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meccles
Rank 1
October 7, 2022
Solved

£66 government energy bills support scheme deducted from my OVO account balance not added?

  • October 7, 2022
  • 645 replies
  • 34621 views

Can anyone explain what’s going on here?

Opening balance was £335, we used around £90 worth of electric/gas combined (£66 government payment was taken off this, hence the £22 charge), I paid £150 so by my reckoning the balance should have gone up by around £125.

It hasn’t though - they seem to have then deducted the £66 again.

Does anyone know why? Do I need to contact them or will it right itself?

Best answer by Blastoise186

Updated on 28/06/23 by Abby_OVO

 

This scheme is now closed.

 

How you will be awarded the £67 depends on how you pay. If you’re seeing a deduction, it’s because you pay by Direct Debit and the grant payment went into your OVO account and is then deducted from the account and refunded to your bank account. 

For all information on this topic please see the website page Energy Bills Support Scheme or this previous response:

 

 

If you pay by direct debit and have seen the credit go to your OVO account, this payment will be transferred into your bank account. 

 

The payment will be made 3-5 working days after the direct debit has cleared. This will happen automatically and you don’t need to do anything. 

 

All customers who pay this way will receive their refund into their bank accounts within 3-5 days of their direct debit date. For example, if your direct debit is the 15th of the month, it’ll be 3-5 days after this. 

 

For anyone that pays on demand, their payment will be made directly to their OVO account. 

 

 

If you pay by Direct Debit

You’ll receive your discount as a refund. This means you’ll carry on paying your full Direct Debit amount. Once the Direct Debit payment has cleared, we’ll refund the monthly discount amount to your bank account shortly after. If you cancel your Direct Debit, or your payment fails, there may be a delay in applying the discount to your account.

You’ll get your discount every month, even if you don’t get monthly statements. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next statement. 

 

If you pay when you get your bill

You’ll receive your monthly discount as a credit to your energy account in the first week of each month. You’ll see this on your monthly bills from October. 

We’ll add the discount to your energy account every month, even if you don’t get monthly bills. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next bill. 

For example, if you receive your bills on the 15th of the month, we’ll add your discount in the 1st week of the month, starting in October, so you’ll see confirmation of this on your bill dated 15 October.

 

Hey @meccles !

Please check your Charges as well. I suspect you’ll see a line entry there that explains it, just like this example:

 

645 replies

Show previous replies
Jeffus
Rank 20
Jeffus
Rank 20
March 16, 2023

The problem is it looks confusing .. 

Starting balance 12 Feb £100.45 in credit

Total charges £248.09 out

Direct Debit 13 Feb £262.00 in

Refunds 14 Feb £67.00 out

Closing balance 11 Mar £47.36 in credit

100.45-47.36 = 53.09 which is 67.00-(262.00-248.09) .. confused .. in trying to make it transparent it has just been made confusing ..

So people look at balance start 100.45 and see they have paid 13.09 more than  owed .. so expect new balance to be 100.45 PLUS 13.09 .. instead they see it is less.

Luckily the scheme ends this month, i think we will never see anything like this again from the government... The regular posters on the forum, including me, will be glad to see the back of it given the number of people we have helped understand it. 

Would have been so much easier for the government just to make the Energy Price Guarantee more generous and never have the Energy Bill  Support Scheme.... 

    Newcomer
    SteveM24C
    Newcomer
    March 16, 2023

    Absolutely Jeffus .. but it still leaves an issue that regardless of the £67 in and out … your balance seems to get less even though you have paid more than owed. Or is that still the £67 issue .. anyway thanks ps I think the scheme has just been extended or it may just be the Cap… 

    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    March 16, 2023

    Absolutely Jeffus .. but it still leaves an issue that regardless of the £67 in and out … your balance seems to get less even though you have paid more than owed. Or is that still the £67 issue .. anyway thanks ps I think the scheme has just been extended or it may just be the Cap… 

    Just the Energy Price Guarantee has been adjusted, it was due to go up from an average £2500 to £3000 for someone with a typical consumption (12000kWh gas, 2900kWh electricity).

    But now the rates will stay the same on average between 1st April to end June.

    You will get an email from OVO sometime after 23rd March to confirm your rate and DD.

    Fingers crossed rates will fall quite dramatically after 1st July as wholesale prices have been falling. We may even see some fixed rates coming back before or just after that. 

    No extension of the Energy Bill Support Scheme thankfully... 

      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      March 16, 2023

      The problem is it looks confusing .. 

      A. Starting balance 12 Feb £100.45 in credit

      B. Total charges £248.09 out

      C. Direct Debit 13 Feb £262.00 in

      D. Refunds 14 Feb £67.00 out

      E. Closing balance 11 Mar £47.36 in credit

      100.45-47.36 = 53.09 which is 67.00-(262.00-248.09) .. confused .. in trying to make it transparent it has just been made confusing ..

      So people look at balance start 100.45 and see they have paid 13.09 more than  owed .. so expect new balance to be 100.45 PLUS 13.09 .. instead they see it is less.

      A. Your balance starts at 100.45

      B. Your charges include your usage, standing charge, vat and 67 from the government (you can't see that breakout on your post, you need to look on the full details of your charges) is 248.09

      C. Your DD was 262

      D. OVO put the 67 from the government in your bank account

      E. Your closing balance is 47.36

      So.…

      A - B + C - D = E

      100.45 - 248.09 + 262 - 67 = 47.36

      It can get confusing as the EBSS money is added in B, then withdrawn in D and put in your bank account. 

       

       

      Newcomer
      David easson
      Newcomer
      March 21, 2023

      My bill shows my usage,my credit but it shows my payments less the govt rebate!!  
      surely  my payments  are what I pay to them each month. Tge rebate is from the government, not Ovo! 
      my usage is covered by my direct debit but my credit gas nearly halved !! 

        Blastoise186
        Super User
        Blastoise186Super User
        Super User
        March 21, 2023

        https://energy-support.ovoenergy.com shows where it goes.

        You’ll have had credits for £66/£67 each month to offset that, leaving your OVO account in the same state as if EBSS had never existed.

        Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
          Newcomer
          David easson
          Newcomer
          March 21, 2023

          Approx figures….     Credit 450 

                                               Bill.      520 

                                               Payments 276

                                                New credit 218

          but I have actually paid            530 (ddbt) 

          The £66 is from govt not Ovo.but Ovo have deducted it from my payments. 

          if the 66 had come straight from govt and not through Ovo then I woukd have had approx 460 in credit !!

          my direct debit is set just right 
           

           

            BPLightlog
            Super User
            BPLightlogSuper User
            Super User
            March 21, 2023

            The way OVO chose to do this was to reduce your energy bill by that amount and then refund it to your bank account. The only way to put it back in balance is to pay the refunded £66/67 back into your energy account

            Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
              Newcomer
              David easson
              Newcomer
              March 21, 2023

              Thank u for replies. Maybe I am being a bit thick here .
               I will break this up in to a monthly figure . All approx 

               Ovo say my energy usage is 150 but my ddbt is 150 so I am even . They give me back 66 (well govt does)  . So my bill says that I have  only paid 84 . ( 150 minus 66 . So I go into arrears, luckily I did start with a large credit 

              Surely Ovo is saying that they have refunded me part of my ddbt!!  But it’s not Ovo who r refunding me , it’s the govt .  

              i Just can’t get my head round it 

                BPLightlog
                Super User
                BPLightlogSuper User
                Super User
                March 21, 2023

                The bit you’re missing @David easson is the bill reduction. If you look at a full bill, you will see your energy costs and then a reduction from the energy support scheme - look under ‘Charges in detail’. That’s why it all balances

                 

                Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
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