A Swindon dad of three has won an Energy Ombudsman ruling confirming he was overcharged a whopping £14,000 on his energy bills. 

Simon Pitts-Drake, 43, from Wanborough has battled against his former energy supplier Ovo Energy for years after he was being billed extortionate amounts but couldn't figure out why. 

It was only when a smart meter was installed in his home that he could prove he was paying for far more than he was using. 

After moving into his new home in February 2020, his direct debit had tripled but it was only when he was charged a seemingly random £20,000 in June 2022 that alarm bells started ringing. 

"I contacted Ovo Energy straight away and they just told me 'yeah, that's right, the system says it, so that is what it is'," Simon said, despite the readings he'd been given only indicating £3,500 of usage. 

"I kept pushing and asking for a smart meter and they kept refusing - this went on for about six months, me calling, emailing, writing letters.

"They kept escalating it internally on their side, I kept raising official complaints and getting nowhere."

Eventually, Simon was able to convince Ovo to install a smart meter, which happened in June 2023. 

He said: "Once the smart meter was fitted I realised that I was using about £900-£1,300 worth a month and I was being charged almost double that in the monthly direct debit because of this £10,000 debt.

After another unexplained £4,500 charge was added to his account in October last year, Simon ran out of patience and made a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman - who investigated the issue. 

They ruled that Simon had been overcharged and Ovo Energy needed to apologise and pay the money back, but this was appealed by the firm. 

The Ombudsman subsequently dismissed the appeal weeks later, with the decision letter saying: "They needed to provide new evidence or new information that made a material difference to the case or showed a significant error in fact. I am unable to see that they have done this.

The Ombudsman concluded: "We are unable to explain the balance on the account or confirm that the energy charges are valid. 

"There are numerous transfers and billing adjustments which have taken place which are just not clear where these charges have come from, when they have been used or if they are valid.

"I would expect that a supplier does explain any charges in dispute in a clear and easy-to-understand way and as I conclude that Ovo Energy has not done this in this case, I have no choice but to remove the charges."

As a result, Ovo Energy was ordered to pay back £4,602.66, £4286.66 relating to payments in November 2022, £3,743 for a payment made in July 2023 and £1,766 for a payment made in June this year. 

They were also ordered to credit Simon's account with £200 as a gesture of goodwill and to apologise for the shortfalls in customer service and inconvenience caused. 

This has all taken place and Simon has received the substantial amount of money owed to him and has switched supplier but he is now urging people to pay close attention to their energy bills. 

He said: "It was a great day to get the cheques in the post, but I haven't gained anything, this was my money that we’ve spent over the years

"I'm glad that it’s been resolved, and I hope it makes people realise they need to understand what they’re paying.

"Check what your direct debit is, check your usage, check what your bills say. This could be happening to other people."

A spokesperson for Ovo Energy said: "We’ve resolved Mr Pitts-Drake’s query and implemented all proposed actions from the Ombudsman, including a goodwill gesture to apologise.”