Ovo Energy

Ovo Energy started out in 2009 and has since grown to supply more than 4.5 million homes across England, Scotland and Wales.

Its Path to Zero plan aims to help customers reduce their energy bills and collective carbon footprint. Customers can also get advice from Ovo Energy Experts to help improve home insulation and efficiency.

The company invests in smart technology, including selling vehicle-to-grid chargers, by which it sells excess power stored in electric car batteries back to the grid.

SSE Energy Services customers moved to Ovo Energy in 2023, after Ovo Energy bought SSE's domestic customers. Pay-as-you-go brand Boost Power was also part of Ovo Energy.

In September 2024, the energy regulator Ofgem found failings in how it handled customer complaints; as a result it has agreed to pay out £2.37 million in compensation. If you're one of the 1,395 customers affected, Ovo will contact you directly. You don't need to do anything.

Use our free tool to compare energy prices and see if you could save money.

Boost Power customers move to Ovo Energy

 Boost's customers have now moved to Ovo, after the parent brand announced its pay-as-you-go arm was closing down.

You should have heard from Ovo about the move and what it means for you.

The prices you pay for gas and electricity won't change. Any credit you had with Boost should be moved to your Ovo account and how your smart meter works shouldn't be affected.

Ovo says that you can use the same features to manage your account, top-up and stay in control of your energy via Ovo's website. 

To top up, you'll need to download and register for Ovo Energy's Top-Up app, which you can find in the App Store and Google Play. You should still be able to use your Boost top-up cards or key to top up at the shop.

Boost Power was launched in 2017, when Ovo separated its prepayment energy business off as a separate brand.

Ovo Energy score

We combine the results of our customer survey with an in-depth assessment of companies’ behind-the-scenes practices and policies to give you an overall view.

Take a look at our table below to see our score breakdown for Ovo Energy:

Here's how Ovo Energy's customer and policy assessments break down:

Find out how Ovo Energy compares with other energy companies – click to see our full results of the best and worst energy companies.

Ovo Energy customer review

Ovo Energy was among the lowest-scoring of 17 energy companies rated by 11,984 members of the public in the annual Which? customer survey this year. 

It wasn't alone: British Gas and So Energy received the same customer score, while EDF Energy, Eon Next and Scottish Power also scored similarly.

Ovo Energy had poor two-star ratings for a few aspects we asked customers about. It received two stars for overall customer service and customer communications and was one of five firms to achieve just two stars for value for money. 

It received three stars ratings for ease of contacting, usefulness of communications about energy prices, accuracy of payments and for providing clear statements. 

One unhappy customer said: 'Poor customer service and if you have a problem it feels like a fight to get it sorted.' Several former SSE customers also complained about not being able to pay quarterly with Ovo Energy.

But there were positive customer comments, too. One said: 'They have been great from the start with no problems to report.'

Which? verdict on Ovo Energy

• Pros: Scored well for its customer service setup and providing help for those who need it in our behind-the-scenes assessment
• Cons: Poor value for money, and poor in a few other areas, according to our customer survey.

Our Ovo Energy supplier assessment

In September-November 2024, we looked at five aspects of suppliers' business practices and procedures: 

• Contacting your supplier – including how and when you can get in touch, and the quality of self-service help online
• How well they deal with complaints – how many complaints suppliers get and how quickly they resolve them
• Supporting customers who need it – including web accessibility, those in vulnerable situations, in financial difficulty, who use prepayment meters, and those who need materials in languages besides English 
• Switching – how easy it is for customers to switch
• Smart meter targets performance in 2023 –the most recent figures available.

We did this using a combination of the responses to a survey we sent to suppliers and our own assessments.

Ovo Energy's 59% score was middling compared with other suppliers. Other big firms including EDF Energy, E.ON Next and Scottish Power scored similarly; Octopus Energy scored higher, while British Gas came lower. 

Its best score in our assessment was for helping those who need it, where it achieved 11 points out of a possible 12,  although several other firms did just as well or better. It also scored well when it came to providing several methods for customers to get in touch and for its self-service options. 

Ovo Energy didn't score well when it came to meeting its most recent smart meter targets. Along with several other big firms, it recently paid into energy regulator Ofgem's redress fund after missing its 2022 installation targets.

Ovo Energy customer service

Ovo Energy received a poor two star rating for overall customer service. It was one of only four providers out of 16 to receive such a low score.  

One of its best ratings in our supplier assessment was in contacting your supplier category. Ovo Energy scored the same as British Gas, Ecotricity, Utility Warehouse, and 100Green in this section.

Customers have a range of ways to get in touch with Ovo Energy, and its self-service online help is good for common questions. On the downside, its customer service phone line is open for shorter hours than some other firms'.

Ovo Energy's Customer Support Package

Ovo Energy's £50m Customer Extra Support package opened on 30 October 2023, offering eligible customers financial and practical support including:

• emergency top-up
• payment reductions
• extended repayment plans
• free and discounted products and services, including electric throws, self-heating mattress toppers, smart energy kits (with LED bulbs and smart sockets), and free boiler servicing.

Ovo Energy common complaints

In our survey, 5% of Ovo Energy customers said they contacted the company to make a complaint last year.

Complaints were most commonly about incorrect bills or statements. More than one in five (29%) of people who made a formal complaint told us it was about this.

The accuracy of a meter (20%), attitude or behaviour of staff (18%) and unexpected price increases (18%) were the next most common complaints.

Does Ovo Energy support prepayment meters?

Yes, Ovo Energy supports customers with both traditional prepayment meters and smart meters. Also, Boost is part of Ovo Energy and is a dedicated prepayment supplier.

Here's what you need to know:

• You can top up your prepayment meter at PayPoint or Payzone outlets, or at the Post Office. 
• Smart meter customers can also top up over the phone (using Interactive Voice Response, IVR), online or via Ovo Energy's Top-up app. 
• Emergency credit of £15 per fuel is available if you can't afford to top up. It's the same regardless of the type of meter you have. You'll need to pay it back when you next top up.
• Smart meter customers can access friendly credit overnight between 5pm and 9am Monday to Friday, after 3pm on Saturday and all day Sunday (timings are an hour later in summer). If you have an older smart meter, hours are longer: 4pm to 10am Monday to Friday and all weekend.
• Traditional meter customers can get friendly credit on their electricity meter only, between 6pm and 9am Monday to Friday and all weekend.

Find out: is a prepayment energy meter right for you?

How sustainable is Ovo Energy?

Sustainability credentials are important when choosing an energy supplier for two thirds of those responsible for choosing their provider. That’s according to our online survey of 3,000 UK adults in August 2024. 

So we factor in a range of sustainability criteria in our annual Eco Provider assessment. 

Here’s how Ovo Energy fared:

• Proportion of renewable electricity sold to customers: 11%. 
• Ovo says that this fuel mix 'might appear less favourable than others on paper', because it does not buy REGO certificates which allow suppliers to match renewable power to their customers' use. It says these 'don't generate any more green energy'.
• Does not generate renewable electricity but buys it directly from renewable generators for customers who opt for Greener Electricity. 
• Offers a range of tariff add-ons that reward customers for shifting their electricity use to less popular times, or when there's a lot of renewable power available. These include: Power Move challenges where customers can earn credit for using less electricity at certain times, Shift and Save where customers earn credit for reducing their consumption compared with usual at times of high demand on the grid.
• Offers installation of solar pv, battery storage, heat pumps, insulation and EV chargers. 

Find out more about the differences between energy companies’ renewable electricity, and find out how we assessed energy suppliers for sustainability. 

Based on information supplied by companies in August 2024 and their most recent published fuel mixes, where available. 

Making your home more energy efficient will save money on your bills in the long term and lower your carbon footprint. Get started with our guides to home energy efficiency.