Improve the bill summary format

Thanks for this idea, @JGANLEY - and for bearing with us whilst we got to it!

This reminds me of similar feedback that was discussed by some of our forum regulars, in a call at the end of 2022. We actually ended up passing this feedback on to the relevant teams. 

@Firedog any key differences you’d like to call out, or perhaps you’d consider giving me your permission to add the screenshot you sent me, that I forwarded on? I’d love to get the thoughts of @JGANLEY on it. 

No issue in using the format or anything similar. I am sure there will be a few ideas thrown into the pot. Just that I feel progressive bill starting at the top and inserting/subtracting in order of date (with actual event dates) alongside the events, leaving an unambiguous amount at the bottom.

Thanks

ps.. and when possible add the calorific value used, onto the bill. That's just my wish. 

He’s already seen it, I think, but I’m not sure where it is, so I’ll post it (or a similar one!) again:
  

I’m sure there’s a good reason why the bean counters keep the money account (“Your balance”) separate from the energy account, and why the different outgoings and income items - discounts (VAT-liable), rebates (e.g. EBSS, WHD, AFP?) and contributions (VAT-free) - are shown as they are. So I wouldn’t mess with that.  

Tim_OVO. Assuming the gas bill will be similar the structure is fine. Only please arrange for the calorific value to be put onto the gas bill ASAP.  As I said I would like to see dates against all events of credit/ debit. More ideas will be put forward I assume but @Firedoghas got the idea.

Thanks for any interest

Perhaps @Tim_OVO can find out for us whether the CV is applied daily or not. If it is, then ‘the calorific value’ has no meaning, because it varies from day to day; there would be 31 different CVs for a single bill.

Was it @BPLightlog who suggested that the daily CV might be shown on the infotip on the gas usage histograms? That would be ideal, but I suspect quite complicated to code. 

Don’t think that was me @Firedog 

Over the last month I have been entering daily into my spreadsheet the charges as shown on my OVO account. I have also been monitoring the National Grid (NG) for any changes to the CV. The NG can vary daily and often does change the CV up to seven days prior, so one look does not suffice. When I enter CV changes into my spreadsheet it aligns with OVO usage, so this leads me to believe are using the averaged CV daily. So to me the the CV must have meaning purely because the usage, ergo charge can vary with any change. Plainly it would be overegging the pie to 31 different CV’s on a bill and this is not suggested. The original questions were, what CV is used to finalize a bill? and why, when once OVO did put the CV on a bill is it no longer shown on the bill?

OVO must have a final CV for a period from daily rolling averages.. The regulations say that the CV used by a company  must be an average taken over the period of the bill. From my own experience OVO are doing it daily as necessary and must end up with a figure from their own rolling amendments over a period. I am in no doubt OVO OVO are correct, just wish someone from OVO could explain. There is one thing that may happen after a bill has been issued and that is if the NG back change the CV average then in “theory” OVO may alter the bill. Not sure about this though. Below is an extract from an old OVO bill showing the CV. Yes that’s the one that’s no longer there.;-)

Hi @JGANLEY, the forum feedback about the calorific value is a separate idea that’s currently already live and open for votes:

For this idea of bill improvements, I’ll change this one to ‘open for votes’, and would encourage specific feedback around what bits should be changed and why in the comments. 

It is interesting. 

We get very little queries on the forum about the bill format, apart from the Energy Bill Support Scheme which is finishing soon.

I can't remember any major ones that keep cropping up. 

With finite OVO resources, it doesn't feel like a priority to me right now. I appreciate others may think it is. 

There will be more and more "time of use" type tariff in the next few years, more "feed in tariff" options, "type of use" tariff (heat pump, EV etc). 

Any redesign of the bills should ideally consider how this information will be incorporated. That would be my main request.