Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy has gone from a newcomer in the energy market to the UK's biggest electricity supplier less than a decade. It now serves more than 7.8m customers, or around 1 in 4 households. 

It's one of four Which? Recommended Providers in 2026 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 UK's 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.

Which? verdict on Octopus Energy

• Pros A Which? Recommended Provider with strong customer service according to customers and good support for those who need it
• Cons Could have done better in our complaints and smart meter assessments

Octopus Energy customer review

Octopus Energy has maintained its high customer score again this year, having fortunately not suffered from its recent expansion after it took on millions of customers from Bulb and Shell Energy in 2022-2023.

It's third in our table for customer feedback – fellow Which? Recommended Provider 100 Green secured top spot this year – based on responses in the latest annual Which? customer survey of 11,945 members of the public.

Octopus scored well on many aspects of its service, including customer service, ease of contacting, and clarity of payments. 

It received a middling three stars for a few of the criteria we ask customers about, including accurate payments, customer communications, and value for money. No supplier got more than three stars for value for money, though – perhaps reflecting generally high energy prices at the moment. 

One happy Octopus customer said: 'They offer nice wee extras, like free coffees, they are transparent with their pricing and the app is fantastic.' 

Another said they are: 'Easy to communicate with, very clear when changes are being made. They have great customer service and fantastic deals.'

It's a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for the ninth 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.

Octopus Energy customer service

Octopus received four out of five stars for customer service in our survey. While this was one star short of the full five, no other provider received the maximum rating, and only fellow WRPs E (Gas & Electricity), 100 Green and Sainsbury's Energy matched Octopus's four stars. 

Octopus Energy common issues and complaints

Octopus Energy customers as a whole experienced fewer issues in the past year than the customers of most other suppliers. Where problems did arise, they most commonly related to direct debits being set too high or low (8%) or smart meters not sending readings automatically (6%). 

Overall, only 4% of Octopus customers felt the need to make a formal complaint over the last 12 months. 

Our Octopus Energy supplier assessment

In September-November 2025 we looked at five aspects of suppliers' business practices and procedures. Examples of some criteria within each category are shown below:

• Complaints – how many complaints suppliers get and how quickly they resolve them
  
• Contacting your supplier – including how and when you can get in touch, call waiting times, and the quality of self-service help online
• Help for customers who need it – including those in vulnerable situations, those who use prepayment meters, those who need materials in languages besides English, and web accessibility 
• Smart meters – including performance against 2024 smart meter targets and the proportion of customers' smart meters actually operating in smart mode
• Switching – how well suppliers handle switching.

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

Octopus Energy had the joint second-highest overall score in our supplier assessment, along with Co-op Energy (which Octopus provides the back-end for). It received the maximum points for how it supports customers who need it. This is thanks to its consistently strong performance in the areas we analysed, including digital accessibility, support for alternative languages and support for deaf and blind customers.  

It got a reasonable score of eight out of 12 for contacting your supplier. It has extensive email monitoring hours, and its team based in New Zealand means support can be offered through UK night times. However, it did lose some points for its more limited phone monitoring hours, which are limited to 9-5 during weekdays (9-4 on Fridays) and not at all over the weekend.

It didn't score as well on dealing with complaints. And, surprisingly for a supplier that's a strong advocate of smart meters, it only received five out of a possible ten in our smart meter assessment. This is in part because it was quite a way off hitting its 2024 smart meter targets.

Octo Assist fund

Octopus's £40 million hardship fund, Octo Assist, can support customers in several different ways including:

• Direct financial support
• Standing charge waivers for one, three or six months
• Free electric blankets for the most vulnerable customers
• Lending thermal cameras to help customers check where their home is leaking heat.

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

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 for both electricity and gas when their balance is below £2. 
• Traditional meter customers can activate £10 of emergency credit for electricity and £20 for gas with a balance below £1, activated by inserting their key or card into the meter. Emergency credit for both types of meter is deducted at the next top-up. 
• Friendly credit is available on smart meters (electric and gas) and traditional prepay meters (electric only) 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 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 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.