Hi @mrsparkles5481 ,

Please note that Blastoise186 is a trusted Forum Volunteer, he doesn’t work for OVO

We don’t seem to have had many folks come here yet who’ve had RTS PAYG, so I’m not sure how many responses you’ll get on that front. Please accept our apologies for this.

The biggest differences are ultimately down to three things:

• How the meter knows when to switch rates - Smart Meters control this locally without needing external signals as they’re effectively “Set and Forget”
• How meter readings are submitted (PAYG Only) - as you’re PAYG a meter reading would be automatically submitted every night, rather than only when you top-up and these submissions would also back up your current credit balance to OVO’s systems, just to be extra safe, but you cannot change the frequency of these submissions
• How meter readings are submitted (PAYM Only) - for those on Pay Monthly, meter readings will be submitted automatically every day by default but the submission frequency can be changed if you wish
• How you top-up (PAYG Only) - you wouldn’t use a key/card anymore - you’d use a new method
• How you pay your bill (PAYM Only) - there would be no changes to your payment method, frequency or amount as a result of the meter swap itself

Additionally, you may be able to keep the same tariff or you may need to change it. If you’re able to keep the same tariff, then nothing changes on that front. If you need to change it, OVO will help you with your options to find the best value possible based on what they can get for you. If you’re on Flat Rate, Economy 7 or Economy 10 right now, then there’s a 98% chance you’ll probably get to keep it that way. Otherwise, you may be asked to pick a new tariff.

As you’re PAYG, if you’re on the same tariff after the upgrade then it should cost you about the same as being on RTS PAYG does unless you are told otherwise. If it ends up being more expensive, either you’re using more than you thought or the RTS Meter was faulty somehow.

As for topping-up, you can still go to the shops if you wish and that will remain supported for the foreseeable future. However, you’d be able to use an app or website too so you could also top-up from home (or use the app barcode in shops) making it far more convenient. The key you have now however, would be taken from you by the installing engineer and returned to OVO as you’d no longer have a use for it.

Hope this helps!

Hey @mrsparkles5481, 

That’s some really great advice from @Blastoise186 and he’s correct when he says that we’ve not had many PAYG/RTS members on here so far. 

The email should have included a contact number so you could call, ask questions directly about the installation, and book yourself in. We currently have a dedicated team handling these calls that is trained in more complex meter types.

Are you considering staying with PAYG, or would you consider paying monthly? The new meter should give you more control over your energy; an example of this would be topping up. You can make top-ups online rather than going to a shop to do this. I would be interested to hear your thought process and how you feel towards this so far 

The team are aware of phone calls not being an option due to my mental health. So calls are not an option,yet they asked to call. 

Hey @mrsparkles5481,

​Do you mean it was in the letter/email sent to you? I understand your struggle with this and want to give some context. Most of the communications are targeted at a wider group of people, and a phone number would be included because these types of meters are more complicated than regular ones. Due to the complexity of the installs, we try to ask as many questions as possible so that when the engineers attend the installation, they’ll know exactly what they’re up against. This is typically easier via phone call as the advisors can have a back-and-forth conversation with someone more easily.

If you have any more questions please let us know!