Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy has gone from a newcomer in the energy market to the UK's biggest electricity supplier in just nine years. It now serves 7.3m customers, or 1 in 4 households. 

It's one of three Which? Recommended Providers in 2025 and was named a Which? Eco Provider for energy in 2024.

Octopus Energy says it's working to transform the energy industry with tech and invests in renewables, installs heat pumps, smart home tech and leases EVs.

In December 2023, Octopus Energy bought Shell Energy. It is currently the largest supplier for electricity accounts. 

Compare energy prices using our free tool to see if you could spend less. 

Octopus Energy score

We combine the results of our customer survey with an in-depth assessment of companies' behind-the-scenes practices and policies to give you an overall view. 

Take a look at our table below to see our score breakdown for Octopus:

Here's how Octopus Energy's customer and policy assessments break down:

To find out how Octopus Energy compares with other energy firms, see our full results of the best and worst energy companies.

Octopus Energy customer review

Octopus Energy has maintained its high customer score again this year, despite a rapid recent expansion, having taken on millions of customers from firms Bulb and Shell Energy.

It tops the table for customer feedback, alongside 100Green, based on responses in the latest annual Which? customer survey of 11,984 members of the public.

Octopus scored well on all aspects of its service and was one of only three suppliers to receive a five-star rating for its overall customer service.

Although it did receive a couple of four-star ratings, including for value for money, few providers in our survey achieved such high ratings. 

One happy Octopus customer said: 'They keep prices as low as possible, have great customer service, a good website and go that extra mile for customers.' 

Another said: 'Their customer service department is always very helpful and very knowledgeable.'

It's a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for the eighth year in a row, passing all our tough assessments. 

Find out more about how companies qualify to become Which? Recommended Providers and which other firms make the cut.

Which? verdict on Octopus Energy

• Pros A Which? Recommended Provider with excellent customer service according to customers and great support for those who need it
• Cons Not the best at meeting its smart meter installation targets

Our Octopus Energy supplier assessment

In October-November 2024, we looked at four aspects of suppliers' business practices and procedures: 

• Contacting your supplier – including how and when you can get in touch, and the quality of self-service help online
• How well they deal with complaints – how many complaints suppliers get and how quickly they resolve them
• Supporting customers who need it – including web accessibility, those in vulnerable situations, in financial difficulty, who use prepayment meters, and those who need materials in languages besides English 
• Switching – how easy it is for customers to switch
• Smart meter targets performance in 2023 –the most recent figures available.

We did this using a combination of the responses to a survey we sent to suppliers and our own assessments.

Octopus Energy had the fourth-highest overall score in this assessment and received the maximum points for how it supports customers who need it and for its switching performance. 

It didn't score as well on how it met its complaints performance targets as it received a high volume of complaints—as expected for such a large provider—and for not resolving enough complaints within eight weeks. 

Octopus Energy customer service

Its customers love Octopus Energy's customer service. It was one of only three suppliers to receive a five-star rating for it, based on feedback in our customer survey. 

However, its score in our supplier assessment of its customer service was just above average. It lost points partly because of its customer service setup, because the phone lines aren’t open much beyond office hours and it offers little in the way of live chat support. 

Octo Assist fund

Octopus's £30 million hardship fund, Octo Assist, can support customers in several different ways including:

• Payment holidays
• Standing charge waivers for one, three or six months
• Free electric blankets for the most vulnerable customers
• Home visits from energy helpers
• Lending thermal cameras to help customers check where their home is leaking heat
• Debt forgiveness loans (in winter).

Customers can fill out its Octopus Assist form to get help.

Octopus Energy common complaints

In our survey, just 2% of Octopus customers said that they had made a formal complaint to Octopus in the past year. This was among the lowest among all suppliers included in our survey.

Of the few Octopus customers who did make a complaint, the most common reason (for two in 10) was an incorrect bill or statement. 

Does Octopus Energy support prepayment meters?

Yes. Here's what you need to know:

• If you have a traditional prepayment meter you can top up at PayPoint and Payzone stores. If you have a smart prepayment meter, you can use your online account, phone app, call or email to top up.
• Smart meter customers can activate £10 emergency credit per fuel when their balance is below £2. 
• Traditional meter customers can get £10 for electricity with a balance below £1, and £20 for gas with a balance below £2, activated by inserting their key or card into the meter.
• Friendly credit is available on smart meters and traditional prepay electricity meters from 4pm-10am Monday to Friday, and all day Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. 

Not sure if you should prepay? Find out: is prepayment energy is right for you.

How sustainable is Octopus Energy?

Sustainability credentials are important when choosing an energy supplier for two thirds of those responsible for choosing their provider. That’s according to our online survey of 3,000 UK adults in August 2024. 

So we factor a range of sustainability criteria into our annual Eco Provider assessment. 

Octopus Energy is one of three firms named Eco Providers for energy in 2024. Here's how it fared:

• Proportion of renewable electricity sold to customers: 100%. 
• Generates renewable electricity in the UK from solar, onshore wind, offshore wind and bioenergy. 
• Offers the widest range of time-of-use tariffs, including cheaper overnight EV charging rates, prices that change every half-hour based on wholesale rates, import and export tariffs for solar and battery owners, and cheaper rates when it's windy for those living near its turbines.
• Customers in specific areas – southeast England, east England and Scotland – can get free electricity at times when the grid is greenest. 
• Installs solar PV, battery storage, heat pumps, insulation and EV chargers. 

Find out more about the differences between energy companies’ renewable electricity, and find out how we assessed energy suppliers for sustainability. 

Based on information supplied by companies in August 2024 and their most recent published fuel mixes, where available. 

Making your home more energy efficient will save money on your bills in the long term and lower your carbon footprint. Get started with our guides to home energy efficiency.