Before you go elsewhere check what other companies are charging. You might find that OVO isn't alone in increasing the standing charge. A lot of the increase is the cost of rescuing customers from failed energy companies, a cost that the govt puts onto the energy companies and they put onto us.

If you want to be annoyed at someone I'd aim at the govt for failing to ensure energy companies were stable enough to cope with the high gas prices. And previous governments for not investing enough in renewables, which are currently helping to limit the electricity price rises.

I have checked, and they are not doing it as much. Unfortunately at the moment it seems impossible to move.

If you wish to raise a complaint, please see https://ovoenergy.com/feedback as complaints can’t be raised via this forum.

If you wish to leave OVO completely, you must sign up with a new supplier and they will ask OVO for permission to take over your supply. OVO can’t initiate that process for you from their end.

Be advised however. This isn’t a good time to move supplier right now.

It's not impossible to move, it's just probably not cost effective to. The electricity standing charge will have gone up on all variable tariffs from various suppliers. You may find it varies by a few pence, but the majority of the rise is the £68 cost to help cover failed suppliers. Remember that the price cap for average use takes into account unit prices and standing charge so all suppliers will be at or just slightly below this amount.

I have done that, how long does it take?

Tried to complain, used your link, completely useless, no body bothered to reply

OVO Energy say the following on their website:

What’s causing energy prices to rise?

 

Global supply shortages and the end of lockdowns caused initial increases in wholesale energy prices. But energy bills are now skyrocketing because of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The war has caused gas and electricity prices to surge to unprecedented levels. And they’re likely to continue rising in the coming months as the war continues.

Unfortunately, in October these wholesale price rises will impact the price the majority of customers pay for energy.

So why have you put the standing charges up as well when it has no wholesale price imported or otherwise and has nothing to do with Russias invasion of Ukraine ?

I haven't put standing charges up, I'm just an energy user the same as you are.

This thread may give you an insight to why electricity standing charges were increased a lot in April. Luckily there's not a significant jump in October, but Ofgem have chosen to still include the SOLR cost as part of the standing charge rather than moving it to unit rates or other forms of taxation.

The costs of the failed companies from last year have all been loaded into the electricity standing charge.

Some of those cost resulted from gas supply failures and so its unfair to load them just onto electricity users - particularly if you’re an electricity only customer.  Putting the costs onto the Standing charge also penalises small users as compared to larger users - that’s also unfair.  OFGEM know this but haven’t changed their policy - perhaps the required information isn’t robust enough.

Why has it been necessary to increase the “standing charges” on my gas and Electricity accounts when they were doing exactly the same job the previous week????? 

A lot of it comes down to the fact that previous price caps didn’t factor in the true costs, the massive jump in upstream costs and also all the failed suppliers of last year - 30 suppliers collapsed and ultimately the cost of all that comes back to everyone else.

Ok, Thanks anyway

No company shows how the standing charge is calculated. This means that the price per unit can be manipulated to be competitive and the standing charge adjusted to ensure a good profit. If standing charges were abolished, customers could make better informed choices. Unfortunately, only legislation could achieve this.

You can research on the OFGEM website for their methodology in setting the standing charges under the price cap.  The suppliers just pass it on - they only set their own standing charges for the non-variable tariffs they offer.

If you’ve come off a fix recently, then yes sanding charges are substantially up.  You might not think it but you’ve been lucky up till now.

 Hey @Enzo14,

Welcome to the OVO online community. 

The Price Cap for both standing charge and unit rates for the variable contract are set by OFGEM, the market regulator. They have lots of information about how standing charges are calculated and why they have increased. 

The cap increase this October reflects a number of factors:

• The wholesale price for gas has increased putting pressure on the market
• The wholesale price for electricity for delivery this winter has more than tripled over the same time. 
• When an energy supplier exits the market, these costs are split across the standing charge and unit rate you pay for each unit of energy used. Due to the volatility in the market we have seen a large number of suppliers exit the market.

I have checked my latest bill (July to October) and I just can’t understand it. My flat runs only on electricity, and there’s a section with my tariff information and the cost for the standard charge and unit. There’s only one price amount for each, which I take is the same rate for any time of the day.

However, when looking at the usage, there are different amounts calculated for both. From July to September, I’ve being charged a completely different amount per unit, plus 2 different standing charges applicable to different number of days. I know the overall charges were different then, but this information is still different to my tariff costs then.

Then, from the 1st to 6th of October there’s, again, a different cost per unit from my tariff information, and yet again 2 different standing charges, one applicable to 2 days and another one to 3 days. Not even adding the 5% VAT can I make sense of those prices. 

Could anyone please be kind enough to explain what is going on?

Many thanks

Could you post a pic of this please?

Hi could anyone tell me why on my smart meter my daily standing charge states 58.910p for electric. But every morning recently I have noticed the meter starting on 76p, when it used to show 58p.  I am on a PAYG tariff.

You are presumably talking about your IHD (in home display) rather than the smart meter itself. The IHD does add on vat and up to date costs as it goes but it may just be that the tariff setting on your IHD is out of sequence with your account.

@BPLightlog 

Thank you for your reply.  Sorry yes I meant my IHD. 

As you can see from the photo it is inclusive of VAT.

What about your plan page? Does that still say the lower standing charge price?

https://account.ovoenergy.com/plan

If so, that’s what will be charged and the IHD just needs an update from the team to get back in sync 

@BPLightlog 

I just went on the link you sent & it states ……

This page is for managing pay-monthly energy, and you’re on Pay As You Go. The good news is – we have an app just for you.

Ok - forgot you said you were PAYG. 

76 - 58 = 18p. At 29.15p/unit, that represents a consumption of 0.6 kWh. It’s easy to clock up that much usage between midnight (when the standing charge is probably added) and getting up time, especially if you’ve boiled a kettle or made a slice of toast before looking at the IHD. The fridge and freezer are running all night as well. 

If this is new - i.e. that earlier all you saw first thing in the morning was the 58p of the standing charge -  then it’s likely that something was wrong then but not now. 

I was automatically switched from SSE to OVO. With SSE, I never payed a standing charge. This was never a thing when I moved in, and my flat only has electricity and no gas, so I suppose this was why. Switching to OVO, I've realised that I'm paying an extortionate standing charge of over 50p a day! Is this normal, and what are OVO doing to compensate the SSE customers that never payed this and were forced into moving providers?