Is Ovo's inflated electricity Standing Charge legal?

[Ovo]

Costs associated with electricity transmission, distribution, meter reading and billing are all legitimate items to include in a Standing Charge. However none of these items increased by the massive amount that Ovo increased the Standing Charge by in April 2022.

Ovo are being extremely evasive about stating what items are included in the charge, the proportion of each item in the total charge, how much each item increased by in April and the contractual basis for charging for the item. Do I have a legal right to get this information?

Ofgem sets a MAXIMUM charge and does not specify what should be included in it.

Could Ovo legally include the cost of say "office flowers" in the Standing Charge? If not then don't they have to justify the contractual basis for what they have included and the cost increase that they are claiming?

[echat11]

Hi OVO

Standing Charges are pretty meaningless, what I mean by that is that, I've seen for example, the Standing Charge for Electricity at 0p, then gas at 32p.

Unfortunately, they play with the Standing Charge as a marketing tool. It's all 'ridiculous', all these practices help hide things.

What you can do is send them a Subject Access Request, they have 30 days to send all the data on your account, I doubt that will include a 'breakdown',

You could write to them and quote the Gas 1986 and Electricity 1989 Act's which state the following -


The Standard Conditions of electricity / gas supply license states:

Condition 0. Treating Domestic Customers Fairly -

0.3 The Standards of Conduct are that the licensee and any Representative:

a) behave and carry out any actions in a Fair, honest, transparent, appropriate and

professional manner;

b) provide information (whether in writing or orally) to each Domestic Customer

which:

i. is complete, accurate and not misleading (in terms of the information provided or

omitted);

[DE DOGS]

Where is the nearest BRICK WALL? Service Charges are a large part of our bill, just like most things nowadays, suck it up and pay.

[echat11]

Where is the nearest BRICK WALL? Service Charges are a large part of our bill, just like most things nowadays, suck it up and pay.

Yes, but there is a total lack of transparency. OFGEM has been dishing out licences like 'confetti' to companies, some of those companies has gone 'bust', guess whose paying to clean up the mess, you guessed Joe Public to the tune of £92 per person.

[Ovo]

Yes, but there is a total lack of transparency. OFGEM has been dishing out licences like 'confetti' to companies, some of those companies has gone 'bust', guess whose paying to clean up the mess, you guessed Joe Public to the tune of £92 per person.

Ovo just seem to treat the cap as the standing charge. Surely they have to itemise and justify the costs?

[echat11]

Ovo just seem to treat the cap as the standing charge. Surely they have to itemise and justify the costs?

What they can do is hide behind they can't tell you for 'commercial reasons'. Maybe speak to OFGEM or email them.