Octopus Energy Utility Warehouse (October 2026)
Contents
- 1.Comparison at a glance
- 2.About Octopus Energy and Utility Warehouse
- 3.Tariffs and pricing
- 4.Octopus Energy and Utility Warehouse tariff options
- 5.Customer reviews
- 6.App ratings and feedback
- 7.Service and support
- 8.Complaints and how quickly they are resolved
- 9.Where their electricity comes from
- 10.Our verdict
- 11.FAQs
Comparison at a glance
Octopus Energy leads on service and customer ratings, while Utility Warehouse has the lower annual energy estimates shown.
Octopus Energy may suit households that put customer feedback and getting help first, while Utility Warehouse has the lower energy estimate shown. Octopus has a higher Trustpilot rating, 4.8 versus 4.2, and a higher Citizens Advice score, 3.67 versus 2.63 out of 5, alongside shorter average phone waits and better-rated apps on both platforms. Utility Warehouse's lowest-priced deal shown costs £72 less a year, but carries a £150 total exit fee, compared with £0 for Flexible Octopus. The main trade-off is lower estimated costs with UW versus stronger service results with Octopus.
About Octopus Energy and Utility Warehouse
Who are Octopus Energy?
Octopus Energy combines household energy supply with its own technology. The company describes building its technology from the ground up as central to how it runs the business. Its approach brings energy supply together with changes to how homes are heated and how people travel.
That approach also extends to renewable generation within the wider group. Octopus Energy Generation is part of Octopus Energy Group and backs, builds and manages renewable projects. This is a separate role from supplying a household account, but helps explain the group's focus on electricity and cleaner energy.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
Who are Utility Warehouse?
Utility Warehouse's approach centres on household services and a network of local Partners. Its Partners work with neighbours, friends and local communities, giving the business a different model from an energy-only company. Energy sits alongside services such as broadband rather than being its sole focus.
For a household, the main distinction is the link between its services: taking more qualifying services can lower energy rates. That makes the cost and suitability of the whole package important, rather than the energy rate alone. Its energy and broadband recognition also relates to separate services, so a broadband endorsement is not an energy-service rating.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
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Tariffs and pricing
Eligibility
Requires a smart meter
Eligibility
Requires a smart meter
Flexible Octopus, a variable tariff, has the lowest annual estimate shown for Octopus Energy at £1,664. For Utility Warehouse, UW Tracker Saver 7, a tracker tariff whose rates can change, costs £1,592 a year. UW is therefore £72 a year, or £6 a month, cheaper on these estimates, but its deal carries a **£150 total exit fee, compared with £0** for Flexible Octopus. These are the lowest-priced deals shown, rather than a ranking of either supplier's complete range.
Octopus Energy fixed deals: Octopus 18M Fixed October 2026 v5 costs £1,831 a year, with an 18-month term and £150 total exit fee. Households wanting a shorter commitment can choose Octopus 12M Fixed October 2026 v6, which has a 12-month term and a lower exit fee of £100. The trade-off is its higher annual estimate of £1,886 a year — £55 more.
Utility Warehouse fixed deals: UW Fixed Saver 100 costs £1,784 a year, with a 12-month term and £150 total exit fee. Its estimate is £47 a year, or £4 a month, below Octopus's lowest fixed estimate. Fixed rates give more certainty about energy prices than variable or tracker rates, which can change, but they do not fix the amount of energy used. All the deals priced here use monthly Direct Debit.
Octopus Energy and Utility Warehouse tariff options
Octopus Energy tariffs
Flexible Octopus has variable rates. Octopus 12M Fixed October 2026 v6 fixes rates for 12 months, while Octopus 18M Fixed October 2026 v5 does so for 18 months. The shorter deal means less time committed to the same rates; the longer deal keeps them fixed for longer. A fixed rate does not fix the bill itself, because the amount of energy used still matters.
The specialist choices work differently. Octopus Go gives EV households a set overnight window without smart-charging integration, while Intelligent Octopus Go schedules charging through a supported vehicle or charger. Cosy Octopus suits eligible electric heating, and Agile Octopus exposes households to changing half-hourly wholesale-linked prices. Agile has a fixed pricing formula during its term, but its rates still move; its contract duration is not specified here.[1][2][3]
Octopus Flux combines buying and selling electricity for homes with solar and a battery, with the household setting the battery schedule. Outgoing export choices instead sit alongside a compatible import tariff. Octopus's smart-import terms include a 30-day wait before changing to another smart tariff, and another 30-day wait before returning to a smart tariff after moving to a standard one.[4]
Eligibility
Have a battery electric car or plug-in hybrid charged mainly at your Octopus-supplied home, with integration through a supported vehicle OR charger; Use a working smart meter with half-hourly data sharing, download the Octopus app and register your device within seven days of joining; Keep a device registered, connected by Wi-Fi, built-in SIM or another agreed method, and authorised for Octopus control. Losing authorisation for more than 30 days can end eligibility. Octopus has exclusive demand-response rights; third-party demand-response schemes for the property are excluded.
Eligibility
Have an Octopus home supply and an owned or long-term leased battery electric car or plug-in hybrid charged at home. A home charger is not required; Use a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter sending half-hourly readings; If you export electricity, pair Go only with a compatible export tariff.
Eligibility
Have an Octopus electricity account and a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter sending half-hourly readings.
Eligibility
Have an operational air-source or ground-source heat pump, electric boiler or electric radiators at your Octopus-supplied home. Other heating systems need Octopus approval; Use a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter sending half-hourly readings.
Eligibility
Have operational solar panels and a home battery, Octopus import and export accounts, and a connected SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter recording half-hourly import and export; Have an export MPAN and supply your solar MCS certificate and distributor's G98/G99 certification. Octopus can apply for the export MPAN; Permanently stop FiT deemed-export payments and tell any outside FiT supplier. FiT generation payments can continue; Set your own battery charging and discharging schedule.
Eligibility
Have an Octopus account, a compatible import tariff, an export MPAN and a supported smart meter sending half-hourly export readings; Stop FiT export payments, while keeping generation payments if applicable. You cannot join if FiT payments started within the previous 12 months; Solar ownership and generation are not required. For generation installations, the standard document route uses an MCS certificate, DNO notification and DNO response; a non-MCS route is also offered.
Utility Warehouse tariffs
UW's variable-rate choices include Value, Gold Variable and Double Gold, alongside UW Tracker Start 7, UW Tracker Plus 7 and UW Tracker Saver 7. The Tracker products are variable tariffs, rather than fixed-rate deals. Their names do not make them the same as Octopus's daily wholesale-linked Tracker product.
UW Fixed Start 100, UW Fixed 100 and UW Fixed Saver 100 each have a 12-month fixed term. UW's fixed-energy approach links discounts to qualifying services, so the household choice involves both the energy contract and any separate services taken with it. A lower energy rate alone does not show that the combined package costs less.
Eligibility
Requires a smart meter
Eligibility
Requires a smart meter
Customer reviews
Octopus has a Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 880,701 reviews, compared with Utility Warehouse's 4.2 from 84,577 reviews. The breakdown also favours Octopus: 90% of its reviews are five-star and 3% are one-star, compared with 69% and 14% for UW. Overall, negative reviews account for 4% for Octopus and 16% for UW.
Octopus customers often praise helpful, polite staff who give clear answers and provide prompt help with billing, tariff changes and account queries. Less positive reviews describe slow responses to complex requests, installation delays and unresolved account changes. Routine help is often well received, although some complicated cases take longer.
UW reviewers praise understanding staff and clear billing, as well as the convenience and perceived value of combining household services. Others describe long phone waits, unclear contract terms and difficulty getting helpful answers. Some criticism concerns broadband installation delays and unresolved technical faults, so the brand's reviews extend beyond energy.
UW replies to 99% of negative reviews, typically within 24 hours, while Octopus replies to 97%, typically within a week. These response figures do not show whether the issues were resolved.
Octopus also has the higher Which? total score, at 74% for Octopus and 69% for UW. Customers rate overall service 4 out of 5 for Octopus versus 3 for UW. Separately, the Which? supplier assessment awards both 10 out of 10 for help for those who need it.
App ratings and feedback
Octopus's Android app has 1,000,000+ installs, compared with 500,000+ for Utility Warehouse. Octopus is better rated on both platforms, with 4.8 versus 4.5 on iOS and 4.3 versus 4.2 on Android. The larger gap on iOS means the difference in user feedback is more marked for iPhone users.
One UW iPhone user reported being unable to top up gas and electricity through the app after registering their account, despite expecting access soon after joining. This was an individual account-access problem, rather than a recurring pattern. Households relying on mobile top-ups may want to ask about access before switching.
Service and support
Average response: 1.2 min (April to June 2026)
Hours: Monday 9am-5pm, Tuesday 9am-5pm, Wednesday 9am-5pm, Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4pm
Average response: 3.6 min (April to June 2026)
Replies: 86.4% within 2 days (April to June 2026)
Hours: 7 days/week
Replies: 43.9% within 2 days (April to June 2026)
Replies: 98.8% within 2 days (April to June 2026)
Octopus has the higher Citizens Advice service score for April to June 2026: 3.67 out of 5, compared with 2.63 for Utility Warehouse. It also performed better on both measured contact channels: the average call centre wait was 1 minute 9 seconds, against 3 minutes 35 seconds for UW, while 86.4% of emails were answered within two days, compared with 43.9%. These results favour Octopus for households that expect to need help by phone or email.
UW also offers help through WhatsApp and answered 98.8% of messages within two days in the same period. Octopus's routine phone hours are Monday to Thursday, 9am–5pm, and Friday, 9am–4pm. Its email team is available seven days a week, although that does not promise an immediate answer.
Meter performance was closer in April to June 2026, with 91% of Octopus smart meters working, compared with 90.4% for UW. For smart-meter bills, 96.33% of Octopus's and 97.07% of UW's were based on actual readings rather than estimates. For traditional-meter bills, the shares based on actual readings were 93.99% and 92.55%, respectively.
| Billing and metering | Octopus Energy — April to June 2026 | Utility Warehouse — April to June 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Smart meters working correctly | 91% | 90.4% |
| Bills based on readings — smart meters | 96.33% | 97.07% |
| Bills based on readings — traditional meters | 93.99% | 92.55% |
Complaints and how quickly they are resolved
Octopus Energy reported 476 complaints per 100,000 customer accounts in Q2 2026, compared with 1,875 for Utility Warehouse in the same quarter. Octopus therefore recorded fewer complaint events relative to its account base. These figures count complaints, not the number or percentage of individual customers affected.
Utility Warehouse reported faster complaint resolution in Q2 2026: it resolved 83.89% the same or next working day and 99.63% within eight weeks. Octopus Energy resolved 43% the same or next working day and 80% within eight weeks. This gives a mixed picture: Octopus had the lower complaint rate, while Utility Warehouse closed a greater share within both timescales. Resolution figures do not show whether customers were satisfied with the outcome.
The separate Citizens Advice measure records complaints to advice bodies and the Energy Ombudsman, rather than complaints received directly by suppliers. For April to June 2026, Octopus Energy recorded 21.4 per 10,000 customers, compared with 40.6 for Utility Warehouse. Octopus had the lower rate on this measure too, but its different scope and denominator mean it should not be treated as the same measure as supplier-reported complaints.
The complaint themes below have no reporting period supplied, so they cannot be tied to Q2 2026 or compared as a same-period breakdown. Octopus gives details of its responses but no theme percentages. Utility Warehouse gives percentages but no further details about the problems or its responses, which limits comparison of how the suppliers are tackling these issues.
Where their electricity comes from
Octopus Energy
Octopus buys electricity from sources including wind, solar and hydro. Its supplier-wide disclosure for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 records renewables and nuclear power, with no gas, coal or other fuels in that annual mix. Nuclear is not renewable, so this differs from the renewable promise attached to a particular tariff.[1]
The company says it buys renewable electricity from more than 700 UK generators through Power Purchase Agreements. These are contracts to buy electricity from generators. It also describes buying from community projects where local people own and run generation and profits go back into local charity or environmental work.
There is some supplier-owned wind generation too. Octopus describes owning turbines in Yorkshire and South Wales and adopting turbines in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. Its Fan Club links nearby communities with lower electricity prices when local turbines are working hardest. That is a local arrangement, rather than a promise applying to every Octopus household.
Within the wider group, Octopus Energy Generation managed a portfolio with 5.7 GW of capacity in May 2026. This describes the generation business's managed portfolio, not assets all owned by the household supplier or electricity set aside for every domestic tariff.
For named household offers, Agile Octopus and Octopus Flux explain their green promise as matching electricity use with Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin, or REGOs, from British renewable generation. These certificates record renewable electricity production. Matching use with certificates does not mean a home receives only renewable electricity at every hour: households still draw power from the shared grid.
Utility Warehouse
UW's electricity supply disclosure for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 is mainly gas-based, with coal also making up part of the fossil-fuel share. Renewables and nuclear account for smaller shares. These figures describe electricity UW supplied to customers over that year, not electricity generated by UW itself.
The same disclosure lists renewable, nuclear and other fuels separately. Renewable and nuclear electricity therefore have different places in the mix; combining them would not give a renewable percentage. For a household comparing green claims, this annual supply record is distinct from any promise made for a named tariff.
The disclosures below cover different years, so they are not a same-period comparison. UW also notes that its figures are rounded, which is why its displayed fuel shares total 99%.
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual energy estimate shown | Utility Warehouse |
| Service ratings and measured contact responses | Octopus Energy |
| Higher iOS and Android user ratings | Octopus Energy |
Octopus Energy leads on service and customer ratings, while Utility Warehouse has the lower annual energy estimates shown.
Octopus may suit households that value helpful service and easier contact more than the lowest energy estimate. Customers more often praise its staff and clear answers, while Citizens Advice records shorter phone waits and a much larger share of emails answered within two days. Its apps are also better rated on both platforms. These strengths sit alongside negative reviews about complex account changes and installation problems, so some customers still face delays despite the higher ratings.
Utility Warehouse may suit households that prioritise lower energy costs and accept the service trade-off. Positive reviews show that many customers value its staff and billing, although measured phone and email responses are slower than Octopus's. Its lead deal costs £72 a year less, but the £150 total exit fee matters if you might leave early. Neither is an overall winner for every household: Octopus has the stronger service evidence, while UW has the lower annual estimates shown.
- Higher Trustpilot and Which? total scores.
- Shorter measured phone waits and more emails answered within two days.
- Better-rated iOS and Android apps.
- Flexible Octopus has a £0 exit fee.
- Higher lowest overall and fixed annual estimates than UW.
- Some reviewers report delays with complex requests, installations and account changes.
- Lower overall and fixed annual estimates shown.
- Reviewers praise understanding staff and clear billing.
- Answered 98.8% of WhatsApp messages within two days.
- Lower customer ratings and Citizens Advice service score.
- Longer measured phone waits and a smaller share of emails answered within two days.
- UW Tracker Saver 7 carries a £150 total exit fee.
Frequently asked questions
Will I pay an exit fee on the lowest-priced deals?
Flexible Octopus has a £0 exit fee. UW Tracker Saver 7 carries a £150 total dual-fuel exit fee, despite having rates that can change. Variable or tracker pricing does not automatically mean a tariff is free to leave.
Can I choose a shorter Octopus fixed deal?
Yes. Octopus 12M Fixed October 2026 v6 has a 12-month term, costs £1,886 a year and has a £100 total exit fee. It costs £55 more a year than the priced 18-month deal, but has a shorter commitment and a lower exit fee.
Which supplier has shorter phone waits?
For April to June 2026, Octopus's average call centre wait time was 1 minute 9 seconds, compared with 3 minutes 35 seconds for Utility Warehouse. These are averages, not promised waiting times.
When can I phone Octopus about a routine enquiry?
Octopus's routine phone hours are Monday to Thursday, 9am–5pm, and Friday, 9am–4pm. Its email team is available seven days a week, though that does not mean an immediate reply.
How quickly do the suppliers answer written messages?
In April to June 2026, Octopus answered 86.4% of emails within two days, compared with 43.9% for Utility Warehouse. UW also answered 98.8% of WhatsApp messages within two days. A response does not necessarily mean the issue was resolved.
How often are bills based on actual meter readings?
For April to June 2026, 96.33% of Octopus smart-meter bills and 97.07% of Utility Warehouse smart-meter bills used actual readings. For traditional meters, the figures were 93.99% and 92.55%. The remaining bills were not based on actual readings.
Is the app-rating gap different on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Octopus has the higher rating on both, but the iPhone gap is larger: 4.8 versus 4.5 on iOS, compared with 4.3 versus 4.2 on Android. These scores reflect user feedback rather than a comparison of particular account features.
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 Utility Warehouse's iOS app days since last update rose from 5 to 28. There were 39 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (52)
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
Utility Warehouse
- Trustpilot reviews83,008 → 84,577
- Trustpilot 5-star %70 → 69
- Trustpilot 3-star %3 → 4
- Trustpilot positive reviews %81 → 80
- Trustpilot neutral reviews %3 → 4
- Trustpilot net-positive %65 → 64
- iOS app days since last update5 → 28
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2.33 → 2.67
- Play Store rating4.1761994 → 4.1803126
- Play Store ratings count11,195 → 11,249
- Play Store days since last update6 → 15
- Play Store positive ratings %78.9 → 79
- Play Store negative ratings %16 → 15.7
- Play Store neutral ratings %5.1 → 5.2
- Play Store net-positive %62.9 → 63.3
- Citizens Advice rank14 → 13
- Citizens Advice score2.45 → 2.63
- Complaints per 10,000 customers38.1 → 40.6
- Avg call centre wait time436 → 215
- Emails responded within 2 days %40.5 → 43.9
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,510.93 → £1,592.23
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,595.22 → £1,783.83
- Cheapest tariff£1,510.93 → £1,592.23
- Cheapest fixed tariff term11 months → 12 months
- Shortest fixed term11 months → 12 months
- Longest fixed term11 months → 12 months
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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.