Nearly 13,000 heated electric throws and over 1,700 free thermostats provided to OVO customers in need in the last month

• OVO’s Customer Support Package launched on 1st October to support customers with a real and immediate need.

• The £50m package includes: suspension of debt recovery for PAYG, increase by at least £10 in emergency top-up credit, free smart thermostats, free electric throws and boiler checks, and charity partnerships with Trussell Trust and StepChange.

• For prepayment customers, approximately £300,000 of temporary credit has been issued each week.

• In total over 15,000 customers have received support so far.

Tuesday 15th November 2022: Over 90% of UK households think energy suppliers should be focused on supporting those in need, with over three quarters of the public having searched online about support their energy supplier is offering with bills.

OVO’s £50m Customer Support Package launched on the 1st October to help customers with a real and immediate need. During the first month OVO provided: over 450 electric throws a day, over 1,700 free Smart thermostats, 1,150 free boiler services and over 200 customers identified for discounted boilers. Additionally, for prepayment customers, approximately £300,000 of temporary credit has been issued each week.

Over the past month OVO has also increased its support for charities StepChange and the Trussell Trust who play a vital role supporting people in immediate need. Recent polling has revealed that more than one third of low income households say that they’ve specifically used resources from charities to help them identify support available for their energy bills.

Additional support includes a £500,000 partnership with the Trussell Trust to support food banks who are meeting increased need this winter and help people facing hardship access practical support to get through this crisis and to a place where they can afford the essentials. OVO has also continued its support with StepChange worth £2m, announced at the start of the energy crisis, to support anyone facing financial difficulties.

Further details of OVO’s Customer Support Package include:

• Payment holiday for debt repayment for all prepayment meter customers so that money goes directly to their immediate needs, not paying back debt this winter.

• Increase by at least £10 in emergency top-up credit for customers on prepayment meters and continued commitment to never disconnect a customer.

• Free energy saving products for customers’ homes, such as smart thermostats and electric throws – prioritised for those most in need.

• Free boiler services worth £90 and 20% discount for A rated boilers to ensure boilers are working as efficiently as possible and to help prevent energy waste in the home.

• Dedicated support for our customers in the most financial difficulty from a specialist team, including support for those in financial difficulty for the first time.

• Offering referrals to a specialist team to find other support for vulnerable customers e.g. extra benefit entitlement.

Raman Bhatia, CEO of OVO, said:

“We launched OVO’s Customer Support Package to focus on doing everything we can to keep the lights on and help our customers stay warm this winter. In the first month we’ve supported over 15,000 customers who need us most right now. By working with partners like StepChange and Trussell Trust we can continue to ensure those facing hardship from the rising cost of living are supported this winter and beyond.”

Phil Andrew, Chief Executive at StepChange Debt Charity, said:

“The cost of living crisis has been a shock to household finances, and those on the lowest incomes have been hit the hardest as the price of energy, food and fuel has increased rapidly over the past year. The support that continues to be offered to its customers by OVO is invaluable, particularly as we approach the winter. Our own research has revealed that 45% of UK adults have found it difficult to keep up with household bills and credit commitments in the last few months. This demonstrates how important it is that firms step up to provide a similar level of support which protects the most vulnerable consumers from falling into problem debt and financial hardship during this crisis.”

Emma Revie, Chief Executive at the Trussell Trust, said: 

“Our food banks are preparing for the toughest winter yet as they struggle to balance rising operational costs with a tsunami of need as more people find themselves unable to afford the essentials. Between April and September of this year, food banks in the Trussell Trust network distributed 1.3 million emergency food parcels which is the most ever for this six-month period.  We expect the situation to get worse throughout winter and that is why OVO’s support is vital in helping to keep food banks going this winter.”

For more information on OVO’s Customer Support Package please visit the website. To read OVO’s 10 Point Plan to address the energy crisis, please visit our website here.

END

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact: [email protected]

For eligibility please find the Q&A at the bottom of the page here.

About OVO

OVO was founded in 2009 and redesigned the energy experience to be fair, effortless, green and simple for all customers. OVO was awarded Company of the Decade at the BusinessGreen Leaders’ Awards and has won multiple awards, including Innovation Project of the Year, for investing in the market leading technology, customer service operations and digital products to help customers cut their carbon emissions. OVO is on a mission through its sustainability strategy Plan Zero to tackle the most important issue of our time; the climate crisis, by bringing our customers with us on the journey towards zero carbon living. OVO Energy has committed to being a net zero carbon business and achieve bold science-based carbon reduction targets, while helping customers reduce their household emissions at the same time.

Polling:

Strand Partners’ specialist research team conducted an online survey of 1,021 nationally representative members of the public, online between 6pm Sunday, 30th October and 7am Monday, 31st October 2022. Respondents were selected for representativeness using quotas by age and gender (interlocked) and NUTS 1 regions UK. All data was then weighted against the latest ONS census.

Strand Partners’ online polling studies are accredited by the British Polling Council and conducted under their rules of disclosure. All data gathered is of a publishable quality and is produced within Market Research Society guidelines.

For full data tables and more detail of the methodology, please e-mail: [email protected].

About StepChange Debt Charity

StepChange Debt Charity is the UK’s largest debt advice charity, helping hundreds of thousands of people a year. Founded in 1993, StepChange supports people experiencing debt problems through telephone and online services, and campaigns for change to reduce the harm and stigma associated with debt.

How your readers can get help with their debts

We provide the UK’s most comprehensive debt advice service, from budgeting tips through to managing debt solutions that enable people to pay off or clear debts. All our free debt advice is available by phone or on our website.

 StepChange is currently experiencing problems with imposter firms, who pass themselves off as the charity in online adverts. As these imposters are prominent online, if you are directing an advice seeker towards our services, please include a direct link to our website: https://www.stepchange.org/

Our Helpline: 0800 138 1111

Media team: 0207 391 4598 // [email protected] Out of hours – 07985 404153

About the Trussell Trust:    

We’re here to end the need for food banks in the UK.

We support a UK-wide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres and together we provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

Our most recent figures for the number of emergency food supplies provided by our network: https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/