March 2021 – AGL seals tech deal with Britain’s OVO as energy shake-up looms – AGL has launched a new venture with Britain’s OVO Energy as the power giant accelerates its response to the rapid changes rocking the energy market and hammering its profits.
Green Electricity score
This score is based on the company’s Green Electricity Guide star rating.
Complaints score
This score is based on the number of complaints measured as a proportion against the number of customers. The higher the percentage, the better. Data comes via the Australian Energy Regulator and is updated annually.
Call response score
This score is based on how likely the retailer is to answer a call within 30 seconds. The higher the percentage, the better. Data comes via the Australian Energy Regulator and is updated annually.
OVO sells electricity to over 6000 homes in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. It is certified carbon neutral in Australia and customers automatically receive 100% carbon neutral electricity, and 10% GreenPower, at no extra charge.
OVO Energy was founded in the UK in 2009 but it didn’t establish its Australian branch until 2019. Though local operations still run through the companies’ headquarters in Bristol, OVO has a local call centre in Melbourne. It also has a controlling stake in German electricity and gas supplier 4hundred.
As well as renewable energy services and 10% GreenPower energy by default, customers can upgrade to 100% GreenPower for an additional fee. It also has benefits for electric car owners called OVO Drive. This includes tariffs that take $0.05/kWh off the customer’s standard rate when charging their car between 00:00 and 05:00.
Instead of fluctuating bills, OVO predicts your annual energy usage then divides this by 12 so you pay the same rate every month by default (a process called bill smoothing). If this leads to your account being in credit, then OVO will pay 3% interest on the balance.
Contact details for OVO Energy
- ovoenergy.com.au
- 1300 937 686
Which states does OVO Energy supply?
OVO Energy supplies electricity in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
CHOICE Expert Rating on OVO Energy
CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%.
Green electricity score: 47%.
Complaints score: 98%.
Call response score: 91%.
CHOICE verdict on OVO Energy
Environmental
- OVO is certified carbon neutral and climate active.
- It provides customers with 100% renewable energy plans by default with 10% GreenPower at no extra charge.
- It invests, and continues to invest, in renewable generation assets.
- OVO encourages electric car use with charging tariffs.
- Despite all this, OVO is still lacking in some green areas. It still buys some energy from the open market, where coal dominates, and has not committed to ending coal use by 2030. That said it doesn’t buy energy directly from coal sources.
Customer service
- 302 (1.7%) of OVO’s customers lodged complaints against the company in 2021-22.
- 91% of calls made to OVO Energy are answered within 30 seconds.
- The average wait time for a call is 27 seconds.
- 8.9% of callers hang up before their call is answered according to 2021–22 AER customer service data. This is an improvement on 2020–21 performance where 2.9% of customers hung up.
OVO Energy’s energy sources
Although OVO offers some 100% renewable plans, and is transparent about its energy sources in the UK, it is not entirely transparent about its sources in Australia.
March 2021 – AGL seals tech deal with Britain’s OVO as energy shake-up looms – AGL has launched a new venture with Britain’s OVO Energy as the power giant accelerates its response to the rapid changes rocking the energy market and hammering its profits.
Green Electricity score
This score is based on the company’s Green Electricity Guide star rating.
Complaints score
This score is based on the number of complaints measured as a proportion against the number of customers. The higher the percentage, the better. Data comes via the Australian Energy Regulator and is updated annually.
Call response score
This score is based on how likely the retailer is to answer a call within 30 seconds. The higher the percentage, the better. Data comes via the Australian Energy Regulator and is updated annually.
March 2021 – AGL seals tech deal with Britain’s OVO as energy shake-up looms – AGL has launched a new venture with Britain’s OVO Energy as the power giant accelerates its response to the rapid changes rocking the energy market and hammering its profits.
Green Electricity score
This score is based on the company’s Green Electricity Guide star rating.
Complaints score
This score is based on the number of complaints measured as a proportion against the number of customers. The higher the percentage, the better. Data comes via the Australian Energy Regulator and is updated annually.
Call response score
This score is based on how likely the retailer is to answer a call within 30 seconds. The higher the percentage, the better. Data comes via the Australian Energy Regulator and is updated annually.
