OVO has announced a £50m Customer Support Package, according to an Energy UK briefing published on 8 December 2022 that sets out supplier support as energy bills rise1. The package covers prepayment customers, free technology and services, and a new charity partnership1.
Under the package, OVO will give payment holidays on debt repayment for all prepayment meter customers, so that every penny put on the meter goes towards heating rather than paying back debt over the winter1. Emergency top-up credit for customers on a prepayment meter rises by 200%, alongside what Energy UK describes as a continued commitment never to disconnect a customer1. The package also includes free technology and services such as smart thermostats, electric throws and boiler checks, and a new charity partnership with the Trussell Trust to support food banks meeting increased need this winter1.
Separately, OVO has provided a package of support to the debt charity StepChange worth £2m1. That package includes a dedicated team of advisors seconded to StepChange to give energy advice, account health checks and signposting to specialist third parties, licensing of OVO's Payment Support platform plus technical support, and the secondment of a vulnerability leader for one day a week1. OVO has also partnered with Experian on an Open Banking digital tool, Payment Support, which offers bespoke repayment options based on a customer's financial data1.
Energy UK's briefing places OVO's announcement in a wider picture of discretionary support. It states that suppliers in the UK provide discretionary support of around £54 million on top of the more than £1 billion in mandatory schemes they deliver every year, including funding for the Energy Company Obligation and the Warm Home Discount1. The briefing also records support from other suppliers, including Octopus, whose Octo Assist fund has helped over 50,000 customers, was recently increased to £7m and is now being doubled to £15m1. British Gas Energy will donate 10 percent of all profits to the British Gas Energy Support Fund for the duration of the energy crisis, with an immediate £12 million donation that Energy UK says is double the previous contribution and more than 10 percent of first half pre-tax profits1.
"OVO has announced a new £50m Customer Support Package"
| OVO measure | Detail as reported |
|---|---|
| Package value | £50m Customer Support Package1 |
| Prepayment debt | Payment holidays for debt repayment for all prepayment meter customers1 |
| Emergency credit | 200% increase in emergency top-up credit for prepayment meter customers1 |
| Disconnection | Continued commitment never to disconnect a customer1 |
| Other support | Free smart thermostats, electric throws and boiler checks1 |
| Charity partnership | New partnership with the Trussell Trust for food banks1 |
| StepChange | £2m package including seconded advisors and platform licensing1 |
Why it matters for households
For a household on a prepayment meter, the two headline measures act on the same weekly budget. A payment holiday on debt repayment means the money put on the meter is not split between energy used now and arrears built up earlier, and a larger emergency credit allowance means a meter can keep supplying energy for longer once the credit runs out1. Both change what happens at the meter rather than the unit price of energy, so they affect how far a top-up stretches and how quickly a household reaches a supplier's credit or disconnection process, not the underlying price cap rates by payment method1.
The wider figures in the briefing set the scale of discretionary help against mandatory schemes: around £54 million of discretionary support against more than £1 billion in mandatory schemes each year1. Discretionary funds are administered by individual suppliers, often through independent charities or in partnership with consumer bodies such as Citizens Advice, so eligibility and application routes differ by company1. Energy UK notes that all major retail suppliers have their own funds1. For a household carrying energy debt, the practical route to help therefore depends on which supplier it is with, and the briefing does not set out common eligibility criteria across the funds it lists1.
What happens next
The briefing does not give an end date for OVO's package beyond describing the payment holiday as applying this winter, and it does not state when the increased emergency credit takes effect1. No closing date for the Trussell Trust partnership is reported1. Energy UK's briefing was published on 8 December 20221.