In this guide, we’ll look at Octopus Energy vs Ecotricity in depth. Both of these suppliers are known as being green suppliers, but is one greener and which one is the better option for you?
Read on to find out how they compare when it comes to price, bill accuracy, customer service and more.
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Who are Octopus?
Octopus is part of the Octopus Group and began supplying energy in 2015.
They have over 6.5 million customers and have grown to be one of the leading energy names in the U.K. Octopus is known for its innovative tariff options and commitment to a greener future. This includes generating energy from wind and solar.
Friends of The Earth approves Octopus, and they have also been a Which? recommended supplier for the last few years.
Who are Ecotricity?
Ecotricity, founded in 1995 by Dale Vince, is a leader in green energy with currently around 200,000 customers.
It was the first company to offer 100% renewable electricity and carbon-neutral gas, using wind, solar, and biogas. Ecotricity invests in eco-friendly projects, including electric vehicle charging and conservation efforts, aiming to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainability.
With a commitment to ethical practices and reinvesting profits into renewable projects, Ecotricity is at the forefront of the green energy movement, inspiring global change towards cleaner, sustainable energy solutions.
Octopus Energy vs Ecotricity: What’s the difference in price?
We asked for quotes based on the below factors to find out which energy supplier offers the best prices for their tariffs:
- Dual fuel supply
- Standard meter
- Moderate usage (a 3-bedroom home with a family of four)
- 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas consumption
- Postcode located in the South East of England
Octopus provides customers with three different tariffs:
| Tariff Name | Tariff Description | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tracker Tariff | Smart tariff where prices change daily. No contract. No exit fees.* | £92.99 |
| Flexible Octopus | Flexible tariff where prices go up and down with the market. No contract. | £141.67 |
| Octopus 12M Fixed | 12-month, fixed rate contract. No exit fees. | £142.51 |
In comparison, Ecotricity offer two tariffs:
| Tariff Name | Tariff Description | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Green 2 Year Fixed | 24 month contract. £150 exit fee per fuel. | £144 |
| Green variable tariff | No exit fees, no contract. Prices may change over time. | £175 |
Octopus also have an additional ‘Tracker’ tariff which could save you even more money.
What’s the difference in tariff options?
We’ve looked at prices, but now we’ll dig deeper into how the available tariffs differ from each supplier.
Octopus
As we’ve seen, Octopus have three different options available; the details of each can be seen below:
Flexible Octopus
– Offers 100% renewable electricity
– No exit fees
Octopus 12M Fixed
– No exit fees
– 100% renewable electricity
Tracker Tariff
– No exit fees
– Only available with a smart meter
– Not available on signing up – see below for more details
– Unit rate is capped at 100p/kWh for electricity and 30p/kWh for gas (including VAT)
Ecotricity
These are the details for the two tariffs from Ecotricity:
Green variable tariff
– Offers 100% renewable electricity
– No exit fees
– Carbon-neutral gas
Green 2-Year Fixed
– Offers 100% renewable electricity
– Carbon-neutral gas
– Exit fees of £150 per fuel
As mentioned above, Octopus also have a smart, innovative tariff which is not available through Ecotricity.
If you are looking for tariff choice, then Octopus is the better option; if you are looking for greener tariffs, then Ecotircity is the better option. We’ll call this round a draw!
Who offers the greenest energy?
Many choose their energy provider based on how much they care about the planet, but what sets Good Energy and Octopus apart? Now, we’ll compare them when it comes to green energy.
Octopus manages renewable energy assets valued at £3.4 billion, sufficient to supply power to around 2 million households in the UK. The company encourages customers to install solar power systems at home as part of its sustainability efforts.
From 2018 to 2021, Octopus effectively neutralised 708,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Their commitment to eco-friendly innovation includes a £10 million investment in the UK’s only research and development centre focused on low-carbon heating solutions. All of Octopus’s electricity tariffs are 100% renewable, highlighting their position as one of Europe’s leading renewable energy investors.
Ecotricity produces 100% green electricity from wind and solar sources, generating about 12% themselves and acquiring the rest from certified green sources. They also turn customer bills into new renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar parks across the UK, thereby increasing the nation’s renewable capacity.
Since 1996, Ecotricity has pioneered wind energy, building 24 wind parks with 74 windmills that power over 56,000 homes and save over 31,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. They also operate three Sun parks, with others in the planning stage.
Octopus Energy vs Ecotricity: Who has better customer reviews?
We used Trustpilot to see how current customers rate both energy providers and whether Octopus or Good Energy is rated higher.
Here are the latest review ratings:
- Octopus score 4.8 out of 5 based on over 245,000 reviews (source)
- Ecotricty is rated 4.3 out of 5 based on over 5,200 reviews (source)
89% of Octopus’ reviews were five stars, and 63% of Ecotricity’s ratings were five stars.
Only 3% rated Octopus as poor or bad. This achievement ranks Octopus Energy in the 6th position out of the 38 green energy suppliers listed on Trustpilot with Ecotricity being ranked 21st.
Octopus has also replied to 89% of its negative reviews, whereas Ecotricity has supplied 98%.
Who has the better app?
Many energy customers choose to manage their accounts via their phones, so when it comes to account management, a supplier’s app is very important.
Ecotricity have a high scoring app on the App Store receiving 4.6/5 and a less impressive 3.7/5 on the Google Play store. Many of the negative reviews appear to be due to the instability of the app.
In terms of features, it seems to do the basics by allowing you to submit meter readings, make payments and see your bills. It seems to be lacking, however, when it comes to viewing your energy usage in real-time or historically.
Octopus Energy’s app scores a very high 4.8/5 on the App Store and similarly highly on the Google Play store. Customers say they use the app to check usage, submit meter readings and pay their bills easily. The app also offers detailed charts and data on your energy usage, even in near real-time.
Octopus vs Ecotricity: Who has the better customer service?
Citizens Advice conducts a survey four times a year to provide accurate and up-to-date information on each supplier’s customer service.
We’ve picked out the key Citizens Advice data to clearly understand which energy provider is best for customer service.
| Octopus | Ecotricity | |
|---|---|---|
| Average call centre wait time | 04:50 | 01:01 |
| Emails responded to within 2 days | 66.1% | 85% |
| Fewer complaints received | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Contact waiting time | 2/5 | 4/5 |
| Customer commitments | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Opening hours | 9 am – 5 pm (4 pm Friday) | Mon to Sat 9 am – 7 pm |
Who has fewer complaints?
Each supplier published quarterly complaints data, so below we have pulled out the key details to see which supplier is better when it comes to receiving and dealing with complaints:
| Octopus | Ecotricity | |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints per 100k customers | 1,142 | 199 |
| Resolved per 100k customers | 1,079 | 149 |
| Resolved next working day | 64% | 7% |
| Resolved in 8 weeks | 84% | 96% |
Octopus vs Ecotricity: What are the main differences between the two?
Below, we have our comparison of both suppliers in each key area:
| Area | Summary | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff Options | Octopus offers slightly more variety, but Ecotricity offers greener options | Draw |
| Price | Octopus offer the cheapest options for all tariff types | Octopus |
| Greenest Energy | Both suppliers are doing their bit when it comes to green energy | Draw |
| Customer Reviews | Ecotricity are not rated badly, but Octopus are rated much better when it comes to customer reviews. | Octopus |
| Website/App | Octopus have developed a better-rated app with more functionality | Octopus |
| Customer Service | With lower waiting times for both calls and emails and better opening hours, Ecotricity wins this round. | Ecotricity |
| Complaints | Ecotricity receives fewer complaints, but Octopus resolves them much faster. | Draw |
Who is the better supplier?
Octopus Energy are probably the better supplier for you if you are focused on price and are keen to have a well-developed app to manage your account. They also have better customer reviews.
On the other hand, if greener tariffs and customer service are important to you, then Ecotricity may be the better option.
Hello Rob, thank you so much for publishing this, that is priceless and must have taken a lot of your time.
My reason for favouring Ecotricity is as you say
their commitment to ethical practices and reinvesting profits into renewable projects, Ecotricity is at the forefront of the green energy movement, inspiring global change towards cleaner, sustainable energy solutions.
Also happy to pay a bit more for them doing the right thing and supporting a smaller business.
Whereas Octopus pay out all profits to shareholders which is the same as all the water companies do and it’s obvious where we ended up. They are massive and there is a lot of pressure behind to grow quicker and e.g install as many heatpumps as possible in one day. You can also see it on the amount of advertising they though.
Hence Ecotricity is a winner for me at the moment and I’ll see how I go with them.