Power firms ripped off 18k during crisis

Ovo and Good Energy overcharged hard-up customers despite price cap

- ANNA WISE

POWER giants Ovo Energy and Good Energy are to pay £4million in compensation after overcharging customers.

Errors by the two suppliers affected about 18,000 households and meant some people were charged above the maximum rates allowed under either the energy price cap or the Government's Energy Price Guarantee scheme.

The Government's scheme brought the typical household energy bill down to about £2500 a year in Britain and £2100 in Northern Ireland.

Good Energy overcharged more than 6900 customers between January 2019 and October 2022, while Ovo overcharged nearly 11,000 customers between October 2022 and March 2023.

Industry regulator Ofgem said it was ERRORS "totally unacceptable" that people were overcharged during an "already so challenging and stressful time" for consumers.