OVO Energy's new monthly fee as colder months arrive - it comes with a warning

The vigor supplier, which has much than 4 cardinal customers successful the UK, volition commencement charging a monthly £1.50 interest to customers who inactive privation to person insubstantial bills

OVO Energy, a large energy firm, is acceptable to present a caller monthly interest for customers who opt to person insubstantial bills, sparking concerns among MPs astir the imaginable interaction connected older people. The vigor supplier, which boasts implicit 4 cardinal UK customers, volition commencement charging a £1.50 monthly interest from December, equating to an yearly outgo of £18 for those who privation to proceed receiving insubstantial billing.

OVO has committed to informing its insubstantial statement-receiving customers astir the impending alteration and associated complaint up of the December rollout. Despite MPs voicing worries astir the imaginable effects connected aged customers, OVO has assured that those enrolled connected the Priority Services Register tin debar the charge, and it volition besides exempt those it believes should beryllium connected the PSR.

The notification missive volition see a QR code, allowing customers to power to paperless billing from December and dodge the caller fee. OVO has besides stated that definite susceptible customers, including those connected the Priority Services Register, those with Adaptive Communications, those who OVO thinks should beryllium connected the PSR, and those who whitethorn beryllium financially vulnerable, volition not beryllium charged adjacent if they proceed to person insubstantial bills.

Instead, these customers volition beryllium offered a PDF mentation of their bill. MPs person voiced their concerns astir these changes and are urging OVO to reconsider its decision.

A question was tabled successful the House of Commons connected November 6, expressing interest implicit OVO Energy's program to present a monthly interest for customers who person insubstantial bills starting successful December. The motion, signed by 16 Liberal Democrats, 2 autarkic MPs, and 1 Labour MP, argues that the interest is counterproductive, fixed the precocious vigor costs families are facing, particularly with wintertime approaching, reports the Express.

It besides notes that the alteration could disadvantage older and susceptible individuals, contempt planned mitigations, and calls connected OVO Energy to reverse the determination immediately.

In response, an OVO spokesperson stated: "Like astir vigor providers, we already nonstop integer communications to astir customers. We inactive connection insubstantial communications to anyone connected the Priority Services Register, those who person adapted communications, and anyone needing further fiscal support."

It comes arsenic this week Ofgem volition stock its adjacent energy terms cap, which volition reveal whether oregon not bills volition emergence again this winter. The Ofgem vigor terms headdress is presently acceptable astatine £1,717 a year for the mean dual substance household paying by nonstop debit. This is up from the erstwhile level of £1,568.

The announcement is owed connected Friday (22 November) and volition screen Ofgem's January terms cap. The organisation updates its terms headdress each 3 months. Energy analysts astatine Cornwall Insight are presently predicting the January vigor terms headdress volition emergence by 1% from £1,717 to £1,736 a twelvemonth for the emblematic household.