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OUR OCTOPUS ENERGY REVIEW – ARE THEY ANY GOOD?

When we moved home in the summer of 2018 we decided to look for a green energy provider that could help us reduce our carbon footprint but also save us money. After lots of reading, we decided to go with Octopus Energy. It was our first energy switch in at least a decade. We had been with British Gas but knew a change was well overdue. This is our Octopus Energy review.

moving home dayIf you are looking for an energy provider that makes it clear what they have to offer then look no further. There’s no hocus pocus with Octopus, what they say on the tin is what you get, great service and 100% renewable energy. For us as a  family, just being given the facts in an easy to digest format was very much appreciated.

When we switched to Octopus Energy they had just under 300,000 customers. Their approach has always felt personal and the customer service has been fantastic. As Octopus started to expand we did worry that they would get taken over by a larger energy firm or start to change their mission but thankfully this hasn’t been the case.

Just over 3 years later Octopus now has over 3 million customers! They are the ones taking on more customers from failing energy suppliers and expanding very rapidly without taking their eye off the ball. We have never felt ignored or undervalued as existing customers. In fact quite the opposite they make an effort to let us know they appreciate our loyalty as we stick with them through this terrible energy crisis.

Octopus Energy Review – Octopus has opened our eyes to endless possibilities.

If we hadn’t switched to Octopus Energy I don’t think we would have been as engaged with our energy use at home. They haven’t just helped us save carbon and money they have inspired us! This summer we went to the Fully Charged Live show in Farnborough where even the kids got excited about the future of green energy. Who would have believed energy could be so much fun?!

We looked at electric cars, heat pumps, wind turbines and more. It really made us all think about how we can help reach NetZero. By simply switching to a green energy tariff you can make a difference!! You don’t have to splash lots of cash on gadgets.

Octopus is trying to help in 2022 by reducing the cost of a new heat pump. If you need to change your old gas boiler anyway it may be worth considering as it should cost around the same price.

My dream is now an electric car. We have ordered one but the upfront cost is quite prohibitive but my 2009 plate Dodge Journey is on its last legs and so I have everything crossed we can make the transition to an electric vehicle in 2022. We will then use the Octopus Go tariff to charge off-peak at night. This should bring costs down to around 1p a mile PLUS you don’t pay road tax on an electric vehicle. 👏

The bottom line is I always feel very well informed and able to make the best decisions for our energy needs with Octopus, that makes such a big difference! If you are looking for a new way forward and want to consider the planet as well as your pocket we highly recommend Octopus.

An army of Octopus Energy customers are now ready to inspire you and help you save money.

We are not alone in our appreciation for everything Octopus. Online communities have sprung up populated with very enthusiastic Octopus customers. We’ve had some great tips which have saved us money. We experimented, as have many, with our water heater timer and found that we can halve the amount of time we heat our hot water and we still don’t run out! That saves us, at a guess, a few hundred a year. (I don’t produce spreadsheets of my energy costs but I can feel the savings every month in my families budget!)

The Octopus Smart Tariff chat group on Facebook has over 4,000 members! So the commitment Octopus shows to saving customers money is spilling over into social media groups. We have even met a few fellow customers. Plus our cul-de-sac is almost totally Octopus. I didn’t feel the need to discuss my energy use with fellow British Gas customers unless it was to complain. 🤣

I’ve tried to make a list of what we consider to be the most important questions when considering a new energy supplier. I hope it helps.

Thank you, for the inspiration Octopus!!

Octopus Energy Review – Sarah and the Family 💚

Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Updated: 16th December 2021

Octopus Energy has been a Which? Recommended Supplier for the last 4 years, and has an applaudable five stars on Trustpilot, with 90% of 79,035 reviewers rating it excellent (December 2021). Customers have consistently loved the company’s friendly communication, tariff information and recently its transition with new Avro customers.


Who is Octopus Energy?

  • A British based energy supplier with over 3 million customers!
  • They are the fastest-growing energy company in the UK.
  • A green energy supplier who innovates and want to make a real difference to the planets client emergency.

How easy is it to contact customer service? 

When we have needed to call Octopus they have always answered the phone really quickly. The telephone lines aren’t open on the weekend but they are super speedy at getting back to you if you direct message them on social media. We use Twitter and we’ve had a response from both Octopus Energy and their CEO on there really quickly.

The consumer website Which? reported that “it took us 2 minutes 4 seconds, on average, to get through to a human on the phone to Octopus in our energy company response times undercover investigation in September and October 2020. This is significantly faster than the average (5 minutes 57 seconds) and Octopus was the sixth fastest firm overall, out of 31 firms we called.”

How can you contact Octopus Energy?

You can contact Octopus Energy in a number of 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. The telephone lines are are closed on weekends.

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Do you need a smart meter to switch to Octopus Energy?

No, you don’t need a smart meter to switch to Octopus Energy. We didn’t have one when we switched. You don’t need one for the standard tariffs.  A few months back we did ask to have a smart meter installed and now we do have one. We made that decision as we are quite attracted to Octopus Agile and for that, you need a smart meter.

Here are the Octopus Energy Tariffs 2021

At the time we switched to Octopus Energy there were no smart tariffs but this has now accelerated and Octopus Energy now sells its smart technology to other suppliers!  👏💚🌍

The most popular Octopus Energy tariffs in 2021 are;

  • Flexible Octopus tariff: This is a variable tariff with no exit fee and all electricity is 100% green energy.
  • Octopus Fixed tariff (fixed for 24 months) This tariff secures your price for 24 months BUT you can leave at any time with no exit fee!! The electricity is 100% green.
  • Super green tariff (fixed for 24 months with your Gas supply offset to make it greener)
  • YOU DO NOT NEED A SMART METER FOR ANY OF THESE TARIFFS.

What smart energy tariffs do Octopus Energy offer?

  • Octopus Go tariff. If you are an electric vehicle owner this is a great option for charging your vehicle overnight. Between 00.30 and 04.30 your electricity tariff is fixed at 5p per kWh for a year!
  • Octopus Agile is a time of use tariff that reflects energy prices with hour hourly pricing. Here is an example of this week’s Octopus Agile prices.
  • Intelligent Octopus.  The tariff offers EV owners a minimum of 6 hours of charging at 5p per kWh.
  • Octopus Outgoing is great for any customers with solar or wind generation at home.

Are Octopus Energy prices cheaper compared to other suppliers?

At the moment the only cheap tariff is the standard variable tariff which is protected by the price cap so you can’t really compare suppliers standard energy prices.

If you are with British Gas and they are offering to keep your direct debit the same price or are just leaving it at the same price please consider increasing it if you can. I know it sounds great but I do worry that British Gas love for exit fees and holding onto customers is another reason for them doing this. I may be being cynical but if you owe an energy supplier money you can’t switch to another supplier. If in the spring wholesale prices drop you may be stuck with a higher tariff as you can’t switch to a cheaper one. I was with British Gas for over 10 years and the difference is like night and day compared to Octopus Energy!!

Octopus Energy Awards 

Based on Octopus Energy customer reviews Octopus has already won the following awards in 2021.

  • Winner of the 2021 Renewable Energy Awards.
  • Which? Recommended provider 2021 (4th year in a row)
  • U Switch Energy Supplier Of The Year 2021.
  • Not only did Octopus Energy win the overall energy supplier of the year they also won 7 of the remaining categories based on customer feedback. The next best company won 2 categories…. I think Octopus can call that a win!!! 👏

The Citizens Advice currently ranks Octopus Energy in 5th place out of 34 UK energy suppliers.  They mark them down on ease of contact. I can only speak from my personal experience and I have never had an issue contacting them. Facebook private messaging doesn’t seem to be currently supported but I get super quick responses via Twitter and email. I had to call them last week and I think I waited around 2-3 minutes for my call to be answered. The call handlers are always based in the UK.

Our Octopus Energy review – Which Octopus tariff did we pick?

We opted for a fixed 12 month Octopus Energy Super Green tariff.  The super green tariff costs a few pounds more a month (I think about £5) but we loved the idea that we could offset our gas supply by supporting various renewable energy-based projects at home and abroad.

The switch went very smoothly. It took 2 minutes online to switch to Octopus Energy.  Octopus took care of everything.  We just had to provide meter readings.

Our new Octopus Energy tariff (even the fixed rate) was £264 cheaper than British Gas. (Watch out for British Gas exit fees and confusing tariffs!)

What’s the best Octopus EV tariff?

We are in the process of buying an electric car and so I’ve really been digging around to find the cheapest tariff. At the moment, for our needs, I think the Octopus Go tariff is the easiest and cheapest option. Octopus beats other suppliers on their EV offerings. I may opt for the Intelligent Octopus tariff as we have ordered a Model Y Tesla and the tariff links with the API in the car to maximise cheap overnight charging BUT at the minute Go seems the simplest answer.

What is Octopus Energy doing to help us reach Net-Zero?

We’ve done this Octopus Energy review as we simply love them. I never thought I would have such a passion for my energy supplier but we are in a global crisis and they are leading the way in the energy market. I haven’t got the skills to do this but my supplier has and that makes me extremely happy!

Octopus has now launched an entech-led research organisation dubbed the Octopus Centre for Net-Zero.  (OCNZ) 🌍 Funded by Octopus Energy it is the first of its kind in the world. All technology from the facility will be made public.  With the climate emergency being upon us anything that brings together the energy industry, technology, and policymakers is simply amazing in my books!

Does Octopus Energy have an app?

Yes, Octopus has just launched a new app on the app store.  It really helps you keep track of your energy use. We like the daily comparisons where you can check to see if your usage has gone up or down. Octopus is currently running a winter workout competition with a prize fund of 1 million pounds! They give you hints and tips and you can try and keep warm but also reduce your energy wastage by following their advice.

As you can tell we are extremely happy customers!

I hope you have found our Octopus Energy review useful. We are more than happy to recommend Octopus Energy.

Thank you and keep safe 💕

Sarah and The Family

my twitter link