Just wondered why you use estimated readings on days that I submit actual readings?

We have found looking at various people feeding back that they should be asking for a reading on the day after your billing period finishes, not on the day itself.

That mimics a smart meter which sends its readings early after midnight on that date.

They will estimate from your reading to add further usage for that last day unfortunately if you’re providing a manual reading

A similar question 

They could flag up the day I start to go through the procedure to submit a reading that it’s really due the next day. It probably doesn’t make any difference over time, but it would just be the right thing for OVO to do.

Once you get into the habit of sending a reading the day after your billing period then you no longer see that ‘last day estimate’.

Although as your bill is ‘pending’ for about a week after the period end  then a couple of days later would probably achieve the same result.

I’m sure you’re right but I’m elderly and forgetful and really need a friendly prompt. I suppose OVO would like to push me to have a smart meter, but why should I have to have one of those?

I would say being elderly is a perfect reason for having a smart meter. I have one and I’m getting older… I haven’t had to get down on my knees with a torch to check the meter readings for years.

My electric meter is at eye level so no effort to read it.

… not to mention forgetful! You don’t need prompting or reminding if the meter readings are being sent automatically every day. Since it’s at eye level, you’ll be able to have a peek every so often just to reassure yourself that it’s doing its job. No more estimated bills ...

I’m elderly, not decrepit!

It’s worth mentioning that OVO’s billing platform is heavily designed with maximizing support for Smart Meters in mind, so has a sort of “Smart Meter First” approach to how it works. This in itself isn’t something to push you - it just makes sense given the direction the industry is going in.

Please show us photos of your current meter(s). I’d like to check something about them.

I don’t want to hand over control of my electricity supply to whoever is the supplier - until I’m forced to. My electricity usage is pretty constant over the year and there’s no advantage to me in having a smart meter. I have gas central heating and the cost of gas is relatively cheap.

You wouldn’t be handing over control though - the supplier already has control regardless of meter type. If you don’t pay, they can simply get a warrant to force entry and disconnect you anyway. Smart Meters would just make it so you wouldn’t also have to pay for the warrant, engineer visit and replacement locks.

Probably also worth mentioning that your existing meter won’t last forever. Eventually it’ll reach End of Service Life and must be replaced by law once it does (Electricity Act 1989 and Gas Act 1986 if you’re interested). At that point, the replacement will be a Smart Meter because there’s nothing else out there anymore.

If you show me what you’ve got now, I can calculate roughly how long you’ve got left with them.

I doubt I’ll ever be in a position of having my supply cut off! But suppliers can control the electricity price remotely and even selectively and temporarily suspend the supply, else hike the tariff at peak times, if it suits them. If smart meters were designed to only to provide readings and nothing else, then I’d be on board. But let’s just wait and see what happens when the grid can’t supply the demand at any one time. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s possible to update smart meter firmware to add functionality in the future. It’s not beyond the Machiavellian, crazed Ed Miliband! 

Eh? The price is controlled remotely anyway - that’s what the billing system does and ya don’t need Smart Meters for that!

Also, you’re thinking of Time of Use Tariffs. Those will ONLY apply to you if you’re explicitly opted into one - trust me, you’d know if you were on one.

As for randomly cutting you off? That’s been pretty much ruled out. Oh, and besides, the DNO can do it anyway even without Smart Meters - they can just flip the sub-station switches. FWIW even the National Grid can do it too...

Seems you’ve read a few too many scare stories...

You aren’t going to convince me.

Sorry, I was only going by what you wrote. Perhaps you forgot you’d written this:
  

Convincing you isn't our goal. Correcting misinformation is though.

I think my electrician and Loiuse have been hearing the same rumours ‍♀️

Why is it that despite giving an actual meter reading that OVO computer system posts an incorrect estimated reading onto my account to work out my bill. To make matters worse your customers are told to ignore the red dial which gives figures after the decimal point your computer guesses uses decimal figures when inserting incorrect usage figures on my bill. Your billing system is a farce and opens yourself up for more complaints.

This phenomenon has been discussed on the forum elsewhere, but in short this answer from ​@BPLightlog explains all:

We have found looking at various people feeding back that they should be asking for a reading on the day after your billing period finishes, not on the day itself.

That mimics a smart meter which sends its readings early after midnight on that date.

They will estimate from your reading to add further usage for that last day unfortunately if you’re providing a manual reading

Just to add to the above, one of the best ways to solve this once and for all is to upgrade to Smart Meters anyway. You don’t have to do it right now and it’s ultimately your choice up until the existing Meter(s) reach End of Service Life (at which point they MUST be replaced anyway) but it’s worth thinking about.

Hi ​@Frustrated100,

I’m sorry to hear this. Hopefully this already been answered for you in the helpful comments above.

If you have any further questions let us know. These threads may also be helpful:

I gave my readings on the actual due date this month (Sunday am, 24/11)

OVO seems to have picked that up ok but not had the actual bill yet. Fingers crossed! It probably doesn’t matter much if OVO estimate readings because it will right itself after receiving actual readings (providing you give them regularly) and over a year, nothing in it

Yes absolutely right. We have a live billing system so when you submit a meter reading your account balance will update accordingly