I keep a careful eye on my energy usage every month and calculate what my charges should be for the forthcoming year by factoring in price increases. This has worked well for the past couple of years and I finished last year £19 in credit. When we started this current year OVO calculated no increase needed, but my calculations for the coming year indicated that I should increase my payments by £10-£11 per month, but now OVO will not allow me to increase by less than £21 per month. This figure has increased since last month and is probably due to a heavier than expected gas (heating) usage during May/June. OVO have applied this increase to estimate for June/July and the coming year. It has been 33C this afternoon and the heating is off so I don't expect such an increase in heating for the coming month.
OK, we can't predict the weather, but since my year runs from May -> April, we are in credit for almost all of the year. If necessary, I would prefer a further increase later in the year.
I paid an extra £10 last month, but I don't know if this was taken into consideration in OVO's calculations.
So, is the only way round this problem to set up a standing order alongside the direct debit?
DaveY
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This is what annoys me about the myovo page - the recommended direct debit amount seems to go up and down for no good reason and bears no relation to what you think you should be paying. And as you say, you cannot increase your direct debit by a lesser amount. I would just leave it as it is and top up if/when necessary.
Updated on 27/06/23 by Abby_OVO
If you’re logging in to your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS) regularly you might have spotted a recommended Direct Debit amount showing on the Homepage:
So you might be wondering how we work out this recommended amount… We’ve got just the tools for you!
If you click ‘Change Direct Debit amount’ you’ll be greeted by this page:
You can see the basic breakdown of how the recommended Direct Debit amount is worked out by clicking ‘How we work out your recommended Direct Debit amount’:
This shows how we use your predicted costs, current balance and remaining months left on your plan to determine a sensible monthly amount to cover your costs.
For a more in-depth view, you can access our great Direct Debit calculator by clicking ‘check out the Direct Debit calculator’ from the ‘Change your Direct Debit’ page:
The Direct Debit calculator gives a visual representation of the projected outcome to any Direct Debit changes. In the example below, you can see the predicted costs until the end of your current plan shown in the graph. The expected balance at the end of the period and the recommended Direct Debit increase are highlighted in the red text box. The current Direct Debit amount and recommended Direct Debit amount are also shown by the solid and dashed lines on the graph:
It’s possible to adjust the graph to show the anticipated costs over 12 months (based on your current rates), alternatively you can view this same information as the effect these costs would have on your account balance for the same periods:
You’re able to change the figure in the ‘Direct Debit’ amount box to update the graphs based on what would happen to your balance were you to adjust your payments to this amount - Have a little play around to see what’s the most suitable amount you should be paying.
As we want to make sure you’re paying enough to keep you covered, you’ll only be able to adjust your Direct Debit amount to the calculated minimum - although we understand an unexpected increase to your payments might not always be affordable for you:
Is there any support available if I’m struggling to pay for my energy?
There is help available if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills – both from us here at OVO Energy and from government schemes and charities as well.
There are many ways we can help – such as setting up a payment plan for you, which spreads the cost of your energy to make it more manageable. If you want to find out about payment plans, you can request one online here – we’ll take you through what you need to do, and ask you for some details.
Our dedicated team is also specially trained to support you. They can make sure you’re receiving any financial assistance from the government that you’re eligible for, and take you through payment support schemes that are available.
You can find out more about these schemes and where to seek free, independent advice right here.
Yes, I understand how you might predict usage to enable you to come up with a "recommended" amount for the DD. But, you can only predict based on assumptions. You wouldn't know, for example, that a customer might be going away for 6 months in the winter.
However, that doesn't answer the question as to why it is not possible to enter an amount lower than the "recommended" amount, but can enter an amount which is much higher. At the moment I can only enter any monthly amount between £206 and £618 ! Why pay so much more than is necessary? Surely a range with a 10% deviation, either way, from the "recommendation" would be reasonable. It should be a simple computer program change.
Unless it is OVO policy to overcharge on Direct Debit.
However, that doesn't answer the question as to why it is not possible to enter an amount lower than the "recommended" amount, but can enter an amount which is much higher. At the moment I can only enter any monthly amount between £206 and £618 ! Why pay so much more than is necessary? Surely a range with a 10% deviation, either way, from the "recommendation" would be reasonable. It should be a simple computer program change.
Unless it is OVO policy to overcharge on Direct Debit.
However, that doesn't answer the question as to why it is not possible to enter an amount lower than the "recommended" amount, but can enter an amount which is much higher. At the moment I can only enter any monthly amount between £206 and £618 ! Why pay so much more than is necessary? Surely a range with a 10% deviation, either way, from the "recommendation" would be reasonable. It should be a simple computer program change.
Unless it is OVO policy to overcharge on Direct Debit.
We're not trying to overcharge you,
If you believe the recommended amount is wrong, this could be due to your usage figures so this will need to be checked. You can send us a message on Facebook or Twitter with your name, DoB and account number. If you don't use social media, you can speak with the team on our Help Centre that now has online chat!
As long as the change is an increase above the current Direct Debit, I still can't see why I cannot change my Direct Debit.
On Friday (13/Sept) the recommended amount was £234. I have a current balance of £460.49.
I currently pay £185 by Direct Debit and am now topping up every month by a further £12 to make £197.
You estimate that I will be paying £2,470.13 this year. I estimate £2,376.97. A difference of £93.16.
So why pay an extra £37 per month for the next 9 months. That could be an overpayment of £333. Either of us could be wrong in our estimates but, while I'm so much in credit, why can't someone tell me why the change I want isn't possible? I would have thought that any increase would be preferable.
On Friday (13/Sept) the recommended amount was £234. I have a current balance of £460.49.
I currently pay £185 by Direct Debit and am now topping up every month by a further £12 to make £197.
You estimate that I will be paying £2,470.13 this year. I estimate £2,376.97. A difference of £93.16.
So why pay an extra £37 per month for the next 9 months. That could be an overpayment of £333. Either of us could be wrong in our estimates but, while I'm so much in credit, why can't someone tell me why the change I want isn't possible? I would have thought that any increase would be preferable.
Did you get in touch with the team about this, @DaveY ? The usage figures sound like they may be wrong which is affecting your Direct Debit, this is something we'll need to look into.
My expected usage is £1,158 which equals £97 per month so why am I being asked to increase my direct debit to £113 and why can’t I choose any other amount than that?
Please check out the best answer,
I'd like to increase my direct debit but not to the full amount ovo recommend. The system won't allow me to do this even though the new amount is significantly higher than my current dd. It seems madness that I can pay £135 per month but not £175 just because ovo suggest I should pay £220. Is there a way round this?
Hi
For this, you’ll need to chat with the Support Team and they can make the change for you.
Ok. Thank you
Hi again,
Before making any other changes to your payments, you might want to check out https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support/energy-bills-support-factsheet-8-september-2022 . It has some useful advice that may help you out.
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