Everything Bulb customers need to know about the switch to Octopus Energy

Bulb's 1.5 million energy customers and 650 staff members will be taken over by Octopus Energy. 

Bulb was placed into special administration in November 2021. Because of its large size, it wasn't possible for its customers to be given over to another supplier immediately, as usually happens when smaller energy companies fold. Since then it has been run with billions of pounds of government support. 

While the details of the Bulb/Octopus deal have not been made public, we know that Octopus will be paying the government to take on the Bulb customer base. Octopus said of the deal that the move will 'provide good value for taxpayers and end an uncertain time for Bulb's customers and team'.

If you're a Bulb customer, don't panic. Very little will change in terms of the way you manage your energy account, and your bills will stay as they are. Octopus has said that you'll continue to deal with Bulb staff and your payments will stay the same.

Here's everything you need to know.

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What should Bulb customers do? 

The switch will take place automatically, so you don't have to do anything immediately. Your energy supply won't be affected in any way, and your credit balance will be protected. 

If you have a direct debit with Bulb, this will continue as usual – you don't need to cancel it or make any changes to your payments.

We do recommend that you take meter readings and make a note of how much credit you have in your account with Bulb, so you can verify that the transfer has all gone ahead as it should when your new account is set up with Octopus. 

Take photographs or screenshots of these so you can prove the date they were recorded, should you ever need to.

It's expected that the transfer will take place at the end of November 2022. Note that it will take some time for your credit balance to be moved into your new Octopus account, so it probably won't show up straight away. 

Bulb will get in touch with you to explain how your new account will be run and make sure you have all the information you need. The company has made it clear that there will be no change to your service. You'll continue to be looked after by the Bulb team, and pay for and manage your account in the same way as you do currently. 

Bulb has answered common questions about the switch in a blog update for its members.

We've always been impressed with Octopus's customer service in the past, so hopefully this good track record will continue for migrating Bulb customers. Octopus is a Which? Recommended Provider, and has a long history of highly praised customer service and communication.

You can find out what Which? members thought of Octopus in our most recent customer survey in our Octopus Energy review. 

Don't try to switch energy supplier yourself. Firstly, very few energy companies are recommending new customers join up right now, and there are no good deals on the market. More importantly, switching manually when your account is in the process of being automatically transferred could lead to errors in your credit balance transfer.

If you do wish to switch away from Octopus, wait to do this when your new account is set up and your credit transfer is complete.

Will Bulb customers still get the government's cost of living payments? 

Yes, you don't need to worry about missing out on the government's energy support. Your bills will stay as they are, and all energy bills are currently capped by the government's Energy Price Guarantee. 

Bulb and Octopus have also reassured customers that their £400 Energy Bills Support payment - paid to all electricity customers and split out into monthly payments of £67 - will continue as normal.

You can find out more about the government's financial support, what you're entitled to and how it will be paid in our guide to the government's winter 2022 cost of living payments. 

While Bulb customers' energy bills won't be affected by this transition, we know that energy prices are still incredibly high this winter. If you're worried about rising bills, head to our information about what to do if you find you're struggling to pay for your energy bills.