OVO Beyond Energy Saving Claims

Quick wins to save energy

Claim 1: Potential energy bill savings of 10%

Source: Energy Saving Trust; USwitch

Savings taken into consideration: Thermostat between 18 and 21C (£60 per year); setting up thermostatic radiator valves correctly (£75 per year); leaving appliances on standby (£55 per year).

The average dual fuel energy bill of a medium sized home (3-4 bed): £1,833.71 to represent the average UK home - leading to savings up to 10.4%.

These figures assume a household has not taken up any of the quick win measures identified. Actual savings figures will depend on size of household and to what extent quick win measures are employed.

Overall carbon reduction in kg to CO2 absorbed by trees conversion

Source: EPA

A medium growth coniferous or deciduous tree, planted in an urban setting and allowed to grow for 10 years, sequesters 23.2 and 38.0 lbs of carbon, respectively. An approximation is then applied to determine the proportion of coniferous and deciduous trees in urban settings. This approximation is defined for the US, so may differ for the UK. We assume 11% are coniferous, 89% are deciduous. (11 % percent of coniferous trees in sampled urban settings × 23.2 lbs C/coniferous tree) + (89% of deciduous trees in sampled urban settings × 38.0 lbs C/deciduous tree) = 36.4 lbs C/tree. Conversion to CO2: 36.4 lbs C/tree × (44 units CO2/12 units C) × 1 metric ton/2,204.6 lbs = 0.060 metric ton CO2 per urban tree planted. This represents CO2 sequestered by a medium-growth tree in 10 years. We divide by 10 to get the CO2 sequestered for one year.

Insulation

Claim 1: Annual energy savings from £265

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Assumptions based on cavity wall insulation for a gas-heated semi-detached home. Figures are based on fuel prices as of October 2023. Floor insulation - £75; Roof / loft insulation - £250; Cavity wall insulation - £265; Solid wall insulation - £360.

Claim 2: Carbon reduction from 650kg

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Assumptions based on cavity wall insulation for a gas-heated semi-detached home. Figures are based on fuel prices as of October 2023. Floor insulation - 185kg; Roof / loft insulation - 620kg; Cavity wall insulation - 650kg; Solid wall insulation - 880kg.

High Heat Retention Storage Heaters

Claim 1: Annual energy savings of £640; Claim 2: Carbon reduction of 800kg

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Assumes upgrading old electric storage heater with new high heat retention storage heaters

Double glazed windows

Claim 1: Annual energy savings of £155; Claim 2: Carbon reduction of 375kg

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Assumes installing A-rated double glazing to windows in an entirely single-glazed semi-detached gas heated property

Updated heating controls

Claim 1: Annual energy savings of £120

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Low energy light bulbs

Claim 1: Annual energy savings from £40

Source: Energy Saving Trust

If the average UK household replaced all of their bulbs with LEDs, it would cost about £100 and save about £40 a year on bills.

Claim 2: Carbon reduction of 63kg

Source: Energy Saving Trust

By replacing all bulbs in your home with LED alternatives, that’s around 63kg of CO2 emissions

High efficiency gas boilers

Claim 1: Annual energy savings from £200

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Estimated figures based on installing a new A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls (TRVs) in a gas heated home from an older boiler with a programmer and room thermostat. Semi-detached home, assuming upgrading from a D-rated gas boiler; Savings will vary depending on the size and thermal performance of your home.

Smart thermostat

Claim 1: Reduce the energy you use to heat your home by up to 28%

Source: https://www.tado.com/gb-en/fraunhofer-study

An independent study has shown that installing and correctly using a tado° smart thermostat can reduce your energy use from heating by up to 28%. The study found that the tado° device could save you up to 23% by turning the temperature down when nobody is at home. You could also save another 6% by turning down the heating based on the weather forecast, depending on the window sizes. If the window surfaces are relatively large, the energy saving will increase. Actual energy savings depend on various factors e.g. your heating system, structural condition of your home and your heating behaviour. Financial savings depend on the price of your energy tariff. With its Energy IQ skill, tado° provides an estimate of the monthly heating cost and the energy savings delivered through tado°.

Claim 2: Annual energy savings from £164

Sources: BEIS Energy consumption in the UK 2022; tado°

Average annual gas consumption for an average house house in the UK of 12,675 kWh; 74.82% of which is used for space heating or 9,483 kWh. tado° internal data shows that existing users save on average 22% of heating energy. Applying the current OVO standard variable tariff rate of gas £0.0656 per kWh to the energy saved, accounting for VAT equals £164.

Claim 3: Carbon reduction of 310kg

Source: Energy Savings Trust: in fact, savings and statistics bulletin - October 2023

Installing and using a full set of heating controls could save around £120 and 310kg of carbon dioxide a year. A full set of heating controls includes a programmer, thermostatic radiator valves and a room thermostat. This saving assumes the heating system previously had no controls and after installation all new controls are fully used and correctly set.

PowerMove

Claim 1: Annual energy savings from £120

Actual sum can be anywhere up to £120.  When you shift your non-essential electricity usage out of the peak (4-7pm each weekday), your peak electricity usage must be 12.5% (or specific quarterly challenge target), less of your daily use to be rewarded £10 per month.

EV Charger

Claim 1: 85% cheaper than public charging

The 85% cheaper claim is based on a customer smart charging their EV using Charge Anytime – in comparison to rapid charging at a public charge point (actual percentage 87%). This is based on UK average public charging costs of 53p kWh as of October 2023. Calculations are based on fully charging a 50kWh battery. To get the low Charge Anytime rate, you need to switch to OVO if you’re not already a customer. Then add Charge Anytime when your supply starts.

Charge Anytime

Claim 1: Annual energy savings from £542

Actual sum is £542.50 When you add Charge Anytime to your plan, your home energy rate will stay the same, but the energy consumed by your EV will be charged at an effective rate of 7p per kWh when EV smart charging (thanks to payment of your Charge Anytime charging credit).

The £542.50 saving is based on an average Charge Anytime customer using 3100kWh a year to charge their EV using the Charge Anytime add on. The Charge Anytime rate on 01/10/2024 is 7p per kWh for Charge Anytime charging compared to the OVO’s UK average SVT rate of 24.5p per kWh. Actual savings will vary depending on vehicle efficiency, driving style, EV charging usage and the cost per kWh of your standard home energy tariff.

To get the Charge Anytime add-on, you’ll need to have a compatible electric vehicle and/or EV charger, a smart meter, and to download our app. You’ll also need to agree to your smart meter sharing half-hourly readings with us. For full details of compatible chargers and EVs please see our Charge Anytime terms and conditions.

If you need your car in a hurry, you can override your smart charging schedule with the Charge Now function. You'll be charged at your standard home electricity rate when you're not smart charging.

Solar panels

Claim 1: Annual energy savings up to £1,300

The actual saving is £1,374 - correct at 1 January 2024. To reach this savings claim we’ve utilised the standardised guidance and calculations from MCS. The claim is based on the following assumptions 1) Your home is on the South Coast of the UK 2) You have a south facing roof that’s not shaded and sloped at 41° 3) You have 12 415W solar panels and a 9.5 kWh battery installed 4) You’re home all day with an annual electricity consumption of 3,100 kWh per year, pay 28.61p per kWh for your electricity unit rate (our Standard Variable Rate correct at 1 January 2024) this does not include your energy standing charge. 5) You are signed up to our exclusive SEG rate for customers who purchase solar & battery from us 6) You use 51% of what you generate and receive a separate payment unit rate of £0.20p for the remaining 49% that you export.

Claim 2: Carbon reduction up to 1000kg

Source: Energy Saving Trust

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a typical home solar system could save around 1 tonne of carbon per year. This will depend on where you live in the UK, how many solar panels you have, and how much electricity you use from your solar panels.

Heat pumps

Claim 1: Annual energy savings from £450

Savings of £450 are based on the following comparison: a gas boiler running at 83% efficiency (as per the national average) with an annual consumption of 10,500 kWh at 7.41p/kWh versus an air source heat pump with a Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (or efficiency rating) of 4 and an annual consumption of 2,179 kWh at 15p/kWh with the Heat Pump Plus add-on.

Claim 2: Carbon reduction of 1,900kg

Source: Energy Savings Trust

Figures are based on fuel prices as of October 2023. Potential annual savings of installing a standard air source heat pump in a three-bedroom semi-detached home, with radiator upgrades as required. Existing system replaced is a new A-rated gas boiler. The running cost you can expect will depend on the size of your home, any heating system upgrade and any saving will also depend on the fuel type being replaced