Live billing, meter readings and understanding my online account

My account has always been in credit.  My energy bill is paid by 15th of every month (gas smart meter pays daily with readings sent but the electricity smart meter wasn’t sending readings so the bills were estimated).  My direct debit would then top up my balance to around £130 on the 22nd of every month and the cycle would continue.  This month, the bill was paid on 15th as usual and then my direct debit topped my account up on 22nd as usual so the balance was £130.  The last estimated electricity reading on 15th September was 13255.  I gave the new reading of 13288 on 25th September and my balance was instantly reduced to £60. OVO cannot tell me why an extra 33 units of electricity between the last estimated reading and the new correct reading has cost me £70.  They just keep saying it’s the difference between the estimated reading and the new reading but surely that’s not right as that’s an extortionate amount for 33 units of electricity!!

I’m sorry, but I’m having difficulty understanding how your account is working. You apparently have a Direct Debit that is taken on the 22nd of each month. It looks as if there may have been a change; if the balance was only being updated once a month until recently, but now it’s being updated daily, it could be that the account has been moved from one billing system to another. Could I ask when you became an OVO customer, and who your supplier was before? Many customers have been through this migration, but it shouldn’t by itself have any effect on your balance.

I’m afraid we won’t be able to shed any more light on this without some evidence to illustrate what has happened. Support agents have access to your account, but no-one in this forum does, so we’re totally dependent on what you show us. 

 I do accept that that something has changed (and from some time ago) or the bills would not have been given a new date.
However if you don’t have copies of what the bills used to say then any help that can be given is limited.

PS. It’s a good idea to download your new blll as it becomes available to download each month.
The copy downloaded and saved on your computer is your original copy - if anything should get changed later you can compare them and see exactly what changed.

My September bill isn’t ready for downloading yet but in a few days will be and I’ll download and save a copy:
 

That is how the ‘Live Balance’ on your account has always worked, - it changes daily.

The ‘Live’ (daily) balance decreases as you use energy and standing charge(s) daily, it increases as and when you make a payment.
Your bills/statements are still monthly.

Think of it more like a bank account,
In both cases the balance goes down throughout the month as you use it, then goes up again when money is paid in.
Your statements are still monthly.

I was with SSE but was moved to OVO in 2022 with a credit balance of around £70.  The latest OVO bill I have is the period up to 15th September 2025 (which was paid on 15th) it still shows a reading of 13255 which is the bill I paid prior to speaking to OVO on 25th September which is when I gave a reading of 13288 and then my credit balance went from £130 to £60 following that conversation.  I’ve had no new bill or breakdown to evidence where that money has gone or showing a new meter reading.  As I say, it’s 33 units of electricity difference and OVO just kept saying the £70 is due to bills being amended for the past 12 months as they were all estimated.  It confuses me as all past bills have been paid in full whether estimated or not.  The total difference between what OVO estimated I’ve used in 12 months and the actual total is only 33 units more.  I think £70 is extortionate for 33 units.  When I continued to question why £70 had been deducted as I didn’t understand the OVO call taker just put the phone down on me

I have had a smart meter since October 2024 and it sends the readings to ovo , when I look at the meter it's only whole numbers no decimal points for fractions but when you look at the readings on you bills there is always fractions after the reading number , for example if the smart meter reading is 123, when you get the bill it says units used 123.321 so why do we get extra numbers after the reading 

Hey ​@Sar19,

“It confuses me as all past bills have been paid in full whether estimated or not.” I understand your concerns! Just a little note about how billing works: if you haven’t submitted your meter readings and your smart readings aren’t available, don’t worry! When you provide your next reading, we’ll make sure to recalculate your account. This way, your past and future bills will accurately reflect the energy you've used instead of relying on estimates. We also have some helpful articles on similar topics that you might want to check out!

I hope this helps! 

Hey ​@delboy61,

Welcome to the community,

You’ve received some great answers from the community already. It’s true that modern meters display whole numbers, but some older meters still have decimal places, and our billing reflects this. You don’t need to worry about the fractions between the numbers; just continue using the whole numbers from your meter and on your bills. I recently had my meters changed from one that showed decimals to one that operates in whole numbers, yet my billing still looks the same.

If you have any questions about your usage, our Support Team is always available to help. You can use the link below to reach out to them regarding your account.

Why is this website now so confusing. I’m 88 and. I just wish to see my account details why have you concocted such a confusing mess.?

Hi ​@Michael Bradshaw ,

You can find them under Profile or via https://account.ovoenergy.com/profile

Hey ​@Michael Bradshaw 

I’m sorry to hear you found it difficult to locate the profile section, though I am glad to see one of our volunteers has already stopped by with some really helpful advice.

Have you been able to follow that link through to the information you had needed to find?

Do let us know how you got on.