we generate from a 4.8kw solar panel system.


Shads_OVO
Retired Moderator
  • Retired Moderator
  • 466 replies
  • November 5, 2024

Hi @Percy1,

 

I’ve asked about this internally and will update you as soon as I get response for you.


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 4 replies
  • November 12, 2024
Shads_OVO wrote:

Hi @Percy1,

 

I’ve asked about this internally and will update you as soon as I get response for you.

Hi did you get any info on the times that battery boost would be used


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2558 replies
  • November 13, 2024

I’ll chase this up again for you @Percy1 


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2558 replies
  • November 27, 2024

Hey ​@Percy1 

I’ve had a response from the team:
 

The main idea is to avoid pick time. A battery may be charged anytime outside the pick (4pm-7pm) depending on usage and solar forecast.

 

The important thing to note is that Battery Boost doesn't currently work with Charge Anytime and Heat Pump Plus. These propositions usually generate bigger refunds, so we would recommend staying on Charge Anytime if you have to choose between add-ons until we build services that help us avoid crediting for the same energy twice. (For example when the car is charged from a solar battery)


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • November 29, 2024

How long does it take for Battery Boost to become active?

I tick all the boxed re. installation, type, smart meter etc. but have heard nothing.

I have registered interest several times and contacted the solar installation team. Their advice is to “Wait”

With the panels not generating much energy these days, I’d like to take advantage of this facility.

Thank you.


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • November 29, 2024

How long does it take for Battery Boost to become active?

I tick all the boxed re. installation, type, smart meter etc. but have heard nothing.

I have registered interest several times and contacted the solar installation team. Their advice is to “Wait”

With the panels not generating much energy these days, I’d like to take advantage of this facility.


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 4 replies
  • November 29, 2024
Emmanuelle_OVO wrote:

Hey ​@Percy1 

I’ve had a response from the team:
 

The main idea is to avoid pick time. A battery may be charged anytime outside the pick (4pm-7pm) depending on usage and solar forecast.

 

The important thing to note is that Battery Boost doesn't currently work with Charge Anytime and Heat Pump Plus. These propositions usually generate bigger refunds, so we would recommend staying on Charge Anytime if you have to choose between add-ons until we build services that help us avoid crediting for the same energy twice. (For example when the car is charged from a solar battery)

Ok thanks for the reply 


Shads_OVO
Retired Moderator
  • Retired Moderator
  • 466 replies
  • December 2, 2024

Hi ​@mikes01666,

 

I’ll ask bout this internally and will be back as soon as I get an update for you.

 

In the meantime, this thread might be useful:

 

 


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • December 2, 2024

Thank you.

I've read this page several times and signed up to Battery Boost on multiple occasions.

With the panels producing little power during these short days it's vital to be able to take advantage of Battery Boost.


Forum|alt.badge.img+1

Is there a reason you need the solar and battery, not just have a battery that could be smartly charged to offset usage during peak times?


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2558 replies
  • December 27, 2024

Hey ​@ObsidianWalker 

I’ll see if I can find out more about this internally.

 

In the meantime here is a link to the T&C’s & the product page on the website for more information. 


  • New Member**
  • 1 reply
  • January 30, 2025

Hi, 

IS ther a more detailed explanation on how battery boost works? For instance on a summer night a home battery would have space to be topped up by the grid but there will be plenty of local solar generation from the next morning. Can Battery Boost be limited so it doesnt constantly charge from the grid when there is plenty of solar in the day?


Ben_OVO
Community Moderator
  • Community Moderator
  • 96 replies
  • January 31, 2025

Hi ​@cedwing,

 

Thanks for your question, and a warm welcome to the OVO Forum!

 

To confirm, the battery is optimised by the Kaluza platform, which should take all these things into consideration when deciding when to charge the battery, but the customer won't have control over when it charges. You can find some really helpful information here about Battery Boost. 

 

I’m wondering whether one of our Super Users ​@BPLightlog might have anything helpful to add here?


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • January 31, 2025

I've been using Battery Boost since mid December and this is how it works up to now. 

Almost every night the AIO (13.4 kWh) battery is charged from 4% to 70% between 02.00  and 05.00 (it varies). On the few occasions when it hasn't charged overnight they will charge between 13.30 and 15.00 but will not achieve 70%.

The PV panels contribute little at this time of year. How Battery Boost operates during the summer is unknown as yet. 

The charging rebate system is a complete mystery and when I call OVO they seem to have little understanding of it. The Battery Boost rebate in my Dec-Jan bill was £6.21 which seems ludicrously low indicating about 50 kWh was imported into the battery overnight (a rebate rate of approximately 13p per kWh.)

Luckily the Givenergy system allows a data download showing 'Grid to Battery' which far exceeds the 50 kWh that OVO have rebated me. 

It's early days with Battery Boost so I'm not expecting miracles so will give it a couple of months to settle down. 

I'm trying to make sense of this with OVO and will post any update. 

Hope this helps.  Are there any other Battery Boost users out there? 

 


BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
Forum|alt.badge.img+5
  • Plan Zero Hero
  • 2724 replies
  • January 31, 2025
Ben_OVO wrote:

Hi ​@cedwing,

 

Thanks for your question, and a warm welcome to the OVO Forum!

 

To confirm, the battery is optimised by the Kaluza platform, which should take all these things into consideration when deciding when to charge the battery, but the customer won't have control over when it charges. You can find some really helpful information here about Battery Boost. 

 

I’m wondering whether one of our Super Users ​@BPLightlog might have anything helpful to add here?

I don’t have battery boost so can only offer conjecture unfortunately. 
Many inverter systems only capture information every few minutes so themselves are not very accurate. 
There are several things to consider, including not maintaining batteries at a fully charged state for too long, any solar forecast for the individual location and the state of the grid at various times to enable charge and discharge cycles with both cost and emissions taken into account. 
 


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
Emmanuelle_OVO wrote:

Hey ​@ObsidianWalker 

I’ll see if I can find out more about this internally.

 

In the meantime here is a link to the T&C’s & the product page on the website for more information. 

ObsidianWalker wrote:

Is there a reason you need the solar and battery, not just have a battery that could be smartly charged to offset usage during peak times?

Hi, any update on this?
 

Also wondering if there’s a timeline for when we can use this with Charge Anytime etc

 

Thank you. 


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • February 1, 2025

2.1 Battery Boost is an add-on for OVO customers that have solar panels and a home storage battery (Battery) and whose electricity is supplied by OVO. Battery Boost provides a discounted electricity rate via a monthly electricity credit (Battery Boost Credit) to charge your battery from the grid, whilst your home energy rates stay the same.

​​​Looks like you need panels and battery. I think it should also be from an accredited supplier (one of which is Givenergy).

 

The question as to when Battery Boost and Charge Anytime can be used together is a good one. 


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2558 replies
  • February 3, 2025
mikes01666 wrote:

2.1 Battery Boost is an add-on for OVO customers that have solar panels and a home storage battery (Battery) and whose electricity is supplied by OVO. Battery Boost provides a discounted electricity rate via a monthly electricity credit (Battery Boost Credit) to charge your battery from the grid, whilst your home energy rates stay the same.

​​​Looks like you need panels and battery. I think it should also be from an accredited supplier (one of which is Givenergy).

 

The question as to when Battery Boost and Charge Anytime can be used together is a good one. 



I’ll ask the team about using Charge Anytime with battery boost ​@mikes01666 😊


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 10 replies
  • February 3, 2025

Quick question for those that are on battery boost - when do you normally see the credit hit your account? Is it normally straight away on the 1st or does it take a few days?

 

 


Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • February 3, 2025

It appears on your bill as Battery Boost. OVO say it is calculated per calendar month. 

Now if your billing cycle does not follow a calendar month I'm not sure what happens! I'm not sure OVO do either as it's managed by Kaluza.

I've only had one Battery Boost cycle and am leaving it a month or two to settle down. 


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2558 replies
  • February 3, 2025

So there isn’t a timeline currently. It’s one or the other (Charge Anytime OR battery boost). But if this changes we’ll let you know on the forum 😊


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