Charge Anytime add-on terms and conditions

1. Agreement

1.1 These Charge Anytime add-on terms and conditions (the Terms) form the agreement between you and us:

(a) “You” are the person who has signed up to the Charge Anytime add-on;

(b) “OVO”, “we”, “us” or “our” is OVO Energy Limited. Our address is 1 Rivergate, Temple Quay, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS1 6ED.

These Terms are specific to the Anytime add-on. They are separate to the OVO Core Terms and Conditions (Core Terms) and any specific terms which may apply to the tariff you are on.

2. What is Charge Anytime?

2.1 Charge Anytime is an add-on for OVO Energy Customers with a compatible EV or charger. With Charge Anytime you pay a lower rate when Smart Charging your EV whilst the rest of the energy you use is charged at your tariff’s usual rate. 

2.2 Our partner Kaluza provides the Kaluza Flex Platform, the intelligent software platform that powers the Charge Anytime add-on that you access by downloading the Charge Anytime App (the “App”) or your charger manufacturer’s smart charging app. Kaluza will gather data from your EV or charger via the Kaluza Flex Platform, and report your EV charging consumption data to OVO Energy so that we can credit your account correctly. Kaluza will also use the Kaluza Flex Platform to smart charge your EV so that it can be charged at times when the grid is likely to be greenest. The App is provided by Kaluza, so you will need to agree to Kaluza’s End User Licence Agreement (“EULA”) when you download the App.

2.3 Provided you meet (and continue to meet) the Eligibility Criteria (see section 6), you can sign up to Charge Anytime as follows:

  • If you have a compatible EV, you can sign up to Charge Anytime for free by downloading the App (available from Google and Apple stores), registering your details and creating an App Account and completing the sign up journey;
  • If you have a compatible charger, you can sign up for Charge Anytime via your My OVO account by completing the sign-up journey. You will also need to download the manufacturer’s smart charging app in order to connect to the Kaluza Flex Platform.

3. How it works

3.1 Charge Anytime works as follows:

  • Your home energy rate will stay the same, but the energy consumed by your home EV charger will be charged at an effective rate of 7p a kWh when Smart Charging. Rather than being charged at a lower rate for your Smart Charging, you will receive a credit to your bill (Charge Anytime Credit) – see section 5.3.
  • You will be charged at your standard plan rate for energy used to charge your EV while in Boost Charging mode.
  • You will also be able to see insights about your EV charging and the savings you are making with the Charge Anytime add-on in the “Your EV” section of your OVO Energy account (either via a web browser or the My OVO App). 

3.2 Charging insights are only currently available if you connect to Charge Anytime via a smart charger, and will be available for EVs in due course. We will let you know when this happens.

4. Flexibility Services 

4.1 In order to be able to charge your vehicle in accordance with the needs of the grid and enable lower cost charging, we'll sometimes participate in Flexibility Services and grid balancing events with Market Operators and Network Operators. This includes sharing charging pattern data from your EV with them as well as your Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN). Flexibility Services include, but are not limited to, the Demand Flexibility Service and other Balancing Services, Constraint Management Services, the Balancing Mechanism, Capacity Markets and other Flexibility Market trials or pilots. During Flexibility Services, we will still control your charging to deliver the required quantity of energy within the ready-by-time set by you. 

4.2 By signing up to Charge Anytime and agreeing to these Terms you:

  • authorise us to enter Flexibility Service contracts with your EV and share relevant data with the relevant Market and Network Operators, including but not limited to your half-hourly consumption data, and Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) where necessary;
  • give us the exclusive right to control your EV for the purposes of providing Flexibility Service Contracts (including but not limited to the Demand Flexibility Service, Constraint Management Services and Balancing Mechanism & Capacity Markets) as and when required by such contracts while you remain on Charge Anytime;
  • agree not to enter your household, your EV or any other low carbon technology you own into a third party’s scheme that enters you into a Flexibility Service (including but not limited to the Demand Flexibility Service, Distribution Constraint Management Services and Balancing Mechanism & Capacity Markets) while you remain on Charge Anytime. If we reasonably believe you have joined another third party’s scheme, we have the right to remove you from Charge Anytime.

5. Charge Anytime Credit 

5.1 All electricity you use will initially be charged at the normal unit rate you pay for your OVO energy plan – and these rates will be reflected in your live balance and on your bill, along with your normal standing charges.

5.2 In the first working week of each month, you’ll receive a credit based on how much of your total electricity usage in the previous month went into charging your EV (as calculated by the Kaluza Flex Platform). This will be your Charge Anytime Credit. 

5.3 The Charge Anytime Credit provided will effectively mean that each month your total balance will be equal to what you would have owed if your EV Smart Charging consumption had been charged at the Charge Anytime Rate (currently 7p a kWh, inclusive of VAT). 

5.4 All other energy use will be as per the rates on your standard OVO Energy plan, namely:

  • All home energy use will be charged at your standard OVO Energy plan rates for electricity and gas;
  • Standing charges (or "fixed charges") associated with your plan will remain the same; and 
  • Boost Charging will be charged at your standard OVO Energy plan electricity rate. 

5.5 The amount of credit you will receive each month will vary depending on how much you charge your EV that month, how much you Smart Charge, and how much you Boost Charge. For an example of how your Charge Anytime Credit will be calculated, please see our FAQs.

5.6 Only electricity that has been used from the grid for Smart Charging will be considered in the Charge Anytime Credit calculation. For customers who have solar PV installed in their home, OVO can only currently offer Charge Anytime Credits where the charger is a solar-compatible Indra, Hypervolt or Andersen charger (displayed as ‘solar-compatible’ on this list). Your charger may also require a house current clamp installation. All other local solar energy that goes into EV charging will be excluded from the Charge Anytime Credit calculation.

5.7 If you are a Direct Debit customer, your Direct Debit will not be affected by the Charge Anytime Credits applied to your account with the Charge Anytime add-on. If you have any Charge Anytime Credits left when you leave OVO Energy, they will be offset against your final bill.

6. Eligibility

6.1 To be eligible for the Anytime add-on you must meet the following criteria (Eligibility Criteria):

  • You must be an existing OVO Energy customer – you can be on any OVO tariff (and either supplied with both fuels or electricity only); 
  • You must have a compatible EV or EV Charger with a working internet connection. View list of compatible chargers and EVs. It is your responsibility to ensure your EV charger has the most up to date firmware installed, otherwise your charger may not be compatible;  
  • You must have a smart meter that can communicate half-hourly data to OVO Energy – currently the main types of smart meters that work with Charge Anytime are SMETS2 meters by any manufacturer, and SMETS1 meters manufactured by Secure; 
  • You have to opt in to sharing half-hourly smart meter data with OVO Energy. If you aren’t currently opted in to sharing half-hourly data you agree that we can automatically update your preferences if you select the Charge Anytime add-on;
  • You have to comply and continue to comply with these Terms and the Core Terms and any other OVO terms which apply to you and Kaluza’s End User Licence Agreement; 
  • The data you provide must be accurate (see section 8 for details).

7. Data sharing; what data we collect and how we use it

7.1 By signing up for the Charge Anytime add-on you agree to:

  • Allow OVO Energy to share your data (your email address, electricity rates, electricity MPAN and OVO ID) with Kaluza to notify them that you are a Charge Anytime customer and to allow them to provide smart charging services; 
  • Allow Kaluza to share details relating to your EV including make and model, efficiency and battery capacity, as well as EV charging consumption data with OVO, via the Kaluza Flex Platform. For more details about what data Kaluza collects and how it is used, please see Kaluza’s privacy policy.
  • share relevant data with the relevant Market Operator and Network Operator, including but not limited to your half-hourly consumption data, address and Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) where necessary in order to fulfil our obligations under Flexibility Services Contracts; and
  • be opted in to half-hourly data sharing from your smart meter. 

7.2 You can change your data sharing preferences at any time but if you do so you will no longer be able to benefit from Charge Anytime, as we will no longer have the data we need to be able to provide the service to you.

7.3 We take looking after your data very seriously and will only ever use your data as set out in these Terms, the EULA and in accordance with our privacy policy. More information can be found in OVO Energy’s privacy policy and Kaluza’s privacy policy.

8. Accuracy of data

8.1 Charge Anytime Credits will be added to your account based on the data that we receive from your home EV charger or compatible EV.  If you are accessing Charge Anytime via your compatible EV, this data will be modelled on data directly from your EV. If you are connecting through your EV charger, the data will come to us from the charger manufacturer. This may result in some variations in the accuracy of the data and as a result, the accuracy and amount of your Charge Anytime Credits may also vary. 

8.2 OVO takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the data received from your EV charger or compatible EV and therefore the accuracy of the Charge Anytime Credits paid using that data. 

8.3 We may carry out checks on charging data we receive from time to time, and if we deem that your device is sending inaccurate data and is therefore not eligible for Charge Anytime, OVO reserves the right to remove the Charge Anytime add-on from your account. Please consult with your charger manufacturer or compatible EV manufacturer if you are concerned about the accuracy of data recorded. 

8.4 You are responsible for making all arrangements necessary to ensure your EV charger or compatible EV is connected to the internet and to your OVO Energy account via the App. You will also be responsible for downloading any updates to the App as required. 

8.5 If your EV charger or compatible EV goes offline at any point for any reason, or if you’re disconnected from the Kaluza Flex Platform for any reason, we won't record Smart Charging energy consumption during this time. This means that you won’t receive Charge Anytime Credits for any charging done whilst your charger is offline or not sending EV charging data to us. 

9. Changes to Charge Anytime 

9.1 We reserve the right to make changes to Charge Anytime and these Terms at any time including without limitation amending the product, changing the Charge Anytime Credit or Charge Anytime Rate. 

9.2 Where any changes we make put you at a disadvantage we will give you reasonable notice so that if you do not wish to continue using the Charge Anytime add-on, you can remove the Charge Anytime add-on by following the process outlined in section 10.

10. If you no longer want Charge Anytime

10.1 You’re free to remove the Charge Anytime add-on from your account at any time. You can remove Charge Anytime any of the following ways:

  • If you are accessing Charge Anytime via a compatible charger, go to your OVO Energy app and click ‘Cancel my upgrade’ in the Upgrades section of your OVO Energy account. Or if you're using a web browser, visit the ‘Plan’ section of your OVO Energy account, and select ‘Cancel add-on’ within the Charge Anytime tile.
  • If you are accessing Charge Anytime via a compatible EV, delete your App Account within the Charge Anytime App by going to the App settings.

10.2 As soon as you remove the Charge Anytime add-on, we will no longer receive your EV charging consumption data. Any Charge Anytime Credits accrued to the point of cancellation will be paid to you in the first week of the following month.

10.3 Once you remove Charge Anytime, your EV charging data will no longer be shared with OVO. You will no longer be able to access the “Your EV” page in your OVO Energy Account.

10.4 If you are accessing Charge Anytime via your compatible EV, please note that if you delete or discontinue use of the App but do not delete your App Account, we will retain the capability to control your Connected Energy Device(s), and to perform those functions set out in clause 3.3 of the EULA. We will retain this capability unless and until you terminate the connection between your Connected Energy Device and us by following the procedure set out above. 

10.5 You can add Charge Anytime to your account again starting from the next month after you’ve cancelled.

11. Suspension and termination

11.1 You agree to use the Charge Anytime add-on in accordance with these Terms and the EULA. If we determine that you are in breach of these Terms or the EULA, or that you are using the Charge Anytime add-on in a fraudulent manner – for example by setting up your EV charger in a way which means that the Charge Anytime Rate applies to energy consumption which isn’t related to the Smart Charging of your EV, we may immediately do any of the following:

  • Provide you with a warning;
  • Suspend the Charge Anytime add-on or remove it from your account;
  • Issue legal proceedings against you for reimbursement of all costs resulting from your breach and/or fraudulent use (including, but not limited to, reasonable legal and administrative costs);
  • Take further legal action against you; and/or
  • Disclose such information to law enforcement authorities as we feel is reasonably necessary.

12. Liability

12.1 We will not be liable to you for any failure to credit your account for reasons outside our reasonable control, including if we are unable to gather adequate information from your EV charger, you do not leave your EV charger connected to the internet or the Kaluza Flex Platform, we cannot obtain half-hourly data reads from your Smart Meter, or you otherwise fail to comply with these Terms.

12.2 Save as set out in 11.3, our maximum liability to you under these Terms if you suffer any loss or damage (including to any EV or EV Charger) as a direct result of something we’ve done, will be no more than £10,000 per event or series of events if they’re connected.

12.3 Nothing in these Terms will limit or exclude our liability to you for death or personal injury as a result of our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other matter in respect of which it would be unlawful for us to exclude or limit liability. 

13. Contact us

If you need support, you can call us on 0330 175 9678 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email us at [email protected].

14. General 

14.1 Each of the clauses of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining clauses will remain in full force and effect. Even if we delay in enforcing these Terms against you, we can still enforce them later.

14.2 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales if your property is in England or Wales, and the laws of Scotland if your property is in Scotland. If there is any dispute between us, it will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales if your property is in England or Wales, and by the courts of Scotland if your property is in Scotland.

15. Definitions

Certain terms have a particular meaning when they are used in this document. 

Balancing Mechanism: means the service procured by the National Electricity System Operator to manage supply and demand on the transmission network. For more detail, see Elexon’s definition here: https://www.elexon.co.uk/glossary/balancing-mechanism/

Balancing Services: services procured by the National Electricity System Operator to balance demand and supply and to ensure the security and quality of electricity supply across Britain's transmission system.

Boost Charging: any charging that takes place in Boost mode (also referred to as Override, Urgent Charge or Max Charge), i.e. the EV charger is forced to charge at full power. Boost charging can also result from a lack of charging schedule in the app used to control when your vehicle will be ready by;

Capacity Markets: the service procured by the Government through yearly auctions to maintain sufficient generation capacity to meet peak national demand.

Charge Anytime Credit: the credits paid to your OVO Energy account in the first week of each month, to adjust your bill such that your Smart Charging costs are effectively charged at the Charge Anytime Rate. 

Charge Anytime Rate: the effective rate offered to Charge Anytime customers for Smart Charging. 

Constraint Management Services: services procured by Distribution System Operators to manage constraints on the distribution network or procured by the National Electricity System Operator to manage constraints on the transmission network.

Demand Flexibility Service: the service procured by the Electricity System Operator to manage supply and demand on the transmission system.

Distribution System Operators: the collective operators of Britain’s local electricity distribution network.

Electricity System Operator: the operator of Britain’s electricity transmission system. 

EV: electric vehicle. 

Flexibility Services: refers to procured demand flexibility services and trials, including but not limited to, the Demand Flexibility Service, Constraint Management Services, the Balancing Mechanism, and Capacity Markets.

Kaluza: a company registered in England and Wales with company number 12218299, whose registered office is at 140–142 Kensington Church Street, London, W8 4BN and whose VAT number is 100119879. More about Kaluza

Market Operator:  means a third-party who operates the market for Flexibility Services on behalf of the Network Operator.  

Network Operator: means either the relevant Distribution System Operator or the Electricity System Operator.

Smart Charging: any EV charging that takes place under control by the Kaluza Flex Platform, i.e. without the user selecting Boost mode for a scheduled charging session. Smart charging would typically involve the car being charged flexibly in accordance with the needs of the grid or local microgeneration, whilst delivering the required quantity of energy at the ready-by-time set by the user.

Last Updated: [15/10/2024]