Octopus Energy Review (October 2026)
Contents
- 1.Is Octopus Energy a good choice?
- 2.Who are Octopus Energy?
- 3.Octopus Energy prices and tariffs
- 4.Octopus Energy tariff details
- 5.What do Octopus Energy customers say?
- 6.Octopus Energy app reviews
- 7.Customer service and getting help
- 8.Octopus Energy complaints and performance
- 9.How green is Octopus Energy?
- 10.Our verdict on Octopus Energy
- 11.FAQs
Is Octopus Energy a good choice?
Octopus Energy is worth considering for helpful customer service, but smart-meter support and complex requests are the main reservations.
Octopus Energy may suit households that value helpful staff and straightforward contact. Its 4.8 out of 5 Trustpilot rating reflects mostly positive feedback, while Citizens Advice gives it 3.67 out of 5, ranked 5th. Customers frequently praise clear help with bills and accounts, although complex requests and installations can take longer to sort out. Smart-meter support is another reservation: the Which? supplier assessment gives smart meters 5 out of 10. For households wanting flexibility, Flexible Octopus is shown at £1,664 a year with no exit fee.
Who are Octopus Energy?
Octopus Energy puts buying renewable power and helping households change when they use energy at the centre of its approach. It buys renewable electricity from UK generators through long-term purchase agreements, alongside its role supplying household energy.[1]
There is also a wider generation business within the Octopus Energy Group. Octopus Energy Generation backs, builds and manages renewable projects. This work is distinct from the household supplier’s electricity supply: managing renewable projects and selling energy to homes are different parts of the energy market.[2]
Products & services
- Wholesale-linked tariffs
- Agile Octopus links electricity prices to half-hourly wholesale costs, while Octopus Tracker changes gas and electricity prices daily. Both expose households to market price rises as well as falls.
- EV charging tariffs
- Octopus Go gives EV drivers an overnight lower-rate period. Intelligent Octopus Go also lets Octopus schedule charging through a supported vehicle or charger.
- Electric heating tariffs
- Cosy Octopus has lower-rate periods for homes with qualifying electric heating. Snug Octopus manages compatible storage heaters through a smart meter’s heating-control switch.
- Electricity export tariffs
- Outgoing Octopus pays for measured electricity exports. Its Agile and Prime options offer different ways to link export earnings to when electricity is sent to the grid.
- Heat pump installation
- Octopus installs heat pumps in homes, with customer examples covering properties from Victorian terraces to modern flats.
- Solar panels and home batteries
- Octopus offers panel-only, solar-and-battery and battery-only installation options. Solar storage packages include Enphase, Fox EVO and Tesla Powerwall 3 battery choices.
- Personal and employer EV leasing
- Personal leases cover new and approved used EVs, with servicing, maintenance and repairs included; many cars also include a home charger. The separate employer route combines the car, insurance, servicing, charging credit and breakdown cover in a monthly package.
- Home EV charger installation
- Octopus installs smart, app-controlled home chargers designed to work with its energy tariffs.
- Electroverse public charging
- Electroverse brings access to public charging networks across the UK and Europe into one app, card and bill, without a subscription. Access does not mean the electricity used is free.
- Octoplus rewards
- The rewards programme offers freebies and offers, including weekly drinks and cinema tickets.
Awards & recognition
- ✓Best Customer Service — Uswitch Energy Awards, 2025 — Best Customer Service, winner
- ✓Most awarded UK Energy Supplier Overall — August Recognition Ltd., 2024 — Most awarded UK Energy Supplier Overall
- ✓The Sunday Times Best Places to Work — The Sunday Times, 2025 — Best Places to Work, listed
- ✓Best Company to Work For — UK Company Culture Awards, 2025 — Best Company to Work For
Use our referral link, and we'll both get £50 credit once your switch is complete.
Existing customer? Find out how you can benefit too. T&Cs apply (only one switching offer per household)
Prices
Prices shown cover selected tariffs; other plans may be available.
Flexible Octopus is a standard variable tariff with the lowest annual estimate among the deals shown, at £1,664 a year. With no fixed term and a £0 exit fee, it may suit households that want to keep the option of switching again, although its rates can change. All estimates shown are for monthly Direct Debit.
Octopus 18M Fixed October 2026 v5 is an 18-month fixed deal at £1,831 a year, with a total dual-fuel £150 exit fee. It may suit households that want known rates and expect to stay for the full term. The rates are fixed, rather than the final bill, which still depends on energy use.
For a shorter commitment, Octopus 12M Fixed October 2026 v6 costs £1,886 a year over 12 months, with a total dual-fuel £100 exit fee. The trade-off is a £55 higher annual estimate than the named 18-month deal in return for a shorter term and an exit fee that is £50 lower.
Tariff details
Flexible Octopus is the standard variable choice. The fixed deals in the pricing data are Octopus 12M Fixed October 2026 v6, with a 12-month term, and Octopus 18M Fixed October 2026 v5, with an 18-month term. The shorter deal reduces the length of the commitment; the longer deal keeps fixed rates for longer. Both have an early exit fee.
Octopus Go suits drivers who want a set overnight charging window without vehicle or charger integration. Intelligent Octopus Go adds automatic scheduling, but needs a supported vehicle or charger connection and ongoing control permission.[1][2]
Tracker changes gas and electricity prices daily, while Agile changes electricity prices every half hour. Both carry wholesale-price risk. Tracker’s formula and standing charge stay fixed for 12 months, but its unit prices do not.[3]
Heating choices depend on the system in the home: Cosy accepts heat pumps and other supported electric heating, while Snug controls compatible storage heaters. For solar and batteries, Flux combines import and export periods but leaves battery scheduling to the household.[4][5][6]
Outgoing options separate export earnings from the electricity bought for the home. Agile Outgoing follows half-hourly wholesale prices, while Prime Outgoing is aimed at households able to move exports into the evening. Smart Export Guarantee also accepts eligible households whose electricity import tariff is with another supplier.[7][8]
Octopus Energy
Eligibility
Have a battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle charged mainly at the Octopus-supplied home, with integration through a supported vehicle OR charger; Have a working smart meter and allow half-hourly consumption data and relevant account details to be shared for demand-response services; Register the device in the Octopus app within 7 days, keep it registered and authorised, and allow connection through home Wi-Fi, an in-built SIM or another agreed method. More than 30 days without integration authorisation can end eligibility; Allow Octopus to control charging and act as the exclusive demand-response provider; do not enter the home into a third-party demand-response scheme.
Eligibility
Be supplied by Octopus and own or have a long-term lease of a battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle charged at home; a home charger is not required; Use a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter that sends half-hourly readings; If exporting electricity, pair Go only with a supported export tariff; owning solar panels is not a joining requirement.
Eligibility
Have Octopus electricity supply; Use a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter that sends half-hourly readings, and accept the smart tariff terms.
Eligibility
Have Octopus supply and a working, connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter. Electricity meters in Economy 7 mode need changing to a single register; Half-hourly readings are needed at joining. Missing readings can lead to estimated daily usage, and readings received after billing may not lead to a revised bill; Leaving during the fixed term brings a 9-month wait before rejoining. This wait does not apply when leaving at the end of the 12-month period without renewing.
Eligibility
Have an installed, working air-source or ground-source heat pump, electric boiler or electric radiators. Other heating systems need Octopus approval; Have Octopus electricity supply and a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter sending half-hourly readings.
Eligibility
Be the Octopus account holder and live at the property supplied; Have electric storage heaters, of any brand, controlled by the ALCS in a compatible SMETS2 smart meter with a compatible ALCS calendar; Allow half-hourly readings, relevant demand-response data sharing, and Octopus control of the heaters and other loads on the same ALCS circuit; Do not join a flexibility service run by another provider while on Snug.
Eligibility
Already have Octopus import and export accounts, with working solar panels and a home battery at the supplied home. Octopus installation is not required; Use a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter for half-hourly import and export readings, and have an export MPAN; Give Octopus the solar installation's MCS certificate and G98/G99 certification from the distributor; Stop FiT export payments and permanently opt out of deemed export, telling any other FiT supplier. FiT generation payments continue; Manually set the battery's charging and discharge schedule.
Eligibility
Have Octopus supply on a compatible import tariff, a supported smart meter sending half-hourly export data and an export MPAN; Solar generation is not essential; battery and suitable vehicle-to-grid setups can benefit. For a generation installation, supply the MCS certificate, DNO notification and DNO response; Stop FiT export payments while retaining generation payments. You cannot join if FiT payments started in the previous 12 months.
Eligibility
Have a qualifying generating system in Great Britain of no more than 5 MW, or no more than 50 kW for micro-CHP; Have a working electricity smart meter capable of half-hourly export readings and a DNO letter or email approving the export MPAN; The installation and installer need MCS or equivalent certification; FlexiOrb technology certification is also accepted; Do not receive FiT export payments at the same time; FiT generation payments are separate.
Eligibility
Joining conditions and any equipment requirements need confirmation before switching.
- [1] Octopus Energy: Octopus Go
- [2] Octopus Energy: Intelligent Octopus Go
- [3] Octopus Energy: Tracker
- [4] Octopus Energy: Cosy
- [5] Octopus Energy: Snug
- [6] Octopus Energy: Flux
- [7] Octopus Energy: Outgoing options
- [8] Octopus Energy: Smart Export Guarantee
- Octopus Energy tariffs page
- Octopus Energy — Agile Octopus
- Octopus Energy — Octopus Shape Shifters
What do Octopus Energy customers say?
Octopus Energy has a Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 880,701 reviews, with 90% giving five stars and 3% giving one star. Customers frequently praise helpful, polite staff who explain things clearly and provide prompt help with billing, tariff changes and account questions. Speaking directly to someone is a valued part of the service in this feedback.
When requests become more complex, some customers describe slow replies or unhelpful responses. Installation delays, communication problems and unresolved account changes also recur in feedback. Octopus replies to 97% of negative Trustpilot reviews, typically within one week, although a reply does not necessarily mean the issue has been resolved.
The Which? total score is 74%, combining customer feedback with a supplier assessment. Customers rate service, ease of contact and statement clarity at 4 out of 5 each, while value for money gets 3 out of 5. In the separate supplier assessment, complaints handling scores 8 out of 15 and smart meters 5 out of 10, pointing to reservations about both areas. Help for those who need it scores 10 out of 10 in that assessment.
Octopus Energy app reviews
Octopus Energy is rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 263,000 ratings and 4.3 out of 5 on Google Play from 47,449 ratings. Google Play also records 1,000,000+ installs, which is separate from the number of ratings. Both apps have been updated recently, including three iOS releases in the past 90 days.
iPhone users describe both useful features and frustrations with the usage charts. One user reported missing rate values and a missing colour split on an export chart. Another found the app useful for checking energy use throughout the day, but missed a feature that had displayed half-hourly details when sliding a finger over the chart bars.
Customer service and getting help
Citizens Advice gives Octopus Energy 3.67 out of 5, ranked 5th, for April to June 2026. During that period, the average call centre wait time was 1 minute 9 seconds, while 86.4% of emails received a response within two days. These measures indicate how long an initial response may take, rather than how quickly a problem will be resolved.
Routine phone lines are open Monday to Thursday, 9am–5pm, and Friday, 9am–4pm, which may be awkward if you cannot call during the working day. Email support is available seven days a week, offering another way to get in touch outside those phone hours, though replies are not necessarily immediate.
For April to June 2026, 96.33% of smart-meter bills and 93.99% of traditional-meter bills were based on actual readings. Citizens Advice also reports that 91% of smart meters were working. Actual-reading bills reduce reliance on estimates, while the meter figure shows that automatic readings were not working for every smart meter.
| Billing and metering | Octopus Energy — April to June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Smart meters working correctly | 91% |
| Bills based on readings — smart meters | 96.33% |
| Bills based on readings — traditional meters | 93.99% |
Octopus Energy complaints and performance
In Q2 2026, Octopus Energy reported 476 complaints per 100,000 customer accounts. This counts complaint events, rather than the number of individual customers affected, so it does not show the percentage of customers who had a problem.
For Q2 2026, Octopus reported resolving 43% of complaints on the same or next working day and 80% within eight weeks. These figures show how quickly complaints were closed, not whether customers were happy with the outcome. While some complaints were dealt with quickly, not all were resolved within eight weeks.
Citizens Advice recorded 21.4 complaints per 10,000 customers for April to June 2026. This covers complaints to advice bodies and the Energy Ombudsman, not complaints received directly by Octopus. It is a separate measure from the supplier’s own complaint rate and should not be directly compared with it.
Octopus also lists the following complaint reasons and actions it has taken or is taking. No reporting period or percentage shares were supplied for these themes, so they cannot be treated as a breakdown of Q2 2026 complaints.
How green is Octopus Energy?
Octopus buys renewable electricity from more than 700 UK generators through Power Purchase Agreements, or PPAs. These are contracts to buy generators’ electricity. Its annual supply mix also includes nuclear power, so renewable electricity and electricity from zero-carbon sources are not interchangeable descriptions.
For 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the electricity Octopus Energy supplied came from renewables and nuclear, with no gas, coal or other sources recorded. This is an annual account of the supplier’s electricity supply, rather than a live reading of the power reaching a home.
Agile Octopus has a specific renewable-matching promise: each megawatt-hour used on that tariff is matched with a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin certificate from British renewable generation. These certificates record renewable generation; they do not mean a home receives only renewable power at every moment through the shared grid.
Octopus also describes owning wind turbines in Yorkshire and South Wales and adopting turbines in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. Its Fan Club links nearby communities with discounts when the turbines are working hardest.
Separately, Octopus Energy Generation, part of the Octopus Energy Group, backs, builds and manages renewable projects. Its managed portfolio had 5.7 GW of capacity in May 2026. That wider investment activity is separate from the renewable matching promised on a named household tariff.
Our verdict on Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy is worth considering for helpful customer service, but smart-meter support and complex requests are the main reservations.
Octopus Energy may suit households that value clear help from staff and can use weekday phone support or email. Customers frequently praise its handling of everyday billing and account questions, and Which? customers give service 4 out of 5. Email availability seven days a week is useful if calling during working hours is difficult.
The picture is less reassuring for complicated requests and meter problems. Reviews describe delays with installations and account changes, while the Which? smart-meter assessment scores 5 out of 10. Households facing a difficult meter issue should weigh that alongside the positive service feedback.
For the energy contract itself, Flexible Octopus allows switching without an exit fee, but rates can change. The named fixed deals offer known rates in return for a commitment and an early exit fee. That choice is separate from whether Octopus's contact arrangements suit you.
Frequently asked questions
When can I phone Octopus Energy?
Routine phone lines are open Monday to Thursday, 9am–5pm, and Friday, 9am–4pm. Email support is available seven days a week.
How quickly does Octopus Energy answer calls and emails?
For April to June 2026, Citizens Advice reports an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 9 seconds. Octopus answered 86.4% of emails within two days. These are response measures, not times for resolving a problem.
Can I leave Flexible Octopus without an exit fee?
Yes. Flexible Octopus has a £0 exit fee and no fixed term. It is a standard variable tariff, so its rates can change.
What is the trade-off between the named 12-month and 18-month fixed deals?
Octopus 18M Fixed October 2026 v5 costs £1,831 a year over 18 months, with a total dual-fuel £150 exit fee. Octopus 12M Fixed October 2026 v6 costs £1,886 a year over 12 months, with a total dual-fuel £100 exit fee. The shorter deal has a higher annual estimate but a shorter commitment and lower exit fee.
Does Octopus Energy usually bill from actual meter readings?
For April to June 2026, 96.33% of smart-meter bills and 93.99% of traditional-meter bills were based on actual readings. These figures describe how bills were calculated, not the share of bills without errors.
What problems do customers report with the Octopus app?
One iPhone user reported missing rate values and a missing colour split on an export chart. Another praised checking energy use but missed a previous half-hourly chart detail feature. These are individual experiences; the overall App Store rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 263,000 ratings.
Does Octopus Energy reply to negative Trustpilot reviews?
Octopus replies to 97% of negative Trustpilot reviews, typically within one week. A public reply does not necessarily mean the underlying issue has been resolved.
What changed this month
This month, Octopus Energy's iOS app days since last update rose from 1 to 25, Octopus Energy's play store days since last update rose from 1 to 17, and Octopus Energy's iOS sampled positive reviews fell from 1 to 0. There were 18 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (26)
Octopus Energy
- Trustpilot reviews857,633 → 880,701
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %96 → 97
- iOS app ratings count254,000 → 263,000
- iOS app days since last update1 → 25
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2.5 → no longer available
- iOS sampled positive reviews1 → 0
- iOS sampled negative reviews1 → 0
- Play Store rating4.3669577 → 4.328419
- Play Store ratings count47,238 → 47,449
- Play Store days since last update1 → 17
- Play Store positive ratings %84.5 → 83.2
- Play Store negative ratings %11.7 → 12.6
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.7 → 4.2
- Play Store net-positive %72.8 → 70.6
- Citizens Advice rank4 → 5
- Complaints per 10,000 customers21.3 → 21.4
- Avg call centre wait time77 → 69
- Emails responded within 2 days %86.1 → 86.4
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,598.38 → £1,664.22
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,641.76 → £1,831.1
- Cheapest tariff£1,598.38 → £1,664.22
- Cheapest fixed tariff exit fee£100 → £150
- Cheapest fixed tariff term12 months → 18 months
- Tariffs with comparison prices2 → 3
- Fixed tariffs with comparison prices1 → 2
- Longest fixed term12 months → 18 months
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.
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