Ovo Energy fined £2.7m for failing to deliver government bill support on time

Delay meant that some low income households were left without the financial support they were entitled to during the coldest winter months. Photograph: Paul Melling/Alamy

Ovo Energy will pay a penalty of over £2.7m after failing to pass on government support payments for winter energy bills to thousands of vulnerable customers during the energy cost crisis.

The regulator found that Ovo, set up by Tory donor Stephen Fitzpatrick, was almost two years late in passing on the warm home discount (WHD) payments to almost 12,000 customers by the deadline on March 2024.