Do you have Solar Panels & Charge Anytime? We’d love to hear your thoughts

I gather customers with solar panels are now eligible for Charge Anytime but only if they have a specific charger. Ohme chargers still appear to be incompatible although from speaking to Ovo today this is a software issue which both Ovo & Ohme are looking to resolve.

I spoke to someone at Ohme today also and they were unaware of the issue and said their chargers were fully solar compatible and so did not understand Ovo’s current policy.

Can anyone confirm when this Ovo/Ohme solar compatibility issue will be resolved?

I have just switched to Ovo in advance of picking up my first EV (with Volkswagen who provide the Ohme charger at no cost to me) at the end of next month and OVO’s Charge Anytime and partnership with VW seemed like too good an offer to refuse. I wish I had read the small print before signing now.

Sorry for the rant but would love to hear more on this issue.

PS - on the phone with Ovo just now who called me back as I typed this up. They are kindly registering a complaint in any case. Will update here if there’s more to say.

PPS - the customer service so far has been exceptional with Ovo and I really would love to stay and not look elsewhere because of this solar thing.

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Hi, I've just heard back from my Solar installation agent, who went away and has confirmed that charge anytime is compatible with solar (in my case, via my Tesla car, not an EV charger), and it's only the battery boost that isn't compatible with CA. Ovo, can you confirm? 

At Chris, are you able to confirm the above please? 

Hey ​@Khay,

I’m confused what you’re asking me to confirm? Could you elaborate and give me some more information? 

Hi Chris, 

I need to confirm whether Charge Anytime is available (via a compatible car only, not a compatible EV wall charger), with a solar (inc. battery) installation.

This forum seems to suggest it is not, however I have had an Ovo solar sales rep make enquiries and confirm that it is. They state the only element it is not compatible with is battery boost.

Many Thanks. 

Hey ​@Khay, 

Charge Anytime is only compatible with a solar compatible charger. You can read this yourself under section 5.6 of the Terms and Conditions.

“5.6 Only electricity that has been used from the grid for Smart Charging will be considered in the Charge Anytime Credit calculation. For customers who have solar PV installed in their home, OVO can only currently offer Charge Anytime Credits where the charger is a solar-compatible Indra, Hypervolt or Andersen charger (displayed as ‘solar-compatible’ on this list). Your charger may also require a house current clamp installation. All other local solar energy that goes into EV charging will be excluded from the Charge Anytime Credit calculation.”

I hope this helps clear things up for you! 

Hi ​@Gwallace,

If you read ​@Chris_OVO’s latest post in this thread you’ll see a link to the Solar-compatible chargers. Unfortunately the Ohme chargers we offer are not compatible with Solar through Charge Anytime at the moment. If you’ve logged a complaint with Charge Anytime I imagine they’ll get back to you with some further info. I’ve asked internally myself for more info and will be sure to let you know as soon  I’ve heard anything.

I believe some of the terminology used may be a cause of confusion. 
Solar compatibility can refer to a few things and certainly the system will operate with solar PV installed at the property. 
The difficulty comes with the system for crediting usage on Charge Anytime - the billing system needs to be able to differentiate the source of the power (solar or grid) and that’s why it’s necessary to use the specific chargers indicated to enable the recorded usage to be correct. 

​@Gwallace just to let you know I’ve heard back from the Charge Anytime team. They’ve advised that the way Charge Anytime is set up with Ohme means that it’s not Solar compatible. They’ve also advised that they don’t know when it will be and, indeed, if it ever will be. I’m sorry - I know this isn’t the news you wanted to hear 😞