It would appear that the cost of energy used for the year on the usage page is just the cost of the units used not including the standing charges etc. This seems confusing if not disingenuous as standing charges make up nearly 30% of the overall billed amount.
Answer
Standing Charges & VAT not included in 'Usage' pages on App / online account?
Best answer by Ben_OVO
Updated on 26/08/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
Hi
Thanks for your comments, I hope I can shed some light on our Usage graphs for you.
Our live daily billing platform and app/web Usage graphs are designed to work with smart meters. If you don’t have smart meters currently, you can book an appointment via your online account or app.
If you have smart meters, they need to provide half-hourly meter readings for the Usage pages to show the most accurate data. You can contact our Support Team to check your meters are set up in this way. If not, they can reconfigure them remotely.
Your Usage graphs are there as a helpful tool to show Usage patterns and costs across the day, week, month and year. 5% VAT and Standing Charges aren't included in the comparison, as the graphs relate to your usage alone.
As @Blastoise186 mentioned, you can see your total costs by checking your bills. To do this, log into your online account or app. If you’re logging in on a web browser, click ‘Billing History’. On the app click ‘Bills’. You can then see a list of all statements. Click on the arrows on the right hand side of the screen to view the statement as a pdf. I’ve included a screenshot of my own online account below to help you navigate:
+1- Plan Zero Hero
Hi,
That’s actually intentional and my understanding is that’s it’s consistently that way across all suppliers. The usage pages are only a guide to help you know how much you’re using - please do not rely on them for billing purposes and they do also include a note about that as a reminder. If you’re after a running total that factors in absolutely everything, you want the Bills/Billing Details page instead!
OVO does Live Billing, so the Bills section will be updated daily with your actual costs - Standing Charges and VAT included.
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- Plan Zero Hero
OVO does Live Billing, so the Bills section will be updated daily with your actual costs - Standing Charges and VAT included.
That’s well and good, but in fairness to the OP, I’d point out that the figures (cost or kWh) shown on usage pages don’t necessarily appear anywhere on the billing page. I have to get my slide rule out to add them up to compare them:
Updated on 26/08/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
Hi
Thanks for your comments, I hope I can shed some light on our Usage graphs for you.
Our live daily billing platform and app/web Usage graphs are designed to work with smart meters. If you don’t have smart meters currently, you can book an appointment via your online account or app.
If you have smart meters, they need to provide half-hourly meter readings for the Usage pages to show the most accurate data. You can contact our Support Team to check your meters are set up in this way. If not, they can reconfigure them remotely.
Your Usage graphs are there as a helpful tool to show Usage patterns and costs across the day, week, month and year. 5% VAT and Standing Charges aren't included in the comparison, as the graphs relate to your usage alone.
As @Blastoise186 mentioned, you can see your total costs by checking your bills. To do this, log into your online account or app. If you’re logging in on a web browser, click ‘Billing History’. On the app click ‘Bills’. You can then see a list of all statements. Click on the arrows on the right hand side of the screen to view the statement as a pdf. I’ve included a screenshot of my own online account below to help you navigate:
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Hi,
My plan says my standing charger should be 47.03p per day. By Bill has charged 49.32 and then added VAT @ 5% on top of that.
Any idea why?
Thanks all
- Plan Zero Hero
My plan says my standing charger should be 47.03p per day. By Bill has charged 49.32 and then added VAT @ 5% on top of that. Any idea why?
No! The standing charge shown on the Plan page should be exactly the one shown on your bill. My guess is that you’re looking at an out-of-date version of the plan.
On the second page of your bill, you should see this identity:
These figures are exclusive of VAT. The right-hand panel may show more than one tariff if there was a change during the billing period, in which case there will be more than one Standing charge line in the left-hand panel.
If this doesn’t help, could you share a picture of (part of) the bill showing the anomaly? Be sure to obscure any personal details if you’re concerned about privacy.
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Good morning
I can see
Cheers!
Hi
My latest bill (turned up today) has a split between the old rates and my new rates. So, yep...The perceived discrepancy was due to the plan change on 1/7/25 as you pointed out.
So, I can stop fretting and leave you both to get on with your lives :). Thanks for the support...I have to say it’s the first time using this forum and I'm impressed.
AndyG
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