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Octopus Energy vs Good Energy (2024 Comparison)

In this guide, we’ll compare Octopus Energy and Good Energy in depth. These names have built a solid reputation over the years, but which one is best?

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 Good Energy?

Good Energy was founded in 1999 and has 200,000 customers across the U.K.

Today, the energy name provides renewable electricity and gas to households nationwide and prides itself in being involved in various environmental projects. Some of the company’s energy comes directly from its own wind and solar farms.

Good Energy offers heatpumps, solar panels, and EV chargers. Eco-conscious customers can turn to Good Energy for a legitimate, green energy supply.

Octopus Energy vs Good Energy: What’s the difference in price?

We asked for quotes based on the below factors to find out which energy name 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 NameTariff DescriptionMonthly Cost
Tracker TariffSmart tariff where prices change daily. No contract. No exit fees.*£92.99
Flexible OctopusFlexible tariff where prices go up and down with the market. No contract.£141.67
Octopus 12M Fixed12-month, fixed rate contract. No exit fees.£142.51
*Using an average rate over previous months for both fuels. Only available to existing customers. Source.

Octopus tariffs, across the board, do not impose any exit fees. This means that even if you opt for a fixed tariff, you won’t be required to pay an exit fee if you decide to switch or leave.

Good Energy only offers its customers one tariff:

Tariff NameTariff DescriptionMonthly Cost
Good Energy StandardFlexible tariff where prices go up and down with the market. No contract.£186
Source.

Good Energy additionally provides ‘feed-in’ tariffs for individuals who generate their own renewable energy, and the company ranks as one of the leading ‘feed-in’ tariff providers in the United Kingdom.

Conclusion: Is Octopus cheaper than Good Energy? Yes, their variable tariff is much more affordable in a like-for-like comparison. If you opt for a fixed tariff or an innovative tariff, then the price difference is even bigger.

Want to find out who is the cheapest energy supplier right now? Find out in our latest guide.

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 3 different options available; the details of each can be seen below:

Flexible Octopus

– This is a variable rate tariff
– Offers 100% renewable electricity
– No exit fees

Octopus 12M Fixed

– This is a 12-month contract with unit prices and standing charges fixed for that time
– No exit fees
– 100% renewable electricity

Tracker Tariff

– Unit rates change daily
– 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)

Good Energy

Good Energy offers one tariff:

Good Energy Standard

– This is a variable-rate tariff
– Offers 100% renewable electricity
– 10% biogas, the rest carbon offset
– No exit fees
Conclusion: When it comes to the types of tariff available, with three very different options to the one of Good Energy, Octopus are the clear winners in this round.

If, however, you would like to be as green as possible, Good Energy do offer the greenest option due to their gas being 10% biogas and the rest carbon offset.

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 is making strides towards a greener world with a mission to achieve 100% green energy in the near future. They operate renewable generation assets worth £3.4 billion, capable of powering approximately 2 million homes. As part of their commitment to sustainability, the company even incentivises customers to adopt solar power in their homes.

Between 2018 and 2021, Octopus successfully offset a substantial 708,700 tonnes of CO2. Their dedication to green innovation extends to investing £10 million in creating the UK’s sole low-carbon heat Research and Development centre. Impressively, all of Octopus’s electricity tariffs are 100% green, underscoring their role as one of Europe’s major investors in renewable energy.

Good Energy proudly declares its energy more environmentally friendly than other energy providers. They get their electricity exclusively from renewable sources based in the UK, including their own wind and solar farms.

Their gas is carbon neutral, with 10% currently being biogas. Good Energy goes the extra mile by investing in carbon reduction initiatives in places like Malawi, Nepal, and Vietnam, effectively offsetting the carbon emissions associated with the rest of the gas they provide.

Conclusion: Octopus provides more in terms of renewable energy output, but Good Energy provides greener options to its customers. This round is a draw.

Octopus vs Good Energy: 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)
  • Good Energy is rated 4.8/5 based on over 10,000 reviews (source)

89% of Octopus’ reviews were five stars, and 77% of Good Energy’s ratings were five stars. This shows that both companies are clearly doing something right.

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. 

Octopus has also replied to 89% of its negative reviews, again indicating that customer service is important to the company. On its Trustpilot profile, Octopus has mainly positive reviews on the first page. Many customers praise the energy supplier for its value-for-money tariffs and excellent customer service. They say it is easy to contact the company and get the help they need. 

Good Energy has replied to 100% of its negative reviews. They also boast a mainly positive first page of reviews on their profile. Customers praise the company for its helpful, friendly staff and affordable rates. 

Conclusion: Both suppliers are rated very highly in terms of customer reviews. This round is a draw, with Octopus and Good Energy receiving the same rating.

Who has the better website and 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.

Good Energy’s app does not score well on either Google Play or the App Store, with a rating of only 2.6/5 on the iOS store. The app appears to allow you to pay bills, change your details and view your usage, but many reviews complain of issues logging in and features in general not working properly.

In comparison, Octopus Energy’s app scores a very high 4.8/5. Customers say they use the app to check usage, submit meter readings and pay their bills easily. The app also has a similar high rating on the Play Store.

Conclusion: Octopus has to win this round. They have a near-perfect score on the app store, while Good Energy’s app does not fare very well.

Octopus vs Good Energy: 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 get a clear idea of which energy provider is best for customer service.

OctopusGood Energy
Average call centre wait time04:5004:06
Emails responded to within 2 days66.1%69.4%
Fewer complaints received2/52/5
Contact waiting time2/52/5
Customer commitments5/55/5
Opening hours9 am – 5 pm (4 pm Friday)Mon to Fri 9 am – 5 pm
Source: Citizens Advice
Conclusion: This is a closer round, but Good Energy has lower average call centre waiting times and responds to a higher proportion of emails within 2 days. Everything else is equal, but it means Good Energy wins this round.

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:

OctopusGood Energy
Complaints per 100k customers1,1421,573
Resolved per 100k customers1,0791,573
Resolved next working day64%58%
Resolved in 8 weeks84%94%
Sources: Octopus Q4 2023. Good Energy Q4 2023.
Conclusion: Octopus Energy receives fewer complaints per 100k customers and also resolves a higher proportion of these by the next working day. Good Energy does resolve a higher percentage within 8 weeks, but Octopus are the winner of this round.

Octopus vs Good Energy: What are the main differences between the two?

Below we have our comparison of both suppliers in each key area:

AreaSummaryWinner
Tariff OptionsOctopus offers a much greater range when it comes to available tariffs. Octopus
PriceWhen it comes to price, Octopus offer the cheapest tariffsOctopus
Greenest EnergyBoth companies are actively involved in green energy initiativesDraw
Customer ReviewsBoth energy names score very highly in customer reviews. Octopus and Good Energy are generally keeping their customers very happy. Draw
Website/AppOctopus’ app has a near-perfect score on the app store. Whilst Good Energy doesn’t appear to have an app of the same quality.Octopus
Customer ServiceWith lower waiting times for both calls and emails, Good Energy wins this round.Good Energy
ComplaintsOctopus receives fewer complaints with a higher percentage resolved by the next working dayOctopus

Who is the better supplier?

Octopus Energy appears to be the better supplier in general. They offer better tariff options and cheaper prices, deal with complaints better and have a better app.

Good Energy performed better in terms of customer service, and like Octopus, it has very good green credentials and great customer reviews.

If you would like the greenest tariff possible, then Good Energy may be the better option for you.

Rob
Rob

Hi, I'm Rob and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project 5 years ago 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 spent have 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.

2 Comments
  1. excellent comparison

  2. Thanks for a very good comparison, much appreciated.
    moi

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