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Rank 2
September 12, 2022
Solved

Recently signed up to a new fixed contract- Will my prices be affected by the Energy Price Guarantee?

  • September 12, 2022
  • 70 replies
  • 2301 views

I have recently signed a new contract for gas and electricity, the new figures are higher than the price cap figures. The new contract starts later this month. Will i be charged the higher new amount after the price cap starts in October or will they reduce the contract to the price cap?

Plus on the app it says people with certain criteria will be able to apply for free electric throws, free boiler service, free smart thermostats. How do i find out if i qualify? 

Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO

Updated on 09/09/25 by Chris_OVO:

Hi @LSdevon,

 

Welcome to the OVO Online Community. 

 

Great to see our community members giving you some tip-top advice here. 

 

The prices you’re paying for your energy may be changing in October. For all the up to date advice, see this page dedicated to the Energy Price Guarantee. We’ll keep that page updated with any changes as and when.

 

If you pay by Direct Debit, we’d recommend you leave this unchanged until any price changes have been made in October. That way you know you’re paying the right amount. 

 

If you don’t have a smart meter that sends us your readings remotely every day, we’d recommend you submit a manual meter reading this week or next via your online account.  

 

 For up to date information about the current price cap please head to our website. Or check out this helpful FAQ to find out more about how this may impact you and what support is available:

 

 

Ofgem’s energy price cap limits what you pay for gas or electricity on a variable rate plan. You can see the latest information regarding the price cap levels and date changes on the Ofgem site here.

 

 

The way energy suppliers set prices is impacted by:

 

The price cap – set by Ofgem, the energy regulator. This limits the amount customers on variable rate plans will pay for each unit of gas and electricity and sets a maximum standing charge.

 

The Energy Price Guarantee – provided by the government to help households with energy costs during the energy crisis. It’s a discount on gas and electricity prices and is in addition to the price cap. It applies to both variable and fixed rate plans. If the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) is above the level of the price cap, it won’t impact prices for anyone who pays monthly. 

 

 

What this means if you pay monthly for your energy

 

If you're on a variable rate plan, your unit rate and standing charge will change on 1st January, April, July and October, in line with the new price cap. We’ll write to you to let you know if this impacts you personally. Your actual bills will still depend on how much energy your home uses.

 

If you're on a fixed rate plan, the price cap doesn't affect prices for fixed-rate plans. We're keeping your prices as they are for the length of your contract to protect you from any price increases.

 

 

What this means if you Pay As You Go for your energy

 

All Pay As You Go prices are variable – these will change with the new price cap on 1st January, April, July and October.

 

 

Gas

 

Customers will receive an additional discount on their gas unit rate through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) so that most customers will pay less than Pay Monthly customers.

 

This discount will be reviewed every 3 months. You don't need to apply, and there is no need to contact us – the discount is applied automatically.

 

 

Electricity

 

Electricity prices on Pay As You Go mean that most customers will already pay less than the equivalent for Pay Monthly.

 

You can also check out more information on the Price Cap set by Ofgem, here.

​​​​​​

 

Support available for customers who may be struggling with their bills

​​​​

70 replies

juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 13, 2022

Have a look at the answer from Tim on this thread.

If you’re still in the 14 day cooling off period you shouldn’t get charged an exit fee if you cancel. If it’s been running longer than that it’s probably worth hanging on to see what the official OVO line is.

Emmanuelle_OVO
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
September 14, 2022

Hey @croninsfc,

 

Welcome to the OVO Online Community.

 

The Energy Price Guarantee was announced very recently and we’re working through the finer details of it. We don’t yet have all the information about what this means for our customers, but as soon as we do we can update advice in the Forum. 

 

Customers can still choose to move from an existing fixed tariff to a standard variable tariff. 

 

As we work through the practical application of the scheme, given the short time scale since the announcement, we are unable to say with certainty whether changing your tariff at this point will be beneficial to you.  

 

No exit fee will be applied to you if you do decide to change from a fixed tariff to a variable. 

 

Here is a useful guide we’ve put together about the Price Cap Increases and what OVO is doing to support it’s customers. 

 

Hope this helps. 

 

 

 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Rank 5
September 14, 2022

Hi, 

Has there been any updates as to when we will be receiving our new energy plan.

 

Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
September 14, 2022

Hi @Lucky2 ,

Not just yet! OVO is currently working through the details and there’ll be an announcement as soon as they’re ready.

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!
Jeffus
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 14, 2022

Hi @Lucky2 

If you are on the Simpler Energy plan, use gas and electric, and pay by direct debit, you could try using this calculator

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/what-are-the-price-cap-unit-rates-/#tool

The regional rates have now been uploaded into the calculator for the Energy Price Guarantee recently announced by the government. But it will only work for dual fuel, direct debit customers. Not for example for Economy 7. The Ofgem price cap rates for 1st October no longer apply. 

I very much doubt OVO will undercut the Energy Price Guarantee rates so this should be a good proxy.

You will need to enter your annual gas and electricity usage.

You can find what OVO thinks this will be on this page on the website not the app

https://account.ovoenergy.com/plan

These are the kWh figures that ultimately drive your direct debit estimates on OVO. 

Jeffus
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 14, 2022

Hey @croninsfc,

 

Welcome to the OVO Online Community.

 

The Energy Price Guarantee was announced very recently and we’re working through the finer details of it. We don’t yet have all the information about what this means for our customers, but as soon as we do we can update advice in the Forum. 

 

Customers can still choose to move from an existing fixed tariff to a standard variable tariff. 

 

As we work through the practical application of the scheme, given the short time scale since the announcement, we are unable to say with certainty whether changing your tariff at this point will be beneficial to you.  

 

No exit fee will be applied to you if you do decide to change from a fixed tariff to a variable. 

 

Here is a useful guide we’ve put together about the Price Cap Increases and what OVO is doing to support it’s customers. 

 

Hope this helps. 

 

 

 

@Emmanuelle_OVO

Can i just confirm. 

So anyone can switch from an OVO fixed rate to the Energy Price Guarantee without OVO charging a fee, even if they are outside the 14 day cooling off period? 

Rank 5
September 14, 2022

I’m on a fixed rate, as of five months ago .But I think the new Energy rate fix in October 1st is slightly cheaper . I take it I will be switched if there is a difference.

Rank 6
September 14, 2022

I would be surprised if its cheaper now Where did you hear they would be cheaper?

Rank 5
September 14, 2022

I looked at the new kWh ratings on the Martin Lewis video . And the electric rating is slightly lower.

Rank 6
September 14, 2022

not sure id trust him. OVO and others have not released any numbers yet. I did mine 5 months ago ish & it was 35p. August numbers are around 70p for a fixed rate. Id be very surprised if the drop below 50p in October