Hi I am constantly building up a large credit balance due to what seems to be a fault in the way the direct debit charge is calculated automatically.
Here is where the problem seems to be:
I am charged £172 a month
If you average the bill over the last 12 months it works out at £174 a month Excluding Charge anytime credit
The average Charge Anytime credit over the last 12 months is £28 a month meaning the average monthly bill is actually only £146 a month meaning a £28 a month direct debit overpayment which builds up a large credit quickly especially in the summer months.
I have tried taking refunds and adjusting the monthly direct debit amount but all that happens is the system adjusts the direct debit amount back up as it performs the wrong calculation again and think i’m under paying.
I cant be the only person with charge anytime seeing this issue, does anyone else see this or found a way to fix it.
Thanks
Paul
Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO
Updated on 29/08/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO
Hey @paulandrewjones,
Following on from what Nukecad has said, I asked the team for feedback on this:
Charge Anytime credits can't be factored into our Direct Debit estimations - they're on separate systems. This affects a lot of customers but there's nothing we can do due to current technical limitations. We appreciate it's an inconvenience, but is outweighed by the savings made to ensure charging, and customers can always request a credit refund if the credit is building up.
The meter records all usage, and there’s no way to separate out what’s being used when, so the meter just clocks all usage and factors this alone into the Future Annual Consumption used to calculate Direct Debits.
I appreciate it’s less than convenient, my advice would be in the meantime, to get the surplus credit refunded.
I hope this advice has helped clarify. Let me know if you have any other questions 😊
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:
“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.’
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 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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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?
Cancelling your direct debit will withdraw your account from Power Move participation. Section 2 of the eligibility criteria onhttps://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.
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.
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 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.
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:
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Try appealing to Support, citing this case. I can’t see why you should be treated any differently.
