OVO bringing in new £18 charge for customers but four groups 'exempt'

James Rodger
·2-min read
OVO bringing in new £18 charge for customers but four groups 'exempt'
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


OVO Energy is introducing a new £18 charge for customers. OVO - which is rivalled by the likes of EDF Energy, E ON Next, Octopus and British Gas - energy firm is introducing a new fee for some of its customers in just a few weeks' time.

The energy giant will begin charging a new £1.50 monthly fee for customers who receive paper bills from December. OVO Energy will charge the new fee for paper bills from December and over the course of a year, customers will pay an extra £18 to keep receiving paper bills in future.

The firm has said it will be writing to its current paper billing customers to let them know about the changes ahead of the December roll-out. Some vulnerable customers will still be able to receive paper bills with no charge and won't be asked to go paperless.

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These include: customers on the Priority Services Register, customers who receive Adaptive Communications and customers who Ovo believes should be on the Priority Services Register as well as customers who may potentially be financially vulnerable.

OVO customers have been reacting to the news on social media. One person said: "You're now going to charge £1.50 to send customers their bills unless they sign up to receive them via email! I don't want to pass you such personal details." Another said: "Not the greedy @OVOEnergy wanting to charge me £1.50 postage and packaging for my leccy bill!"

A motion tabled in parliament on November 6 said they "believe that such a fee is counterproductive as families continue to struggle with high energy costs, particularly in the run-up to winter, and further notes that such a change risks disadvantaging older and other vulnerable people".

The motion had been signed by 14 MPs at the time of publishing. A spokesperson for OVO told The Sun: "Like most energy providers, we already send digital communications to most customers. We still offer paper communications to anyone on the Priority Services Register, those who receive adapted communications, and anyone needing additional financial support."

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