Hi @KHebb ,

I suspect nothing will happen in your case, but I can ask a forum moderator to check.

I don’t really understand this forum - is this an official confirmation from Ovo that my plan tariff rates won’t be changing from 1 July 2023?

It’s volunteer led and patrolled by forum volunteers like myself who are also customers. We don’t work for OVO and can’t give official answers.

From what I’ve found on official sources like https://ovoenergy.com/pricecap though, it sounds like OVO is going to honour your current rates. I’d strongly recommend checking with Support to be sure however.

I agree with @Blastoise186 looks like it will remain the same

Adding to @Jeffus’s remark, it’s stated even more clearly a bit higher up on that same page:

“As they are” - not “as they were when your contract started”. 

Just as an aside, am a bit surprised i haven't had an email from ovo about my new standard variable rates that kick in end of day Friday this week.

I don't know what the deadline stated in the contract is if any.

Looking back i had an email on the 21st September for the 1st October price increase so we are well beyond that example.

Ofgem published the price cap data on the 25th May for 1st July including regional rates. 

They've got a couple of days yet:
  

PS Don’t forget to submit meter readings on Saturday, as early as you can (after 01:00 to make sure it’s registered on the right day) to maximize the amount charged at the new prices …

They've got a couple of days yet:
  

 

PS Don’t forget to submit meter readings on Saturday, as early as you can (after 01:00 to make sure it’s registered on the right day) to maximize the amount charged at the new prices …

 

Interesting. I wonder what the notice was 1st April 2022. 

I was still on a fixed rate 1st April 2022 so my first price cap change was later on 1st September 2022. Then i got more notice. Although limited by the EPG then. I deleted my 1st April 2023 email i think. 

I wonder what other suppliers do in terms of notice. I suspect it varies depending on whether it is an increase or decrease in costs. 

We’ve been here before: 

The difference is that they had a good excuse then.

I didn’t receive anything to tell me the 1st April changes were coming, only that they had done, in an email on 3rd May.

I had an email on 3rd April suggesting I’d been enjoying a “reduced direct debit” which of course was inaccurate as my dd had stayed the same during the ebss fiasco. How much simpler the process would have been if they had reduced the dd, but…!

I switched to Octopus on 8th June and on 20th June received an email to tell me the new rates from 1st July. 

will the unit price go down in july

This might help
https://www.ovoenergy.com/pricecap

Hey @juliamc, @Firedog and @Jeffus,

I asked about this internally:

We don’t send Price Decrease letters, there’s no regulatory requirement to do so, however some suppliers have chosen to send marketing material to their customers about the price decrease. The communication we normally send is a Price Increase Notification (PIN) that is sent when there’s a contract change that’s detrimental to the customer.

As there’s no detriment with a price decrease, there’s no requirement for a PIN letter. Previously we’d give 28 days notice of price increases, this is only relevant with price INCREASES, however, even in that scenario the 28 days timing is old legislation. We are now only required to communicate within 10 -15 calendar days, given changes to faster switching that allows customers to switch suppliers within 5 days. All prices will be updated on Saturday 1st, including the Tariffs and Pricing section of the website that customers can be pointed to if they would like more information.

It is interesting that rather than focus on good customer service Ovo are driven by regulatory requirements!

How about publishing the new tariffs on the website?

What is Ovo’s issue with tariff secrecy? Is it so people will not pile in asking for Direct Debit reductions?

That was my immediate thought as well.

The focus on regulation was interesting.

I can't think of a good customer service reason for not giving customers more notice when ofgem released their data on 25th May. It would have helped people thinking about fixed rate plans. 

I suspect the rates will be very close to the ofgem regional rates on Saturday. 

Thanks for finding out @Emmanuelle_OVO 

To be blunt, I am quitting Ovo, probably to move to Octopus, once my current SEG contact draws to an end (don’t get me started on the levels of incompetence I experienced setting that up).

This tariff secrecy malarkey is but a small part of the reason why. Sitting on my huge credit surplus and making me jump backward through hoops to get most of it back is another and, as an EV owner, being able to switch to an EV tariff that does not require me to buy a new charge point to access the benefits.

Grump over!

DIRECT DEBIT: What are the average standing charges and unit rates for gas and electricity?

Rates and standing charges are averages, which vary by region. Assumes payment by direct debit and includes VAT (at 5%). For those who pay each month after getting a bill, it's typically 6 to 8% higher.

There may well be no regulatory reason, but there is certainly a contractual one. In the contract I have with OVO, it says quite specifically:
 

If customers are not told - with ‘reasonable’ notice - what they’re going to be paying after a tariff change, they have no way of comparing their current arrangement with one a competitor may be offering. This is contrary to the competitive spirit of OFGEM’s instructions, and possibly the letter (I haven’t ploughed through the SLC to check).

Firedog, well done!

Well Ovo, please explain your failure to comply with your contractual obligations.

Interesting @Firedog 

In which case, the 10 to 15 days quoted by @Emmanuelle_OVO for a price increase also seems reasonable for a contractual obligation for a price reduction to me. 

Interesting the contract mentions no actual number of days for either  a price increase or decrease. 

OVO must know their new tariffs for 1 July so why do they refuse to publish them.  It doesn’t seem to matter whether they are going up or down, every time their is a change, getting information out of OVO is like pulling teeth.

I looked at Our prices | OVO Energy yesterday, but the page was down. I fondly thought that this was because they were updating it to give the tariffs entering into force on Saturday. Silly me! I just had another look:

https://filestore.community.support.microsoft.com/api/images/f179aca9-d07e-44b6-aa8c-f322042630d7
 

Plenty of tariffs (most of them shown several times). Sadly, not one of them valid from 1 July 2023.

No further comment, m’lud.

Hey @Firedog,

I looked into the terms you’ve posted and they cover this in more detail in section 9:

What’s a variable energy plan?

4.4 A variable energy plan means:

• you pay a variable per unit rate and/or a variable standing charge for the energy you use;

• this means we might increase or decrease the prices you pay under a variable energy plan. But we’ll always give you notice (see section 9 ‘Changing your Contract’);

9.   Changing your contract

When we can make changes to your contract

9.1  We can make changes to your contract anytime, including changing our pricing and payment methods. If we make changes, we’ll make a copy of any new terms and conditions available on our website. Please check this page regularly to review updated terms. The date these terms were last updated is at the bottom of this page. Any changes will take effect from the date that we publish them on our website. If you don’t have access to our website you can ask for a copy of our latest terms by getting in touch. 

Changes that put you at a disadvantage 

9.2  If we make changes to your contract which put you at a disadvantage (including where we increase our prices), then we’ll give you reasonable notice in an appropriate form to let you know about the change (reasonable notice being enough time for you to avoid the proposed change if you want to). 

9.3  If you don’t agree with the changes we’re making under clause 9.2, you can:

• switch to another energy plan with us as long as you cancel your contract with us and move to a new energy plan within 20 working days of the change or price rise coming into effect; or
• switch to another supplier, as long as your new supplier notifies us of this within 20 days working days of the change or price rising coming into effect. Your new supplier must start to supply you with electricity or gas reasonably soon after this.

You won’t have to pay a termination fee for switching energy plan or supplier in these 2 scenarios. 

If you switch to another supplier because of a change we have made to our terms, which has put you at a disadvantage, but still owe us money, we can object to the switch. If you want to switch away, you must pay all the money you owe. If you don’t pay all the money you owe within 30 working days from the day we told you we have objected to your switch, and don’t switch away, the changes will apply to you (including where we increased our prices).

9.4   Clause 9.2 and 9.3 won’t apply to you if:

• the change or price rise is as a result of changing the way you pay, for example if we install a prepayment meter or you stop complying with the Direct Debit rules;
• we increase the cost of any additional charges payable under our Charges List here.
• we automatically move you onto another energy plan in line with these terms; 
• we withdraw or change any upgrade or offer, for example, OVO Interest Reward or OVO Self-Service Reward; 
• we increase the amount of VAT you pay or an amount we’re required by law to include on your bill; 
• we supply energy to you under a deemed contract; 
• we make changes to the contract if we’re required to do so by Ofgem.

If any of the above apply, we’ll give you notice, but you can’t avoid the change. 

As OVO take little notice of this forum and rarely, if ever, provide a constructive reply, perhaps it would be better closed down.

@Emmanuelle_OVO I’m taking my pedant’s hat off pro tem after this. IANAL, but you can’t say ‘we’ll always give you notice’ if we increase or decrease the prices you pay] and then say ‘except when we won’t.’ Remove that ‘always’ and I’d shut up.