OVO bringing in new monthly charge but customers have a way to escape it

OVO is bringing in a new charge for energy customers - but they can escape it. OVO Energy will soon charge £1.50 a month for paper bills - but not everyone will be subject to this fee, and there is also a way to avoid paying it, it has emerged.

This new charge adds up to £18 over 12 months and will come into force from December. But some vulnerable customers will still be able to keep receiving paper bills without an extra charge, it has been revealed, ahead of the shake up.

This includes customers on the Priority Services Register, those who receive Adaptive Communications, or customers who may be financially vulnerable. Taking to Twitter/X to slam the move, one customer hit out. That 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."

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It comes as it emerged the price cap for Great Britain is forecast to rise to £1,736 a year for the average dual-fuel bill, according to Cornwall Insight, a well-respected energy consultancy. The headline rate of £1,736 means that an average UK household would expect to pay that much each year, but in practice families will pay more or less depending on usage.

Cornwall predicted that prices will drop slightly in April 2025 and again in October 2025, but warned that “higher prices are likely the new normal”. Another said: "Not the greedy @OVOEnergy wanting to charge me £1.50 postage and packaging for my leccy bill!" A third posted: "Received a letter from my energy supplier @OVOEnergy today stating they’ll start charging users £1.50 a month to send bills, etc. While I can sign up to receive email billing, they ‘might still send marketing information by post’, for which, thankfully, they *won’t* charge."

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."