OVO is calling for more collaboration to electrify Britain’s homes, calling home heating the ‘next front line in the climate fight.’
Speaking at London Climate Action Week at OVO’s Destination Electric event, hosted by BAFTA nominated journalist, presenter and film-maker Keme Nzerem, OVO will unveil its first-ever Climate Transition Plan, “Mind the Green Gap” setting out its vision to cut emissions to net zero by 2035.
The plan pulls no punches: without rapid government reform and industry-wide collaboration, progress on net zero is at risk. OVO argues that home heating, currently dominated by gas boilers, is the “hardest, most critical, and most overlooked piece of the puzzle.”
“Without making clean heat affordable, and a green electricity grid to support it, we will fail on net zero. That’s why we’re bringing everyone here today,” said Owen Anderson, Head of Sustainability at OVO. “We need urgent action to make electric heating cheaper and accessible for every household.”
OVO’s Climate Transition Plan: Key Measures
OVO’s plan sets out how it will decarbonise both its own operations and help millions of customers slash their emissions. It includes:
- Fixing broken energy pricing: rebalancing policy costs that currently make electricity unfairly expensive compared to gas.
- Building a positive landscape to electrify home heating: shifting homes from gas to electric heat, supported by affordable finance and government incentives.
- Reforming the broken REGO system: ending greenwashing on so-called ‘100% renewable tariffs’ and channelling investment into new renewable capacity.
- A gas boiler backstop: reinstating a firm deadline to phase out sales of new gas boilers.
- Building a smarter, more flexible grid: scaling up smart meters and demand flexibility to better match green supply and customer demand.
Backing consumers to make the switch
Alongside the policy asks, OVO is investing in new ways to help customers move to cleaner, cheaper technologies, including:
- Solar and heat pump installs: helping customers generate their own clean power, and warm their homes with green electricity
- Bank a solar panel or free miles for your future EV: allowing long-term customers to bank solar panels or EV miles.
- Smart EV charging: using Kaluza tech to charge cars when the grid is greenest and cheapest.
- Power Move: rewarding customers for shifting usage to when renewables are abundant.
A critical 3-year window
The plan focuses on the next three years as a critical window for action. OVO will update its plan every three years, aligned with the UK’s Transition Plan Taskforce and ISSB frameworks, to ensure real-world progress remains on track.
