OVO Energy - January 2026

OVO Energy is a British energy supplier based in Bristol. Since 2020, it has been the third largest energy supplier in the UK, with the company supplying around 4 million customers. OVO uses a system called ‘Trace and Search’- this is where a company uses sources such as court records, Electoral Roll, Credit Reference Agencies and Land Registry to track down people who owe outstanding debts. It is a legitimate practice, but companies must follow strict rules- in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, an energy firm can chase bills for up to a maximum of six years (five years in Scotland) and can only chase the person who is responsible for the debt.

However, some former OVO customers are being chased for debts that aren’t theirs, sometimes years after leaving the property the debts are linked to.

Melina, from London, received a notice from her bank that access to credit was being denied to her- she then discovered that OVO had delivered her a County Court Judgement (CCJ) for a debt of £1900. Melina said that she had left the apartment (where she was an OVO customer) three years previously with a closed, fully paid-up account. Since then, Melina spent just over £300 to try and get the CCJ removed from her name, which has been an incredibly stressful situation for her to go through.

Izzy lived in a student house in Oxford in 2018 that had a pre-payment meter supplied by OVO. It wasn’t until five years later that she received an email from the energy company chasing £2700. Whilst she lived in the house, she was on pay-as-you-go meter, and so debt couldn’t be accumulated. OVO eventually agreed the debt wasn’t Izzy’s to pay, but then two debt collection agencies working for the energy company got in touch with her. She complained to the energy ombudsman, with OVO admitting Izzy didn’t owe a penny, but the demands for money continued.

When we wrote to OVO, it said it was very sorry to Melina for the shortfalls in its service. It said the CCJ has been removed by the court, and OVO has reimbursed her £303 for the court fees.

As for Izzy, OVO told us that it’s very sorry for the shortfalls in its service, and has sent her a letter of apology, and a further goodwill payment to express its regret.

You can watch the full VT here for 28 days - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002q7q2/the-one-show-21012026