Last updated: 11th October 2024
Octopus Energy offer £50 credit if you sign up through a referral link.
If you would like to join Octopus (or at least get a quote) then use the button below to get £50 credit when you sign up.
Octopus Energy Review Summary
Who are Octopus Energy?
Octopus Energy was started by Greg Jackson in 2015 with the mission of making energy better. Since then they have grown rapidly to become one of the UK’s biggest energy suppliers with over 6.7 million energy customers. Part of this growth has come from taking on customers from other energy suppliers such as Avro Energy and Shell Energy.
Octopus Energy has won several awards, including the uSwitch Energy Supplier of the Year 2023 award, and the 2023 Which? Recommended Provider Award. They offer some of the best customer service, competitive prices and a lot of innovation, as you’ll see in our Octopus Review.
Is Octopus accepting new customers?
Yes, as of December 2024, Octopus Energy is accepting new customers. You can sign up online or over the phone, and using a referral link will earn you £50 credit as a new customer. Octopus previously paused new sign-ups but has since reopened its services to all.
Octopus Energy Review: Is Octopus a good energy provider?
Octopus Energy is considered a good energy provider due to their focus on renewable energy sources, competitive pricing, and customer satisfaction. They offer green energy tariffs, efficient customer service, and innovative solutions like smart technology to reduce carbon footprints.
How existing customers review is possibly one of the best ways to tell if the company is any good; however, let’s start by looking at some other Octopus Energy reviews.
TrustPilot is the main source of Octopus Energy customer reviews. Here, Octopus scores an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars (from over 330,000 Octopus Energy reviews), with 89% of the reviewers rating them as excellent. Only 3% of the reviewers rated them poor or bad.
In short, Octopus are an excellent supplier when it comes to customer reviews and has the best rating of any of the big energy suppliers.
| Rating | Percentage of reviews |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 89% |
| Great | 6% |
| Average | 1% |
| Poor | <1% |
| Bad | 3% |
Which? conduct a survey every year, asking customers about their current energy supplier. From these reviews, Octopus has been the Which? Recommended Provider 7 years in a row, including in 2024. For 2024, Which? put them in 2nd place out of 18 energy suppliers with an overall score of 72%.
In the latest uSwitch awards, Octopus won ‘Energy Supplier of the Year’ for the 4th time. This is based on the over 17,000 responses to the uSwitch survey.
Get £50 when you join Octopus Energy by clicking here
What is Octopus Energy’s customer service like?
Even with all the positive Octopus Energy reviews, what can you expect in terms of customer service if you decide to switch to them?
Octopus Energy’s customer service have UK-based call centres with reasonable opening hours. They are only open 9 am – 5 pm Monday to Thursday, and until 4 pm on Friday however. This might make it difficult to contact them by phone if you work 9-5 and can’t use your breaks.
If you cannot call them or would prefer not to, they are available seven days a week by email
According to the Which? survey, current customers rated Octopus 5/5 for Customer Service. Which? also found that Octopus only took just over 2 minutes to answer the phone, making them the fastest large energy firm to answer the phone. This was back in 2020, and since then, Citizens Advice have found the average call wait time for Octopus is 2 minutes and 28 seconds.
When it comes to emails, CitizensAdvice have found that Octopus respond to just over 77.3% of emails within 2 days.
By looking at many of the Octopus Energy reviews on TrustPilot, you can also see generally customers’ experiences match up with these stats, with most customers praising Octopus’ Customer Service speed and level of response.
What energy tariffs do Octopus Energy offer?
Octopus Energy offers a range of energy tariffs, they have traditional tariffs available alongside a whole host of newer, more innovative tariffs.
If you are looking for a more traditional tariff, then Octopus currently have two available for new customers:
- Octopus 12-month fixed: This is a 12-month fixed rate tariff (currently only available for existing customers). It comes with 100% renewable electricity and no exit fees.
- Flexible Octopus: This is a variable rate tariff with 100% green electricity. No exit fees but the unit price could change over time.
These two tariffs are similar to what you would find with most suppliers, but it is important to note however that you get renewable electricity with both. Something that many other suppliers don’t offer as standard.
Alongside these more traditional tariffs, Octopus has some more innovative tariffs available too:
- Outgoing Octopus
- Octopus Go
- Agile Octopus
- Octopus Tracker
Like most domestic energy suppliers, Octopus do not currently offer a zero-standing charge energy tariff. They are, however, one of the most competitive when it comes to standing charges. You can see how they compare in our zero-standing charges guide.
Octopus Energy Prices: Are Octopus Energy cheap?
Octopus Energy is generally cheap because they use technology to cut costs and rey on affordable renewable energy. This allows the company to offer lower prices to customers compared to traditional energy providers.
As energy prices change all the time, there is rarely one supplier that is always the cheapest, however.
Generally, though, Octopus are one of the cheaper energy suppliers, especially when it comes to the big providers. We have a whole post dedicated to comparing suppliers with British Gas, which will help you find out if Octopus is cheaper than British Gas.
Octopus prices per kWh (unit rate) plus standing charge
To give you an idea of the price you could be paying per kWh and for a standing charge, the rates for their cheapest fixed and cheapest variable tariffs, for both gas and electricity, are below:
Gas
| Tariff Name | Tariff Type | Price per kWh | Standing Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus 12M Fixed | Fixed | 5.67p | 29.43p |
| Flexible Octopus | Variable | 6.09p | 29.43p |
Electricity
| Tariff Name | Tariff Type | Price per kWh | Standing Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus 12M Fixed | Fixed | 22.63p | 54.84p |
| Flexible Octopus | Variable | 23.77p | 54.84p |
If you are willing to switch to a non-traditional tariff, then the Octopus Tracker tariff is generally considered to be the cheapest tariff available from any supplier. You can find our latest comparison of the cheapest gas and electricity tariffs here.
Octopus does offer some perks as well, which can help reduce the cost of your bill. They have a new reward scheme called ‘Octoplus’, which effectively rewards you for saving energy, referring friends to join them, or spinning their ‘Wheel of Fortune’. We have written a whole post on Octoplus if you would like to find out more.
One way you are rewarded through Octoplus is through their ‘Saving Sessions’. These are normally one-hour periods when you can get money credited back to your bill for each unit of energy you save. You can find out more about Saving Sessions here.
If you are joining Octopus Energy for the first time, you should also consider that you can get £50 referral credit. This can make a significant difference when comparing prices across suppliers over the year.
Even if they aren’t the cheapest on a comparison site, when you factor in referral credit and the money you can save through their extra incentives, they may work out cheaper overall.
Get £50 when you join Octopus Energy by clicking here
How green is Octopus Energy?
Octopus are one of our top green energy suppliers.
Octopus Energy’s electricity comes from 100% renewable energy sources across all their tariffs. They are actually one of the only suppliers to offer this as standard. Many other energy providers will either offer renewable electricity for an extra fee (like OVO) or only if you join a fixed tariff.
| Fuel source | % of supply |
|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 0% |
| Nuclear | 0% |
| Renewables | 100% |
| Coal | 0% |
| Other Fuels | 0% |
They don’t just supply renewable energy. They generate it as well. Through a subsidiary of their parent company, Octopus Renewables are Europe’s largest investor in green energy. They own over 200 solar farms and are also involved in wind generation and anaerobic digestion plants.
Do they receive many complaints?
All energy suppliers have to publicly display their complaints data every quarter. Below we have displayed the key complaints data for Octopus:
| Complaints per 100k customers | 1,598 |
| Resolved per 100k customers | 1,546 |
| Resolved by next working day | 71% |
| Resolved in 8 weeks | 87% |
The top reasons for complaints were related to payment issues, billing and customer service. Octopus are actually very transparent and have a detailed list of what went wrong and what they are doing to fix it in their performance reporting.
How good is the Octopus app?
Octopus have apps available in both the iOS app store and the Google Play store.
The app is very popular with customers and, across both platforms, has very positive reviews. The iPhone app scores 4.8/5 from over 130,000 reviews, and the Android app is rated 4.7/5 from over 28,000 reviews.
Through these apps, you can completely manage your account, from paying bills to checking usage and adding meter readings if you don’t have a smart meter.
Where the app comes in particularly useful is with the previously mentioned ‘Savings Sessions’, through the app you can receive a notification when these are scheduled to happen, sign up and also see how much energy you have saved.
Get £50 when you join Octopus Energy by clicking here
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are a few quick questions you may need answers to along with our Octopus Energy review:
Do Octopus Energy offer a recommend a friend referral scheme?
Yes, Octopus Energy offer a referral scheme. If you use a referral code to join Octopus, you will receive £50 credit and the person referring you will do too. This can be a great way to reduce your gas and/or electricity bills as it is added to your account. You can find out more about using an Octopus Referral Code here.
Do Octopus install smart meters?
Yes, you can register to have a smart meter installed for free by Octopus Energy. Some of their tariffs require a smart meter, you can sign up for their traditional tariffs without one.
How do I get a free cuddly toy from Octopus?
You may have seen these on social media. Once you are a customer of Octopus Energy, you can request a cute cuddly toy Octopus called Constantine. You can find out more about the Octopus cuddly toy in our post here.
Do Octopus work with pre-payment/pay-as-you-go meters?
Yes, Octopus Energy accept pre-payment meters.
Do they accept Economy 7?
Yes, Octopus Energy do accept Economy 7 meters.
Do they accept Economy 10?
Yes, they do accept economy 10 meters although will likely apply economy 7 rates.
Do they provide heat pumps?
Yes, they do provide heat pumps. You can find out how to get a heat pump from Octopus here.
Are they signed up to the Warm Home Discount?
Octopus Energy have been signed up to the Warm Home Discount since 2019.
Are they signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee?
Octopus Energy are signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee. If you’re switching to Octopus, according to Citizen’s Advice 98.3% of switches are completed within 15 working days.
How do Octopus Energy compare?
We’ve written some handy guides to see how Octopus compare to other major suppliers you may be considering:
- Octopus vs OVO
- Octopus vs British Gas
- Octopus vs E.ON Next
- Octopus vs Shell Energy
- Octopus vs EDF
- Octopus vs Utility Warehouse
- Octopus vs So Energy
- Octopus vs Ecotricity
- Octopus vs Sainsbury’s Energy
- Octopus vs Good Energy
- Octopus vs Outfox The Market
How to contact Octopus Energy
You can contact Octopus Energy in several ways:
- Address: 1 Upper James Street, Soho, London W1F 9DE
- Email: hello@octopus.energy
- Telephone: 0808 164 1088
Office Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm. Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. Closed weekends
How do I switch to Octopus Energy?
If you’re thinking of switching to Octopus Energy, the easiest way to switch to Octopus Energy is through our link here: Using this link will also get you £50 credited to your Octopus Energy account once you sign up.
Octopus Energy offer £50 credit if you sign up through a referral link. If you would like to join Octopus (or at least get a quote) then use the button below to get £50 credit when you sign up.
I recently switched to Octopus Energy and was pleasantly surprised by the £50 credit offer. As an energy-conscious consumer, I appreciate the transparency and competition in the renewable energy market. Thanks for sharing this review – it’s helpful in making informed choices.
Great review! I’m considering switching to Octopus Energy and this post has given me the confidence to do so. The £50 credit offer is a great incentive. Will definitely sign up now!
Why can’t the power company’s give a price per Kilowatt.Not monthly guess estimate Philip
Hi,
I’ve recently signed up to Octopus, and immediately received £50 credit as did my friend for the referral. I then quickly swapped to the Agile tariff for electricity and Tracker for gas. All of this went very smoothly. I’d very recently moved to a smaller property and they calculated my usage. I chose to increase this to pay a bit more with the winter months coming and not having any credit built up. Again this was easy to do.
I downloaded the Octopus App and can see how much I am going to pay the following day Peru it every half hour. I have already saved about £20 last month ( October) it’s made me use the washing machine, tumble drier and dishwasher at different times.
As a retired person at home during the day I’ve found it easy to use most if my appliances during much cheaper times of the day. However it will be interesting to see how high the electricity goes for peak times like Christmas Day, and whether it then remains a cheaper option for me.
Iam very happy with octopus ! The only this I don’t like is having to read. My gas and electric meters every month. I am 77 and had both knees replaced and two collapsed vertebrae’s my electric meter is in a cupboard but I need to use steps to take readings as it is so high. The gas meter is outside but is so low to the ground I’m struggling to take readings .I have a British Gas smart meter but apparently is not compatible with octopus company !
I am very disappointed with Octopus Energy. My contact needed to be renewed. They upped my energy rate then a couple of months later, did it again. They recommended the package that I accepted in good faith. I have friends who have joined Octopus energy. Yet they still have raised my rate twice in a few months. I am very very disappointed with them. Be careful with the package to accept from them.
My Concern like many others is the current effect of gas prices and how they will impact on green gas.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I came to this site in the hope and expectation of seeing actual cost figures for i) £s/kWhr import ii) £s/day for standing charge iii) £s/kWhr for export.
Please, I beg you, where can I find these figures?
Yours sincerely,
E.H.Baldock
Having been with octopus energy for a year, I have had no problems
transferring over to them, or dealing with them regarding our bill, always
tell us when our d/d is being taken out, always e-mail when our meter reading is needed.
So far very pleased with their service.
I have received nothing but bad service and have been left with a large bill and smart meters that don’t work. When I have asked for help from octopus energy I was offered help and then left with nothing. I have been over charged and they seem to think if they don’t fix the meters I will not be able to prove they are over charging me. They are about as much help as a chocolate tea pot.
Octopus Energy’s very poor estimates of household energy consumption have left us in debit by almost half the original tariff, after a period of 2.5 years. It’s not acceptable to quote other companies out of customers and then not deliver on these estimates. Very bad experience.
What is tier unit price rate .electric only?
Hello,
Its a very good time to sign up to Octopus Energy during the lockdown as it will save you some money
I recently signed up to Octopus Energy. My son gave me a referral code and we both have received £50.00 credit. So it works!
I signed up because of his experience with Octopus, which has been very positive:
Great customer relations
One of the lowest tariffs for my postcode
Renewable energy
£50.00 referral code system
No exit fees
Smooth transition from my previous supplier
The online web site is very user friendly and if you need to phone I have found an agent was available quite quickly