Moving into new house, how do I set up my account?

Hi @louise515

If there is gas at the property, this is a really easy tool to find out who the current gas  supplier is if you are at all unsure. 

https://findmysupplier.energy/

So for me

Usually but not always the gas and electricity supplier is the same., 

There is a separate way to check who the electricity if needed

 

Yes, that url was mentioned above. I previously confirmed OVO supplied the gas and electricity here.

I’ve had enough for one day. I’m too old and tired to do any more battling.

Louise

Hey @louise515,

I’m not sure why the previous agent couldn’t hear you, I’m sorry about this.

If you call 0330 303 5063 you’ll be able to set up a variable plan, where you pay on demand. 

You’ll need to set up an account with OVO even if you wish to switch away as you’ll be liable to pay us for the interim period between suppliers. 

This topic may be helpful to you:

It’s easy and automatic. If you want to stop paying by Direct Debit, just cancel the DD mandate and your account will automatically be transferred to payment on demand (otherwise referred to as Standard Credit, SC).

How much extra this will cost depends entirely on your usage; here are some comparison figures produced by Ofgem for an average household:
  

Note that the daily standing charge is quite a bit higher for SC customers; this means that the premium paid by SC customers is higher for those with low usage, which I suspect you are one of. 

The only problem I can foresee if you choose to take the simple route and opt for DD is that OVO will have to calculate the monthly amount initially on the basis of ‘average’ consumption for your type of household, which may be very different from your actual usage. This will be reviewed after a couple of months and quarterly thereafter. If you have a smart meter, this should be relatively painless. Otherwise, you should submit regular meter readings - e.g. weekly - to provide evidence for an adjustment to the DD amount.  

‘Old’ is a relative term! If you’re an OAP, you can ask to be put on the Priority Services Register. This may have some advantages for you: perhaps make it a bit easier to get through to the support staff, for example.

Well there is no direct debit at the moment… I asked how easy it was to switch from a direct debit account to pay on demand? 

 

It’s easy and automatic. If you want to stop paying by Direct Debit, just cancel the DD mandate and your account will automatically be transferred to payment on demand (otherwise referred to as Standard Credit, SC).

How much extra this will cost depends entirely on your usage; here are some comparison figures produced by Ofgem for an average household:
  

Note that the daily standing charge is quite a bit higher for SC customers; this means that the premium paid by SC customers is higher for those with low usage, which I suspect you are one of. 

The only problem I can foresee if you choose to take the simple route and opt for DD is that OVO will have to calculate the monthly amount initially on the basis of ‘average’ consumption for your type of household, which may be very different from your actual usage. This will be reviewed after a couple of months and quarterly thereafter. If you have a smart meter, this should be relatively painless. Otherwise, you should submit regular meter readings - e.g. weekly - to provide evidence for an adjustment to the DD amount.  

‘Old’ is a relative term! If you’re an OAP, you can ask to be put on the Priority Services Register. This may have some advantages for you: perhaps make it a bit easier to get through to the support staff, for example.

 

Yeah, I’m a single pensioner in a 1-bed flat. It has gas and electric. I expect my usage to be relatively low. If I want to switch, presumably I could do that after setting up an account but without committing to OVO? How long do I get to still be able to switch? My previous supplier was Ecotricity. I don’t think they charged me a higher tariff for paying monthly on demand. I’ll try and get quotes from both.

Thanks

Louise

Then you might consider getting put on the PSR. Even if your only vulnerability is being old (!), it might come in useful some day.  

I’m afraid that you are committed as soon as you switch a light on; you have to have a contract with a supplier to have a supply. To switch supplier shouldn’t take more than a few days.

I just had a look at their tariffs, and I was surprised to see just how much higher they are than OVO’s. While there doesn’t seem to be any difference according to how you pay, the cost per unit on the Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) is a whole 30% higher than I’m paying with OVO. Whatever Ecotricity’s green credentials look like, it would take a lot more than them to persuade me to pay £220 extra a year* for the privilege of having them as my supplier. You might have a look at Octopus, a very popular (if bewildering) choice nowadays.   
 

*   2700 kWh x 27.25 p/kWh (OVO) ≈ £722
    2700 kWh x 34.90 p/kWh (ECO) ≈ £942

Here in Glasgow I pay 33.42p/unit so not quite as much as you’ve quoted. OVO standing charge is higher. My estimated annual consumption was  2964 kWh but that’s electric only. Gas is obviously a lot cheaper for heating. Where I’ve moved to there is gas central heating but an electric shower, and also double glazing which I didn’t have before so hard to estimate new usage. I’ll have to try and do some calculations. I’m betting there isn’t much in it, especially allowing for paying OVO extra for paying on demand. I find it very annoying that all energy companies seem to have put up their standing charges so that even minimising energy usage means the companies still get you via the standing charge…

OVO quotes me (online) £111/month inc vat. (Direct Debit). It’s annoying they won’t quote pay monthly on demand. I paid £61.67 for my last full Ecotricity bill. I submit a reading each month, they send a bill - I pay it straightaway. Simples

Thanks

Louise

Yes, rates vary considerably across the country. Still, that’s a big number.

The standing charge is severely regulated by Ofgem, so most companies charge the maximum allowed. It includes only a modest profit for the supplier.

OVO chose not to increase their standing charges for existing customers this quarter. 

You can see OVO’s On demand rates on this page: Our prices | OVO Energy . It looks like you could get a tariff costing around 26 p/unit. That would drop by about 5% for payment by DD, but the on-demand standing charge is more than 11% higher than that for DD - about £25 a year.

When you get your calculator out, beware of VAT. OVO’s rates are quoted on the Plans page ex VAT, so make sure you’re comparing like with like. This is what I got for a random address in Glasgow:
  

There is another plan, but I’m not sure it’s available if there’s gas heating. You’d have to ask OVO.

Good luck!

[Full disclosure: I’m also an OAP living alone in a one-bed property 🙂. No gas here, though.]

Way too many plans! I’m sure they purposely include non-applicable plans just to confuse people! They don’t mention VAT on the linked page - annoying!

Most companies give you some benefit for dual fuel but OVO doesn’t seem to?

“There are some available plans that you can’t buy online. You’ll also find energy prices for plans that aren’t available at the moment.” How user friendly is that!

They could easily make it all a lot simpler with useful filters and/or formatting.

Thanks anyway

Louise

That page is intended to show literally every possible tariff that exists (and possibly ever existed) for your postcode. It’s not intended to be the one you use to actually make your decision per se - you want https://switch.ovoenergy.com for that.

It was pretty hopeless for my purposes. What’s the point in showing every tariff that’s ever existed - or not! It just confuses elderly people like me.

Anyway, I’ve signed up with a direct debit now. I estimated my gas/electricity usage based on my last year’s electricity which came back as £71.45/month. As yet, they haven’t asked me for any meter readings?

They mention a 14-day cooling-off period - not sure what that implies? I presume I’ll hear back from them at some point?

Louise