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timfg
Rank 2
February 21, 2023
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My usage as shown on the OVO website has been changed retrospectively - huh?!

  • February 21, 2023
  • 24 replies
  • 711 views

I’m in the habit of cut and pasting my usage cost date into an ongoing spreadsheet. The costs for one day in December were wildly out of kilter with the rest - impossibly so - and I was about to cut and paste the data from the website to ask Ovo what that was about. Yet I now find that all of the data for December - apart from the first two days - is different from what I captured from it two months ago: It has been changed.

The three columns on the left are the December data when I captured it (and 31/12 is obviously ridiculous - even if I’d accidentally captured the wrong month, it could never be right. The three columns on the right are what the website now shows.

Anyone got any insight into what this could be about? Decidedly dubious in my eyes...

 

 

Best answer by Jeffus

Updated on 31/10/23 by Abby_OVO

Hi @timfg

1. Do you have smart meter?

2. What page on the OVO website did you extract the data from?

It does happen that figures are recalculated if estimates have had to be used (either with or without a smart meter) or if the Calorific Value of gas is updated for example. It is not particularly unusual to be raised on this forum. 

It is difficult to be more specific in an answer to questions like this. 

The quarterly change in the Energy Price cap on the evening of 31st Dec etc can often cause strange looking readings that net out OK. I always see that on the meter reading page for my account. I think that is what you saw at the end of December. So you may see it again at the end of March. The big change looks like a correction due to the change over perhaps. 

I don't think it is anything to worry about in your case looking at the figures. The overall change for the month is relatively small, perhaps look at the net effect over a longer period. 

You could try contacting the OVO Support Team and asking for the reason in your specific case, but you may end up spending an awful lot of time if you do this. Depends on how much you want to find out. It would likely take weeks or months for OVO to get back with any account specific responses and even then it may well not give you the detailed answer you may or may not be after. 

The changing readings are simply a feature of the OVO system. 

I don't work for OVO, i am just a customer like you. 

24 replies

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Jeffus
Rank 20
Jeffus
Rank 20
February 21, 2023

@timfg are you OK if we mark this thread completed?

You can of course pop back at any time to ask questions or help answering them. 

 

 

 

 

Firedog
Super User
FiredogSuper User
Super User
February 21, 2023

@Jeffus and @BPLightlog have as usual given sterling advice. I’d just add that you might consider storing the usage data rather than (or as well as) the displayed costs. Usage figures are based on meter readings, so they might change if ever there’s an estimate involved which subsequently gets corrected.

Many of us have personal spreadsheets, essential if you want to keep an eye on OVO’s shenanigans 😉. I just plug today’s readings into mine and let Excel do the rest. Until they change something again, it’s working smoothly. Gas, with its variable CVs, would be a bit more complicated. Just to brag a bit, here’s today’s page:
  

The left-hand panel takes its figures from the tracking worksheet; the right-hand one is a smart copy & paste from the Billing page. I don’t think I’ve ever got this far into a month with not even a penny’s difference, usually a rounding deviation somewhere. The 2p difference in the starting balance is historical and I’ll continue to ignore it.

 

It’s also worth remembering that the various pages of the account site are managed by different teams; I experienced recently a situation where readings, usage and billing were all missing a few days’ data, but different days in each case. Readings come first, then usage and billing comes last, especially at the end of a billing period when everything has to match before the statement can be issued. That’s why the costs shown on usage pages can’t be relied upon, as you’ve discovered. 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |
    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    February 21, 2023

    I think what most use the more granular data for is to compare. For example via the Bright app, I can see todays usage compared to the last few days or the last few Tuesdays .. without scraping data from anywhere

     

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    February 21, 2023

    Also worth knowing the daily kWh totals on the Bright app are not worked out the same as the the daily total figure on OVO. 

    On Bright it adds up the 30min data as it can't access the daily data from your meter under its license agreement. 

    So for me for example my 30 min readings for gas are often not complete as my gas meter is a bit to far away from my electricity meter.

    So i often see different daily data on OVO and Bright. 

    There are lots of quirks with smart meter data and different apps you need to watch out for depending on your individual circumstances. Some of these correct over time, others don't refresh. 

     

     

    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    February 21, 2023

    Also worth knowing the daily kWh totals on the Bright app are not worked out the same as the the daily total figure on OVO. 

    On Bright it adds up the 30min data as it can't access the daily data from your meter under its license agreement. 

    So for me for example my 30 min readings for gas are often not complete as my gas meter is a bit to far away from my electricity meter.

    So i often see different daily data on OVO and Bright. 

    There are lots of quirks with smart meter data and different apps you need to watch out for depending on your individual circumstances. Some of these correct over time, others don't refresh. 

     

     

    For my own perspective, the relative differences for each day/week etc is what I want. If I want billing, I would look at my meter reads and OVO info

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      February 21, 2023

      Also worth knowing the daily kWh totals on the Bright app are not worked out the same as the the daily total figure on OVO. 

      On Bright it adds up the 30min data as it can't access the daily data from your meter under its license agreement. 

      So for me for example my 30 min readings for gas are often not complete as my gas meter is a bit to far away from my electricity meter.

      So i often see different daily data on OVO and Bright. 

      There are lots of quirks with smart meter data and different apps you need to watch out for depending on your individual circumstances. Some of these correct over time, others don't refresh. 

       

       

      For my own perspective, the relative differences for each day/week etc is what I want. If I want billing, I would look at me meter reads and OVO info

      That is true. Good point. 

      It is just important as we often direct customers to 3rd party apps to check their data, and the daily data is quite often different between OVO and other apps if there are issues.

      The Bright app is unusable for me for gas as i can't compare daily or weekly differences. The daily and weekly kWh data is inaccurate on Bright for me, always has been.

      I just use the daily total on OVO which is always fine. Daily readings get to the hub, 30min readings unfortunately don't always for me. 

      BPLightlog
      Super User
      BPLightlogSuper User
      Super User
      February 21, 2023

      Also worth knowing the daily kWh totals on the Bright app are not worked out the same as the the daily total figure on OVO. 

      On Bright it adds up the 30min data as it can't access the daily data from your meter under its license agreement. 

      So for me for example my 30 min readings for gas are often not complete as my gas meter is a bit to far away from my electricity meter.

      So i often see different daily data on OVO and Bright. 

      There are lots of quirks with smart meter data and different apps you need to watch out for depending on your individual circumstances. Some of these correct over time, others don't refresh. 

       

       

      For my own perspective, the relative differences for each day/week etc is what I want. If I want billing, I would look at me meter reads and OVO info

      That is true. Good point. 

      …

      The Bright app is unusable for me for gas as i can't compare daily or weekly differences

      Because it doesn’t record? Like this?

       

      Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      T
      Rank 2
      timfgAuthor
      Rank 2
      February 21, 2023

      @timfg are you OK if we mark this thread completed?

      You can of course pop back at any time to ask questions or help answering them. 

       

       

       

       

      Yes.  Completed as in ‘what a complete mess this whole equation is’!

      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      February 21, 2023

      Also worth knowing the daily kWh totals on the Bright app are not worked out the same as the the daily total figure on OVO. 

      On Bright it adds up the 30min data as it can't access the daily data from your meter under its license agreement. 

      So for me for example my 30 min readings for gas are often not complete as my gas meter is a bit to far away from my electricity meter.

      So i often see different daily data on OVO and Bright. 

      There are lots of quirks with smart meter data and different apps you need to watch out for depending on your individual circumstances. Some of these correct over time, others don't refresh. 

       

       

      For my own perspective, the relative differences for each day/week etc is what I want. If I want billing, I would look at me meter reads and OVO info

      That is true. Good point. 

      …

      The Bright app is unusable for me for gas as i can't compare daily or weekly differences

      Because it doesn’t record? Like this?

       

      If your gas meter is too far from your electricity meter then often the daily reading will get through by retrying

      But the 30min readings will be missed and never re transmit.

      Although i can see this graph a random selection of 30min readings is missing, usually in a chuck of a few hours. 

      So i can't compare either 30min reading or hence daily or weekly on Bright for gas.

      Some people often have an issue with electric 30min readings. 

      Bright pointed out that the licence the 3rd party apps have is different to suppliers

      They can't access the same data.

      For me i am better looking at daily readings for gas on OVO and taking anything else with a bit of suspicion.

      This flags all the days on loop when i have missing random 30min data

       

        BPLightlog
        Super User
        BPLightlogSuper User
        Super User
        February 21, 2023

        That’s interesting. If I look at Loop for one day with missing data I get 

        but if I look at Bright for the same day I get 

        I know that licenses differ from third parties to suppliers but this seems odd as presumably the data must be there. 
         

        Actually thinking this through - I do have the Bright IHD so that may be filling in some gaps I guess

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