Snug Octopus review (August 2026)
A storage-heater tariff with a six-hour overnight cheap band and an Octopus-controlled afternoon boost.
Updated for August 2026
Tariff snapshot
The important details in one place
- Current tariff issue
- Snug Octopus
- SNUG-24-11-07
- Price changes
- By time band
- The same scheduled price periods repeat each day
- Against the price cap
- 3.52p per kWh below today
- Compares today’s regional average unit rate with the applicable cap rate
- Estimated annual cost
- £889
- Based on 2,500 kWh and the selected region
Key tariff facts
- The same scheduled price periods repeat each day
- Variable-rate tariff
- No exit fee on the selected offer
- Monthly Direct Debit · Single-register meter
- Compatible smart meter required
- Electricity tariff
- Regional unit rates and standing charges
The short answer
Who Snug Octopus is most likely to work for
Snug can be a strong fit for the relatively small group of homes with compatible storage heating, because it combines an overnight cheap band with supplier-controlled afternoon charging.
Its value cannot be judged from the cheap rate alone. Eligibility, the controlled-load setup and the amount of ordinary electricity bought at the day rate all matter.
Snug Octopus is built for homes heated by compatible storage heaters. Its published tariff has a cheaper six-hour overnight band, while Octopus can also schedule an afternoon boost for an eligible heater at the cheap rate.
That controlled boost is an important part of the offer but is not represented as a separate interval in the public base-rate feed. The live prices on this page therefore show the billed regional bands; they do not pretend to reconstruct a household's heater schedule.
In its favour
- Six-hour overnight cheap band
- Controlled afternoon storage-heater boost
- Designed around electric storage heating
Against it
- Strict equipment compatibility
- Higher rate outside cheap periods
- Requires supplier control and a compatible smart-meter setup
How it works
How Snug Octopus sets its prices
The base tariff repeats two prices each day: a cheaper period from 00:30 to 06:30 local time and a day rate for the other eighteen hours.
For a compatible installation, Octopus can control the storage heater through a SMETS2 auxiliary load control switch and schedule an afternoon boost at the cheap rate.
Outside the guaranteed overnight band, ordinary household electricity is normally charged at the day rate. When Octopus smart-schedules compatible heater charging, however, the off-peak rate applies to the whole home during that scheduled period.
Things to watch
The main trade-offs
The afternoon boost depends on compatible equipment and supplier control. During a scheduled boost the whole home receives the off-peak rate, but the timing is not a general fixed band you can choose yourself.
Electricity used outside the cheap periods can be materially more expensive.
A storage heater, smart meter or control arrangement that is not compatible can make the tariff unavailable.
Live tariff data
Snug Octopus prices for your area
Electricity rates and standing charges differ by distribution region. Enter your postcode or choose your electricity region before local figures are shown.
Today’s price bands
South Wales
- Average today
- 22.81p
- Cheapest today
- 9.00p
- Most expensive today
- 27.55p
- Standing charge
- 54.86p
weighted by how long each price lasts
per day
Today’s price bands
Snug Octopus repeats a daily shape rather than pricing every half hour separately, so the bands are the schedule.
| From | To | Hours | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:30 | 06:30 | 6.0 | 9.00pcheapest |
| 06:30 | 00:00 | 17.5 | 27.55pmost expensive |
The base bands are not the whole Snug schedule
The table shows the guaranteed 00:30–06:30 off-peak period and the day rate from the supplier feed. Octopus may also schedule compatible storage-heater charging outside that window, including the afternoon boost. When it does, the off-peak rate applies to all household electricity during that scheduled period.
Against the price cap in South Wales
The Ofgem cap for a single-rate direct debit meter here is 26.33p per kWh plus 57.84p a day. Today this tariff averaged 3.52p below the cap unit rate.
This compares one day’s unit rates only. What you pay also depends on the standing charge and on when you use electricity, so treat this as an indication rather than a saving. Cap period 2026-07-01 to 2026-09-30.
Estimated annual cost
£889a year
2,500 kWh a year in South Wales, at 27.55p per kWh plus 54.86p a day standing charge.
Snug Octopusprices change over time, but we do not yet hold enough days of them to take a meaningful average, so this uses the tariff’s standard rate — what you would pay having shifted nothing. Expect the real figure to be lower, and this estimate to sharpen as the price history builds.
Practical advice
Getting the most out of Snug Octopus
Separate heating from the rest of the home
Estimate storage-heater charging and ordinary household use separately. A low controlled heating rate does not make daytime cooking or laundry cheap.
Check every heater is compatible
Do not assume one compatible heater makes the whole installation eligible. Ask Octopus to confirm the meter, switch and connected loads.
Household fit
Who Snug Octopus might be good for
The right answer depends on your equipment, routine and tolerance for changing prices—not just how much electricity you use.
Likely to suit
- Homes already heated by compatible storage heaters
- Households willing to let Octopus schedule storage-heater charging
- People who can also move other suitable loads into the overnight cheap band
Less likely to suit
- Homes without storage heaters
- Households whose meter or heater controls are not compatible
- People who need full manual control of when their heating charges
- Homes with heavy daytime electricity use outside the controlled heater load
Before switching
Check the requirements and what will affect the result
What you need
- Compatible storage heaters that Octopus can control
- A compatible SMETS2 smart meter and auxiliary load control switch
- An Octopus Energy account at the property and the account holder living there
- Successful eligibility and technical checks by Octopus before the tariff is activated
What drives what you pay
- How much storage-heater charging Octopus can move into the cheap periods
- How much ordinary household electricity is used at the higher day rate
- The heat the home needs, which rises sharply in colder weather
- The regional standing charge and regional unit rates
Match the tariff to your home
Your largest electrical loads can change the answer
A specialist tariff can be better aligned with one large device, but its eligibility and expensive periods still matter. These are comparisons to make, not automatic recommendations.
If you have an EV
An EV tariff may be simpler if most of your flexible electricity is car charging. Intelligent Octopus Go schedules compatible cars or chargers; Octopus Go and EDF Go Electric use fixed overnight windows.
If you have solar without a battery
The import tariff and the rate paid for exported electricity are separate decisions. A straightforward export tariff can be more useful than a peak-weighted battery tariff when generation is exported as it happens.
If you have solar and a home battery
A paired import/export tariff may fit better because a battery can charge in a cheap period and discharge or export in a more valuable one. The gross rate spread is not the same as profit after losses and degradation.
If you have a heat pump
A heat-pump tariff may align its cheaper periods with space and hot-water heating. Whether it wins depends on insulation, controls and how much heat can move away from expensive periods.
If you have storage heaters
Snug Octopus is designed around compatible storage heating. Check the meter, auxiliary load control switch and every connected heater with the supplier. During Octopus-scheduled heater charging, the off-peak rate applies to the whole home.
Alternatives
Other smart tariffs from Octopus and EDF to compare
These are other smart-tariff comparisons from the two suppliers, not a claim that every option suits the same household.
Cosy Octopus
Cosy is designed around heat pumps and three daily price periods; Snug is specifically for compatible storage heaters and controlled charging. The heating system decides which comparison is relevant.
Review Cosy OctopusOctopus Go
Go provides an overnight cheap period aimed at EV charging. Snug adds storage-heater eligibility and supplier-controlled heating, so Go is not a substitute for the afternoon heater boost.
Review Octopus GoFlexible Octopus
Flexible avoids device compatibility and supplier control but has no dedicated cheap heating band. Compare the whole-home day rate as well as Snug's cheap hours.
Review Flexible OctopusOther Octopus Energy tariff reviews
Browse every other Octopus Energy tariff covered on Energy Review. Availability, eligibility and price structure are explained on each review.
Price history
How Snug Octopus prices have moved
The line is the average price for each day; the shaded range shows the cheapest and most expensive prices within it.
What this selected history can show
2 of 30 days are represented in the stored history. The figures below use complete daily or monthly periods only, so a partial period cannot create a false low or high.
Negative-slot frequency, percentiles and a 4pm–7pm peak cannot be calculated from this daily/monthly history. They need a separately bounded half-hourly history read.
- Lowest complete-period rate
- 9.00p/kWh
- Highest complete-period rate
- 27.55p/kWh
- Mean of complete-period averages
- 22.91p/kWh
Last 30 days: 3 days from 08 Aug to 10 Aug. Average prices range from 22.91p to 27.55p per kWh. The shaded band shows the cheapest and most expensive price in each period.
1 of 3 periods are only partly covered by stored prices and are shown as they are rather than filled in.
Show these 3 figures as a table
| Period | Average | Cheapest | Most expensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Aug | 27.55p | — | — |
| 09 Aug | 22.91p | 9.00p | 27.55p |
| 10 Aug | 22.91p | 9.00p | 27.55p |
Regional comparison
How prices differ across Great Britain
Snug Octopus unit rate and standing charge by region
The average price per unit on 2026-08-11, including VAT. The table also shows the daily standing charge.
Hover a region for its figure, or select one to load its prices.
Tap a region to load its prices.
| Region | Per kWh | Standing charge per day |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 21.78p | 51.1p |
| Yorkshire | 21.80p | 61.7p |
| North East England | 22.01p | 61.5p |
| West Midlands | 22.01p | 57.3p |
| Southern Scotland | 22.10p | 62.8p |
| North West England | 22.72p | 44.9p |
| Northern Scotland | 22.87p | 56.3p |
| South Wales | 22.91p | 54.9p |
| London | 22.93p | 42.4p |
| South West England | 23.06p | 56.3p |
| Eastern England | 23.07p | 52.2p |
| Southern England | 23.14p | 47.7p |
| South East England | 23.21p | 52.8p |
| Merseyside and North Wales | 23.86p | 68.0p |
Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market and is not covered by these regions.
How to switch
Moving to Snug Octopus
- 1
Ask Octopus to check the storage heaters, smart meter and auxiliary load control arrangement before relying on the tariff.
- 2
Confirm which heater loads Octopus will control and when the afternoon boost can be scheduled.
- 3
Compare the higher day rate against your current tariff using electricity that is not part of the controlled heater load.
Frequently asked questions
Who can get Snug Octopus?
It is intended for homes with compatible storage heaters, a compatible SMETS2 smart meter and the necessary auxiliary load control arrangement. Octopus must confirm the installation rather than eligibility being assumed from the heater brand alone.
When is the Snug cheap period?
The public base tariff has a six-hour cheap band from 00:30 to 06:30 local time. An eligible controlled heater may also receive an afternoon boost at the cheap rate, scheduled by Octopus.
Can I use the afternoon boost for other appliances?
When Octopus schedules the storage heaters, all electricity used in the home during that period receives the off-peak rate. The boost is supplier-controlled rather than a fixed extra band you can trigger for appliances yourself.
Does Snug work with a heat pump?
It is designed for compatible storage heaters. A heat-pump household should compare a heat-pump tariff such as Cosy Octopus instead.