Thousands of OVO customers did not receive their Warm Home Discount payments for winter 2023/24 until November 2025, more than 19 months late, according to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition1. The delay left households without support during the coldest months of that winter1.
Of the customers affected, 7,726 were on the Priority Services Register and classed as vulnerable energy consumers, including 4,066 who were medically vulnerable1. OVO will pay a total of £2,765,200 in compensation1. This includes £150 to all affected customers, an additional £150 to those who are medically vulnerable, and £100 for each instance of self-disconnection between 31 March and 31 May 20241.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition said the case showed why protections for vulnerable households needed to be automatic and enforceable1:
"This is a shocking failure that left thousands of vulnerable households without vital support when they needed it most."
The coalition also said the case underlined why stronger consumer standards and faster redress were needed, and described as "utterly absurd" that Ofgem is currently considering plans to water down regulations in its 'consumer outcomes' consultation1.
The payments affected customers who were due support under the Warm Home Discount scheme for winter 2023/24. The scheme is administered by suppliers and sits alongside other forms of winter support, including the Winter Fuel Payment, which is paid through the grants and schemes system rather than by energy suppliers.
Why it matters for households
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off reduction applied to electricity bills for eligible households, and for many it arrives at the point in the year when bills are highest. A payment that lands 19 months after the winter it was meant to cover does not reduce that winter's costs at all. For households on the Priority Services Register, including those recorded as medically vulnerable, the delay meant the support arrived long after the period of greatest risk to health1.
The compensation figures show how the harm was assessed. The £150 paid to all affected customers reflects the missed discount itself, while the additional £150 for medically vulnerable customers and the £100 per instance of self-disconnection between 31 March and 31 May 2024 reflect consequences beyond the original payment1. Self-disconnection, where a household is cut off because it cannot top up a prepayment meter, is a specific and measurable outcome of a missed payment.
For a household's energy independence, the case illustrates a dependency that runs the other way: support delivered through a supplier's administrative process can fail, and the household has no way to obtain the money itself. The coalition's call for protections to be automatic and enforceable points to that gap1.
What happens next
OVO will pay the compensation set out above1. Ofgem's 'consumer outcomes' consultation, which the End Fuel Poverty Coalition says could water down regulations, is under way, but no outcome or timetable for it is given in the coalition's statement1. No date has been reported for when the compensation payments will reach customers.
Sources1 cited
- Vulnerable customers left waiting 19 months for winter support - End Fuel Poverty Coalition, endfuelpoverty.org.uk