OVO Energy Utilita Energy (September 2026)
Our verdict
There is no single best choice: compare price, service, app and green-energy evidence separately.
About OVO Energy and Utilita Energy
Who is OVO Energy?
Stephen Fitzpatrick started OVO Energy in 2009. Based in Bristol, it is one of the UK's largest energy suppliers. The company grew organically and through acquisitions, including its purchase of SSE's retail business in 2020. In May 2026, OVO announced a planned sale of its retail business to E.ON. This deal is waiting for regulatory approval, and OVO continues to run as a separate company until it completes.
Who is Utilita Energy?
Bill Bullen started Utilita Energy in 2003. Based in Hampshire and owned by Luxion Group, it is one of the UK's largest independent energy suppliers. The company was set up to challenge older suppliers by focusing on pay-as-you-go energy and smart meters. It was the first UK supplier to fit a smart meter in a home in 2008.
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Tariffs and pricing
Under our assumptions, the cheapest options from both suppliers are effectively identical in price. OVO Energy's Simpler Energy and Utilita Energy's Smart Energy both cost £1,611 a year. These are standard variable tariffs with no fixed term, meaning neither charges an exit fee.
For households who prefer knowing their unit rates in advance, OVO Energy provides fixed-term options. Its cheapest fixed deal is the 1 Year Fixed + Boiler Cover 27 August 2026, costing £1,742 a year on a 12-month contract with a £100 exit fee. Our current data does not include any fixed tariffs from Utilita Energy.
OVO Energy and Utilita Energy: Tariff Options
OVO Energy
OVO Energy provides a range of household energy plans, including standard variable and fixed-term options. It also has specialist add-ons for electric vehicle drivers and tariffs that include boiler cover or green energy upgrades.
Utilita Energy
Utilita Energy focuses on pay-as-you-go energy plans for households with smart meters. It provides a standard variable option designed to help customers track their spending, but does not currently offer fixed-term deals.
Customer reviews
OVO Energy holds a higher overall Trustpilot score of 4.7 out of 5 from 299,269 reviews, compared to 4.3 out of 5 from 112,483 reviews for Utilita Energy. OVO sees 78% of its reviewers award it five stars, while Utilita receives 72%. Additionally, Utilita has a higher share of one-star reviews at 16%, compared to 9% for OVO.
Reviewers frequently mention OVO Energy staff being polite and helpful when resolving technical problems, alongside noting that engineers arrive promptly. Conversely, some OVO customers report long wait times and communication delays.
Utilita Energy reviewers often highlight friendly and efficient staff when addressing account issues. Customers note a supportive approach from the customer service team, mentioning that representatives help put anxious callers at ease.
In the annual Which? survey, Utilita Energy scores 68 out of 100 overall, whereas OVO Energy scores 61 out of 100. Utilita earns 10 out of 10 for its smart meters and 10 out of 10 for helping those who need it. In contrast, OVO scores 5 out of 10 and 9 out of 10 in these respective areas.
App quality and features
Both suppliers provide apps with more than 100,000 installs each on Google Play. OVO Energy holds a slight lead on the App Store, scoring 4.6 out of 5 from 18,000 ratings, while Utilita Energy scores 4.4 out of 5 from 27,000 ratings.
Ratings differ significantly on Google Play, where Utilita Energy scores 4.1 out of 5 from 61,566 ratings. In contrast, OVO Energy scores 2.8 out of 5 from 10,825 ratings, with 52.4% of its Android ratings being negative.
Both suppliers update their apps regularly. Recent release notes for the Utilita app mention fixes to its Power Up feature and updates to marketing consent settings, while OVO lists general performance improvements.
Customer service and support
OVO Energy places higher in the Citizens Advice ratings, ranking 8th overall with a score of 3.3 out of 5. Utilita Energy sits lower down the table in 15th place, scoring 2.35 out of 5.
Utilita Energy answers phone calls faster, taking an average of 1 minute compared to 1 minute 33 seconds for OVO Energy. Utilita also replies more quickly on social media, averaging 1 minute 28 seconds against OVO's 6 minutes 53 seconds. Both suppliers respond to over 98% of emails within two days.
Citizens Advice records 39.5 complaints per 10,000 customers for OVO Energy and 164 for Utilita Energy. This measure differs from the suppliers' quarterly complaints data shown below. Both suppliers have registered formal vulnerability commitments with Citizens Advice.
Both suppliers accept Direct Debit, cash, cheques, and prepayment. OVO Energy phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, but remain closed at weekends. Utilita Energy offers longer hours, operating from 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 8am to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Complaints and performance
Both suppliers have published their complaints data for the second quarter of 2026. Utilita Energy received fewer complaints than OVO Energy, with 946 complaints per 100,000 customers compared to OVO's 1,775.
Green Energy Comparison
OVO Energy
OVO Energy supplies a fuel mix that is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable and nuclear energy. The company runs a "Plan Zero" scheme to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2035. It buys renewable electricity from UK generators through Power Purchase Agreements and has planted 5 million trees in the UK since 2015. Customers can also add a "Greener Electricity" upgrade to their tariff, which includes OVO making a £40 annual contribution to help independent UK renewable power generators get started.[1][2][3]
Utilita Energy
Utilita Energy supplies a fuel mix that is largely fossil fuels, with some nuclear energy. The company aims for its operations to reachnet zero by 2030. It offers a live "Energy Grid Tracker" on its website and app, which lets customers see how much of the UK's energy is currently coming from fossil fuels. It does not offer a dedicated green tariff for households, but it encourages customers to lower their carbon footprint by using less energy and supports solar panel installations.[4]
- [1] OVO Energy: net zero carbon emissions by 2035
- [2] OVO Energy: Power Purchase Agreements
- [3] OVO Energy: UK renewable power generators get started
- [4] Utilita: aims for its operations to reach
- Supplier website (OVO Energy)
- Supplier website (Utilita Energy)
- Citizens Advice (OVO Energy)
- Citizens Advice (Utilita Energy)
Our final verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Either |
| Overall customer service | OVO Energy |
| A greener fuel mix | OVO Energy |
There is no single best choice: compare price, service, app and green-energy evidence separately.
Use the decision table to match the available evidence to the factors that matter most to your household.
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,611 / year
- 4.7 Trustpilot from 299,269 reviews
- iOS app rated 4.6 out of 5
- 99% of emails answered within 2 days
- 52% of Google Play ratings are negative
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,611 / year
- 4.3 Trustpilot from 112,483 reviews
- 98% of emails answered within 2 days
- 16% of Trustpilot reviews are 1-star
- 19% of Google Play ratings are negative
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, OVO Energy or Utilita Energy?
On the stored annual-cost assumptions, OVO Energy is £1,611 and Utilita Energy is £1,611. The difference is within £5 a year, so it is treated as a tie.
Can OVO Energy and Utilita Energy complaint rates be compared directly?
Yes. Both figures cover Q2 2026: OVO Energy reports 1775 complaints per 100,000 customers and Utilita Energy reports 946.
Which supplier leads on customer service?
On the comparable customer-service measure used in the decision table, OVO Energy leads.
Which supplier has the better app evidence?
The supplied data does not support a like-for-like app winner.
Do tariff eligibility rules matter?
Yes. Specialist, time-of-use, EV, heat-pump and export tariffs can have equipment, meter or account requirements. Check the current supplier terms before applying.
Which supplier has the greener evidence?
On the comparable green-energy measure used in the decision table, OVO Energy leads. This row is based on published fuel-mix percentages.
Which is better overall, OVO Energy or Utilita Energy?
There is no single overall winner in this repaired draft. Price, service, app and green-energy evidence are kept as separate choices in the decision table.
When was this comparison updated?
The structured source payload is for September 2026.
What changed this month
This month, OVO Energy's play store net-positive % fell from 1.3 to -9.2, Utilita Energy's iOS sampled negative reviews fell from 2 to 0, and Utilita Energy's play store days since last update fell from 61 to 12. There were 21 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (28)
OVO Energy
- Trustpilot reviews293,863 → 299,269
- Trustpilot 5-star %77 → 78
- Trustpilot 4-star %10 → 9
- iOS app days since last update37 → 25
- Play Store rating3.0206423 → 2.8167422
- Play Store ratings count10,621 → 10,825
- Play Store days since last update37 → 26
- Play Store positive ratings %48.2 → 43.2
- Play Store negative ratings %46.9 → 52.4
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.9 → 4.4
- Play Store net-positive %1.3 → -9.2
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,804.82 → £1,610.88
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,923.42 → £1,742.03
- Cheapest tariff£1,804.82 → £1,610.88
Utilita Energy
- Trustpilot reviews112,253 → 112,483
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %100 → 99
- iOS app days since last update47 → 12
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2.67 → 4
- iOS sampled negative reviews2 → 0
- Play Store rating4.129011 → 4.1229296
- Play Store ratings count61,547 → 61,566
- Play Store days since last update61 → 12
- Play Store positive ratings %77.7 → 77.5
- Play Store negative ratings %18.7 → 18.9
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.6 → 3.7
- Play Store net-positive %59 → 58.6
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,804.59 → £1,610.67
- Cheapest tariff£1,804.59 → £1,610.67
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.