Building up large credit amount due to charge anytime credit not being included into direct debit

Thank you. It was not immediately obvious to me that you had an Indra charger and a history of successful low cost charging.

Are the costings listed in your post from some time in the past? When? You do not make it clear.

’I used to be able to see how much I’d saved every month on the Ovo website page but that’s gone now.’…..

Have you looked at the ‘Savings’ tab on the Charge Anytime app? Do you have the latest version of the app and have you tried re-registering if all else fails? Are you using the new Indra App - it’s been available since May and ‘hand shakes with Charge Anytime? 
These are some of initial steps I would take as well as making sure that your internet connection from the Indra is working.

Yes, yes and yes, to all of the above. The costings were from last month.

I’ve been with Ovo for 14 years and had my car and charger 4.5 years (when it was 5p/kWh to charge!)

I’m sure you know that we used to be able to see our savings on the website. Yes, one can see the ‘savings’ on the Ovo Charging app but one has to look at the Indra app to see how much it’s cost in a month - I keep a record each month (eg Car mileage 75,992-73,870 (2,122 May) [Ovo £41.50]).

The point of my post was to complain that they want to put my DD up from £100 a month to £284 when I’m always in credit and check my account every morning. I’m only on a state pension and I cannot afford it.

This is not really an issue for this forum but this is what Chat GPT says about your predicament…

”If you’re an OVO customer and believe your direct debit is too high because it’s not accounting for the Charge Anytime rebate, here’s what you can do:

✅

1. Check Your Charge Anytime Rebates

Make sure your rebates are actually being applied to your account:

• Log in to your OVO account (via app or website)
• Go to “Account” → “Charges and payments”
• Look for monthly credits labelled something like:
  • “Charge Anytime credit”
  • “Smart Charging rebate”
•  
• These rebates are usually applied as monthly credits, separate from the Direct Debit calculation.

✅

2. Check How OVO Calculates Your Direct Debit

• OVO sets your Direct Debit based on your estimated annual usage, not your exact month-to-month usage.
• It may not yet include Charge Anytime rebates when forecasting your annual cost (which is a known issue for some customers).
• If OVO isn’t factoring this rebate into your forecast, they may be overestimating how much you need to pay.

✍️

3. Contact OVO to Request a Review

Ask them to manually review and adjust your Direct Debit. You can:

• Use OVO Live Chat via their website
• Call customer service on 0330 303 5063
• Message via the OVO app

👉 Here’s what to say:

“I’m receiving regular Charge Anytime rebates, but they don’t seem to be included in the forecast used to calculate my Direct Debit. Can you review my account and adjust the payment to reflect the actual net cost including these rebates?”

They should be able to:

• Update your forecast
• Lower your Direct Debit
• Or offer a credit refund if your balance is in credit

🧾

4. Track Your Account Balance

Keep an eye on whether your account is building up credit. If so, this may be a sign your payments are too high, and you can ask for a refund or adjustment.

❗Final Tip:

Keep screenshots or downloads of your Charge Anytime credits in case you need to support your request. If OVO refuses to adjust, you can raise a complaint through their process, or escalate to the Energy Ombudsman if needed.’

Does this help?

Hey ​@Gingernut49, 

I apologise for the recent frustration you've experienced. The direct debit review calculation considers all energy usage, as Charge Anytime is an "add-on" to your existing plan. The charging usage is calculated, added to your bill, and then discounted using the Charge Anytime credit. Due to regulations, Charge Anytime, being a separate product, cannot be included in the standard direct debit calculations. I’ve included a couple of articles below that might be useful on how your Direct Debit is calculated:

If you feel like you’re struggling with your Direct Debit then please reach out to our Support Team as they’ll be able to look at your account and offer advice and support to help.  

I hope this helps and if you’ve any more questions, we’ll be happy to help answer.

I’m only on a state pension. You try living on less than £10k a year and tell me if you want to pay £284 a month for your electricity!

I have repeatedly asked someone to call me - which they have failed to do.

I had set my DD to £90/month. OVO wanted to increase to over £100. I pointed out to them that after CA credits I use less than £80/month.

It then took 30 mins to be offered EITHER 6 months at £88 OR 3 months at £91 before reassess.

Pretty close to the £90 I had set anyway.

30 minutes I will never get back

I received a phone call, just after my last comment, from Gail at Ovo, who told me the lowest amount I could pay would still have to be over £200! I’ve now lodged an official complaint. I’m on Pension Credit and receive the Winter Fuel Allowance and Warm Home Discount. The only way I could pay the increase would be to stop buying food!

This is where the way OVO do their EV use pricing is, in my view, flawed. As far as I can see, everyone else charges 7p (give or take a bit) at point of use. No messing about with rebates that can't be included in DD calculations.So if you use 20kWh charging overnight per day you'd get charged £1.40, not £5 and have to wait to get the difference back. We've just got an EV and because of this "full price charge and wait for rebate" malarkey we'll be leaving as soon as our fix is over to one that bills at 7(ish)p/kWh at point of use 

Apparently all energy companies will be doing this.

Following my complaint, Ovo and I agreed that, instead of paying by DD, I will now just send a payment of £100 on the 1st of each month. I'm happy with that.

I've been with Ovo around 13 years and, apart from this, they've been good to me.

Hey ​@Gingernut49, 

I’m sorry it was a convoluted process, but I'm glad you found a mutually agreeable resolution.

I’ll mark your response as the best answer to the thread to let others know at a glance what the resolution was. If you have anymore questions please let us know!

You haven’t told us what tariff you’re currently on. Since you have apparently been able to cancel the DD and agree to start paying by other means, I suspect you’re on the Simpler Energy price-capped tariff. If that is the case, then I should expect your unit rates and standing charge to increase significantly once the DD goes away. It won’t be easy to spot the increase, because price-capped rates all come down by 5-10% tomorrow 1 July. Please keep an eye on your rates - they should be clearly laid out on your Plan page.

If you have indeed managed to negotiate a payment schedule not involving Direct Debit but retaining Direct Debit pricing, a lot of other customers in a similar situation will want to know about it! 

Two year fixed.

Thanks, that’s interesting. Others in the same boat* may well want to pursue the same sort of arrangement if there’s no financial detriment.  The no-DD penalty is currently £60-70 a year for the typical customer.

*    Those who have been and remain eligible for the Warm Home Discount, for example, should not be obliged to pay a higher DD in the period April-November only to see the account leap into excess credit when the WHD is applied.  

I receive pension credit, Winter Fuel Allowance, Warm Home Discount etc.

Yes, but of those it’s only the Warm Home Discount that’s significant in this context, because it’s applied as a discount on your energy bill. There are also other bolt-ons that work as discounts like Charge Anytime, so ideally the DD calculation should take them into account, too, if there’s a consistent pattern. It’s good to know that there is a workaround for deserving customers, so thanks for keeping us updated. 

Sympathise with your battles, ​@Gingernut49!

I notice that you’ve been participating in Power Move…might changing from monthly DD to a monthly fixed amount payment affect your entitlement to participate? That would seem unfair, worth checking?

All the best, Walt

I’d be very cross if so as I get the full amount each month.

Hey ​@waltyboy & ​@Gingernut49,

Cancelling your direct debit will withdraw your account from Power Move participation. Section 2 of the eligibility criteria on https://www.ovoenergy.com/power-move-faqs states that an active direct debit is required, and certain tariffs and functions are only available to direct debit customers. 

It could also impact your tariff if you pay by SVT (standard variable tariff) so that would also be worth looking at and if you have questions reach out to our Support Team. 

*edited by mod* That £10 a month I need.

Mind you, ​@Gingernut49, it might not be as bad as you think…the advantages of your changing the way you pay might well outweigh the relatively small disadvantage of leaving the Power Move initiative: remember, there is currently no longer a fixed monthly reward for Power Move; the final £10 one was in May.  The only PM initiative (at the moment) is entry into the monthly prize draw.  So, don’t worry, the main thing, as ​@Firedog intimated earlier, is to sort out whatever account payment best suits you…..all the best.

Hey ​@Gingernut49,

I don’t know if you’ve been following Power Move but you don’t get £10 a month for participation. Power Move was re-worked in February and you now earn prize draws, i’ve left the link below: 

I'm not interested in the competitions as they're mostly to gigs.

I still think I'm saving but I think it's all totally unfair. 

I've been with Ovo since they started but I'm considering a move away.

Hey ​@Gingernut49, 

I'm unsure what you're referring to about gigs, as it's not mentioned in the article I provided.

Unfortunately, we cannot alter the Power Move eligibility criteria for you, as it has been consistent for all customers. You’ll need to have an active Direct Debit to participate. If you are not on a fixed contract, you are welcome to explore other offers available without penalty.

Monthly dd is not including charge anytime credits which is screwing up the payment amounts. I’m paying more than double monthly and accruing large credit balances.
 

When I withdraw the credit balance the suggested monthly dd amount is then increased further ! 

Its suggesting I pay £405 per month despite the last 3 months bills averaging around £170.

This is beyond an inconvenience and needs fixing. 
 

Is there anything that can be done ? Thanks

Another customer in a similar situation was able to avoid the unreasonably high monthly payments by agreeing to pay direct rather than by Direct Debit. This would normally entail a surcharge on unit rates and standing charges, but it seems that she managed to avoid this. Please see here: 
 

(removed by moderator)

Try appealing to Support, citing this case. I can’t see why you should be treated any differently.