OVO Energy: how to leave, exit fees, price rises, moving home and complaints

OVO Energy is the brand of OVO Electricity Limited and OVO Gas Limited, both at Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, Bristol, which supply electricity and gas respectively to households across Great Britain. This page is based on the OVO terms for plans started after 2025, its help pages on leaving and moving, its complaints procedure and Ofgem’s switching rules.

How to leave OVO Energy

You do not have to tell OVO. Sign up with the new supplier online or by phone; once your 14-day cooling-off period with them has passed, they ask OVO to hand over the supply (terms 10.2). Ofgem requires the transfer to complete within 5 working days of that request, with £40 compensation if it is late. Give the new supplier opening meter readings and, OVO recommends, send them to OVO too.

OVO then produces the final statement. Gas and electricity are checked separately, so you may get two statements and the process can take up to six weeks. A refund is paid to your bank account within 10 working days if you pay by Direct Debit, otherwise by cheque. If you owe money, OVO raises an objection and you cannot leave until the balance is paid or a payment plan is in place. Pay As You Go customers are the exception: debt of up to £500 per fuel can move with you under the Debt Assignment Protocol, arranged through the new supplier.

Notice period and fixed tariffs

OVO has no notice period. The only cost of leaving is an exit fee on some fixed tariffs, and clause 10.4 of the terms lists when it is waived: during the cooling-off period, when you move house, when you leave because of a contract change that disadvantages you, on any variable tariff, and once you switch after the earlier of OVO sending your statement of renewal or 49 days before the fix ends. OVO’s help page says the renewal statement goes out 53 days before the end date. Simpler, the standard variable tariff, and Pay As You Go never carry a fee.

Ofgem’s rule underneath is the 42-to-49-day notice and the ban on termination fees after it. If you do nothing at the end, clause 4.3 moves you to the cheapest variable tariff available, and within 20 working days of the fix ending you can still switch supplier or pick a new tariff without losing your old rates. Our guide Fixed energy tariff ending explains how to use the window.

Price rises: your rights

A fixed tariff keeps its prices for the term. On Simpler the price can change, and clauses 9.2 and 9.3 say OVO must give reasonable notice of any change that disadvantages you, meaning enough time to avoid it; Ofgem’s 2011 rule puts the minimum at 30 days. You then have 20 working days from the change taking effect to move to another OVO tariff or to another supplier, and no exit fee applies.

Moving home

Clause 10.1 asks for at least two working days’ notice before you move out. Give it, and the contract ends on the move date; miss it, and the contract runs until two working days after you tell OVO, or until a new occupier takes over, whichever is earlier. The help page says to report the move in My OVO if it is within the next 28 days and lists what OVO needs: the move date, final readings, your new address. No exit fee is charged when you move, whether you were on a fixed or a variable plan.

What you cannot do is take an OVO plan with you. The help page is clear that a fixed plan ends with the old property, and you sign up afresh at the new one, choosing from whatever OVO offers that day. Our guide Moving house: what to do about your energy supplier has the full sequence.

Contact and complaints

OVO’s complaints line is 0330 303 5063, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and weekends 9am to 5pm; Pay As You Go customers have a separate number on the complaints page. You can also e-mail, use web chat, or write to OVO Energy Ltd, Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6EZ.

After eight weeks, or if OVO sends a final decision you disagree with (a deadlock letter), the Energy Ombudsman (0330 440 1624, enquiry@energyombudsman.org) will review the case free of charge. Its decision binds OVO but not you, and you have twelve months from a deadlock letter to escalate. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) and Advice Direct Scotland (0808 196 8660) give free advice beforehand; Ofgem does not handle individual complaints.

What to check before you switch

Check your plan’s end date and whether a renewal statement has already arrived; if it has, or fewer than 49 days remain, there is no exit fee. Clear or arrange any outstanding balance, since OVO objects to switches while you owe money. Find your annual kWh on the last statement, explained on our page about reading your energy bill.

Ofgem’s Confidence Code accredits comparison websites, not suppliers, so it is no verdict on OVO. Compare in the UK energy comparison, read Is switching energy supplier safe? if you are hesitant, and let the contract end reminder tell you when your free-exit window opens.