Ovo Energy

Ovo is an independent energy company based in Bristol. Since taking over SSE in January 2020, it is now the second-biggest energy firm after British Gas. It supplies five million customers across England, Scotland and Wales.

Ovo Energy split off its pay-as-you-go, or prepayment meter, business into a separate supplier called Boost Energy It also took on the customers of failed supplier Spark Energy in 2018, but maintained the separate brand. However, Spark will soon be merging with SSE and its customers will be moved over. 

Ovo is investing in smart technology and services, too, including making electric storage heaters smart and selling home energy storage devices. More recently, it has come out with a new 'green' tariff for owners of electric cars which allows them to charge their car at a flat rate of 5p/kWh regardless of the time they are charging.

Ovo offers four 'green' tariffs, all backed by 100% renewable electricity. Plus, you can choose to upgrade to Ovo Beyond for a tariff including 100% carbon-neutral gas too, which includes 15% 'green' gas, for £6 extra a month (scroll down to find out more about where Ovo sources its energy). 

It also sells a tariff for electric vehicle owners, which lets you access low-cost overnight charging and includes a free subscription to the electric vehicle charging network BP Pulse.

In January 2020, it agreed with energy regulator Ofgem to pay £8.9m to make up for communications and billing issues. It says it has now resolved these. 

In August 2020 it also had to make a redress payment of £1.2m for SSE missing its smart meter targets in 2019.

See how Ovo Energy’s prices compare with the rest of the market by using Which? Switch to find the cheapest gas and electricity deals.

Ovo Energy customer review

Ovo Energy came joint-second out of 18 energy companies rated by 8,390 members of the public in the annual Which? customer survey. It tied with Bristol Energy, which has since ceased trading. This is a huge improvement from last year, when it came joint-eighth. A few years ago it was the top-scoring supplier.

Overall, feedback from our survey was positive for Ovo Energy. Many customers appreciated their dedication to green tariffs and 75% said they would recommend the company to someone else. 

Ovo Energy score

The graphic below shows the breakdown of its score from our latest survey. 

Scroll down to read the full Which? verdict on Ovo Energy, plus how its prices compare with other energy suppliers.

Find out how Ovo Energy compares with other energy companies in our guide to the best and worst energy companies.

Which? Verdict on Ovo Energy

Pros: Pays interest on accounts which are in credit; customer service is considered to be very good

Cons: Energy payments could be more accurate compared to other companies

A few years ago, Ovo Energy was the favourite of British energy customers. It held the top spot for two years and was the first Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for energy.

After falling to joint-eighth place in last year's survey, Ovo Energy has risen through the ranks to joint-second this year, impressing customers with comprehensive services and seamless switchovers. 

Ovo scored among the highest ratings for customer service, clarity of statements, and value for money - all being rated four stars in accordance with our survey.

Ovo Energy's customer service

Our survey revealed more than two thirds (67%) of Ovo Energy customers Which? heard from said its customer service was good and 79% shared that they were satisfied with it as their supplier overall.

Only 8% of Ovo Energy correspondents had any reason to complain to their supplier in the last 12 months - the second lowest figure we found. 

Information from Ofgem reports an increase in the amount of complaints received by Ovo Energy from 2020 to 2021 - from around 2,000 to slightly over 3,000 per 100,000 customer accounts, respectively.

According to our survey, well over half (59%) of those who did complain reported that their complaint concerned payments, more specifically their direct debits increasing both when their account was in credit, and at unexpected times. 

Ovo Energy appeared to solve complaints fairly well, with our survey reporting among the highest ratings for customers being 'fairly satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with the resolution to their problems (37%). Some customers reported dissatisfaction (47%), but this figure is much better than most competitors, with the highest dissatisfaction rate sitting at 87%.

Ovo Energy's value for money

After scoring a middling three stars in last year's survey, Ovo Energy's value for money appears to have improved to an impressive four stars this year. No other company scored over four stars for this category.

Although Ovo’s tariffs are not always the cheapest on the market, it pays customers between 3-5% interest on their credit balances (the rate depends on how long they have been a customer). This is a feature which many Ovo customers seem to enjoy, according to our survey.

Can you join Ovo Energy with a prepayment meter?

No, Ovo Energy only supplies customers with standard credit meters. Boost is part of Ovo Energy and is a dedicated prepayment supplier. Find out more about Boost, or how to change your prepayment meter to a credit meter.

Does Ovo sell renewable energy?

Over half of the renewable electricity Ovo sells is renewable. It buys a small proportion of it directly from renewable generators. 

It also buys Gas Declaration certificates to eliminate nuclear and coal power from its fuel mix.

Customers can upgrade to Ovo’s Beyond plan which includes 15% green gas. Other customers’ tariffs don’t include green gas. Find out more about green gas. 

Ovo told us that it has ‘chosen to invest in the smart grid because we believe that the renewable energy generation sector is well funded and growing fast’ and because ‘there is very little investment in the smart grid, which is urgently needed if we want to bring more intermittent renewable energy onto it’.

Its Kaluza flex platform lets electric vehicle owners charge them when the grid is cheapest and greenest and earn money by exporting power back to the grid when renewable energy generation is low.

Find out more about the differences between energy companies’ renewable electricity.

Ovo Energy in the news

Want to know how much money you can save on energy? Use Which? Switch to find the cheapest gas and electricity deal.