Latest news with #OctopusEnergy
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
I bought a smart home and my energy bill is now ZERO: Here's how I did it
When Mark Puddicombe moved out in 2023, he was most excited about the gadgets that came with his new smart home. Unlike the detached period property he had previously lived in, Mark's new home in Exeter can be run via an app. This allows him to control his lighting and heating, which is 100 per cent renewable, remotely from his phone. But there was another bonus, too: he'd no longer have to pay an energy bill. And he's not alone. Mark is one of a growing number of homeowners who generate enough energy to have zero bills. He has solar panels, an air source heat pump, and triple-glazed doors and windows. What is the zero-bills scheme? The zero-bills scheme has been spearheaded by the supplier, Octopus Energy. Homes signed up to the initiative have green technology installed, including a heat pump, solar panels and a battery, and are signed up to Octopus's Zero energy tariff. The idea is that the property will generate more energy than is consumed, meaning energy bills are a thing of the past. It doesn't necessarily come cheap, though. The average cost for the required technology and installation ranges from between £5,000 to £20,000, depending on the size of the home and whether the home already has some tech installed. Octopus guarantees each property will pay nothing for energy, even if it uses more than it generates, for five to 10 years. Octopus says it makes enough revenue from exporting excess energy produced back to the grid to make it commercially viable. The scheme started small with three eligible homes made by Bellway in Stafford's Victoria Gate estate, before expanding to hundreds more. Last year, Octopus said it wanted to build 100,000 zero-bill homes by 2030. Currently, it has 1,200 customers who are paying nothing for their electricity. How does a zero-bill home work? Since Mark moved in two years ago, he's not paid a penny towards his electricity usage. The chartered building surveyor had stumbled across the scheme when he'd seen eco homes being built around Exeter. Long interested in what he calls 'environmental stuff', Mark spoke with the developers and eventually moved into his four-bedroom home. Although saving on bills is a bonus, he says being able to control his home remotely and reducing his impact on the environment were his main motivations. 'It was more the renewables and smart home element. I really like gadgets and stuff, so all of that appeals to me. I was quite keen to have a smart home,' he says. 'I like the design as well, they're nice, modern-looking places. 'The zero bills element came later on when there was an option to talk about having the battery pack and everything else. That's certainly been a positive.' Every month, Mark receives an email from Octopus with his energy usage, and his bill is nil. 'I literally get a zero bill every month. I haven't gone beyond the fair usage policy, it would be way more than I'd be using it.' Each home has a fair usage policy of 10 megawatt hours (MWh) of free electricity a year, and Octopus will charge you for anything you use over that amount. Electric vehicle charging is not included in a home's usage. Energy regulator Ofgem says the average three-bedroom household uses around 14.2 MWh of energy a year, but Octopus estimates that a similar sized home signed up to its scheme would only use 6MWh of electricity. Mark says his energy usage is already much lower than in his previous home, which had single-glazed timber sash windows. His new home is better insulated, with all doors and windows triple-glazed and the house well-sealed. 'I think even if I were paying for the energy, I'd still be paying a lot less proportionately than if I were in a traditional, older home,' Mark adds. Which homes are eligible for zero bills? Mark is a big fan of his smart home. He raves about the benefits of being able to control everything via an app, which he admits was 'a little clunky' when he first moved in. After some fiddling around, he can now control his heating and lighting through voice commands. 'It knows I've got my phone with me, so if I come home at night and it's after dark, then the app starts and the lights will come on for a couple of minutes before I get into the house,' he says. It means it's well placed to connect to Octopus' Kraken tech, which automatically imports and exports energy to the grid. 'The house has an air source heat pump. On the first floor, there's radiators and MVHR [mechanical ventilation with heat recovery] so it's always drawing air from the wet room, showers, kitchen and utility room,' explains Mark. 'Then it harvests heat from there and then in the winter months, it blows back out to the living room, bedrooms and lounge.' You do not need to have a smart home to be eligible for Octopus's zero-bill scheme, but it currently only works with new build homes that have been designed around the Zero tariff. Octopus has partnered with housebuilders Vistry, Persimmon and Bellway, the latter of which has a 130-home zero bills development planned in Bedfordshire. If it all sounds a little high-tech, that's because it is - but Octopus thinks it's the future. It estimates that half a million homes built since 2013 could be upgraded and eligible for zero bills.
Metro
2 days ago
- Business
- Metro
You can get free electricity today for three hours - here's how
One of Britain's largest energy suppliers is giving away three hours of free electricity to thousands of people today. Customers signed up to Octopus Energy Agile tariff will be able to make use of free electricity from 11am to 3pm today. As we're coming close to 12pm, that means you have just three hours left to claim the free energy. Those benefiting can use as much electricity as they want during the window. Users received an alert from Octopus energy earlier today letting them know that they can claim their free electricity. This is happening because Octopus Energy Agile offers customers electricity prices that change every half an hour, based on the wholesale price of energy. So when the wholesale price of electricity drops, the price you pay falls too. Across the UK, whenever more electricity is generated than consumed, energy prices fall – sometimes to the point where prices hit zero or even drop below. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video When prices go below zero, suppliers are paid to take energy off the grid. More Trending Under Agile Octopus Plunge Pricing scheme, this means users get paid for the electricity they use during these negative pricing events. This happened on Saturday, when users were paid to user power during the afternoon dip in energy demand. But prices can also spike during the high demand periods. View More » The scheme incentivises users to shift their daily electricity use outside of peak times to save even more money. To benefit from Octopus agile pricing, you first need to be an Octopus Energy customer. You will also need a smart meter. Then you can swap from a standard Octopus tariff to Agile. If you are switching from a different supplier, it takes 14 days for Octopus to connect to your smart meter so they can read it. Once connected and Octopus will send you an email asking you to accept the Terms and Conditions. Then you'll be switched automatically to tariff Agile Octopus. If you want more tips and tricks on saving money, as well as chat about cash and alerts on deals and discounts, join our Facebook Group, Money Pot. MORE: Here's how you can find out if you're owed money from your state pension MORE: Schools should teach money management after teens turn to AI for help, parents say MORE: Warning as building society to cut interest rates on dozens of accounts
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major energy supplier to give away four hours of FREE electricity today – but you will need to be quick
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR energy supplier is giving away four hours of free electricity to thousands of customers today. The offer is available to customers from 11am to 3pm today. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Customers need to act now to get the four hours of free electricity today Credit: Alamy The free hours are available to customers who have signed up for the Octopus Energy Agile tariff. You can use as much electricity as you want between these hours, so it could be a good time to run your washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher. Or you could batch cook your meals today then reheat them during the week. The tariff charges customers different rates for the energy they use, depending on when the wholesale price of electricity rises and falls. This means that when the wholesale price of electricity drops, so do your bills. But if the wholesale price rises then you could pay more for electricity than if you were on a standard tariff. Meanwhile, if you can shift your daily electricity use outside of peak times, you can save even more money. Octopus Energy has sent eligible customers an alert to let them know that they can claim the free electricity today. How do I join Agile Octopus? If you want to sign up for the tariff then you need to be an Octopus Energy customer. To join from another energy supplier you will need to sign up for a standard Octopus tariff and then switch to Agile. What is the energy price cap? You will also need a smart meter. It usually takes around 14 days for Octopus to connect to your smart meter so it can read it remotely. Once you are connected and Octopus is receiving your half-hourly readings it will send you an email asking you to accept the Terms and Conditions. Your tariff will then automatically change to Agile Octopus and you should be able to see the change straight away in your online account. What energy bill help is available? There's a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by. If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter. This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period. If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don't think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal. Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills. But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances. For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000. British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund. You don't need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund. EDF, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too. Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR). The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill. Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you're struggling. Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply. Your unit rates for the next 24 hours are calculated between 4-8pm every day, based on the wholesale market rates. For more information go to Do other suppliers offer free electricity? Octopus Energy is not the only electricity supplier that will give you free electricity. Next is giving new and existing customers free electricity on every bank holiday until March 2026. The next one is the August bank holiday on August 25. Next said its offer could save households £3.50 every bank holiday - which would save you around £21 over the course of a year. To get the deal you need to be signed up for the supplier's Pledge tariff. The tariff is fixed for a year and offers rates that track below the Ofgem price cap, which is currently £1,849 a year for a typical household. Ovo Energy Ovo Energy gives customers the chance to win free energy if they reduce their use at peak times. The Power Move offer gives customers the chance to win up to £2,000 of free electricity if they use 85% or more of their energy at off-peak times. For every month a customer's peak energy usage is less than 15% they are entered into a prize draw. Five customers win the top prize of £2,000 worth of energy to use over the course of a year, with 100 winning £50 prizes and 37,250 people receiving £2 of free energy. To sign up visit Scottish Power Scottish Power's Power Save scheme gives customers the chance to access half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every weekend. Customers need to register to become a Power Saver to have half of the cost of the energy they use during these hours refunded. The supplier will also occasionally launch an ad-hoc Power Saver event during the week. You need to have a smart meter to become a Power Saver. To sign up visit the Scottish Power website. EDF EDF is giving away two days' worth of free electricity to thousands of customers this month. The offer is available on June 1 and June 8. The scheme is part of EDF's Sunday Saver challenges, where customers earn free electricity on Sundays by shifting the electricity they use during the week. To be eligible they need to move their electricity usage away from the weekday peak hours of 4pm to 7pm. The more electricity customers move away from these hours, the more free electricity they can earn, with between four and 16 hours up for grabs. This is added as credit to your account. One way to do this is not to run your dishwasher or washing machine during these hours. To be eligible you needed to have signed up for the challenge between April 28 and May 4. But EDF frequently launches these savings challenges, so keep an eye out for the next one to avoid missing out. Energy bill increases The average dual full energy bill for those on a variable tariff will fall to £1,720 a year from July. This is a decrease of 7% compared to the cap set between April 1 and June 30. The news will be welcomed by the 22 million households in England, Scotland and Wales who are not on a fixed energy tariff. But if you will still struggle to pay that then you can take action as you could be missing out on free boilers and energy bill discounts. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major energy supplier to give away four hours of FREE electricity today – but you will need to be quick
A MAJOR energy supplier is giving away four hours of free electricity to thousands of customers today. The offer is available to customers from 11am to 3pm today. 1 The free hours are available to customers who have signed up for the Octopus Energy Agile tariff. You can use as much electricity as you want between these hours, so it could be a good time to run your washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher. Or you could batch cook your meals today then reheat them during the week. The tariff charges customers different rates for the energy they use, depending on when the wholesale price of electricity rises and falls. This means that when the wholesale price of electricity drops, so do your bills. But if the wholesale price rises then you could pay more for electricity than if you were on a standard tariff. Meanwhile, if you can shift your daily electricity use outside of peak times, you can save even more money. Octopus Energy has sent eligible customers an alert to let them know that they can claim the free electricity today. How do I join Agile Octopus? If you want to sign up for the tariff then you need to be an Octopus Energy customer. To join from another energy supplier you will need to sign up for a standard Octopus tariff and then switch to Agile. What is the energy price cap? You will also need a smart meter. It usually takes around 14 days for Octopus to connect to your smart meter so it can read it remotely. Once you are connected and Octopus is receiving your half-hourly readings it will send you an email asking you to accept the Terms and Conditions. Your tariff will then automatically change to Agile Octopus and you should be able to see the change straight away in your online account. What energy bill help is available? There's a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by. If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter. This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period. If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don't think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal. Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills. But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances. For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000. British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund. You don't need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund. EDF, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too. Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR). The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill. Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you're struggling. Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply. Your unit rates for the next 24 hours are calculated between 4-8pm every day, based on the wholesale market rates. For more information go to Do other suppliers offer free electricity? Octopus Energy is not the only electricity supplier that will give you free electricity. Next is giving new and existing customers free electricity on every bank holiday until March 2026. The next one is the August bank holiday on August 25. Next said its offer could save households £3.50 every bank holiday - which would save you around £21 over the course of a year. To get the deal you need to be signed up for the supplier's Pledge tariff. The tariff is fixed for a year and offers rates that track below the Ofgem price cap, which is currently £1,849 a year for a typical household. Ovo Energy Ovo Energy gives customers the chance to win free energy if they reduce their use at peak times. The Power Move offer gives customers the chance to win up to £2,000 of free electricity if they use 85% or more of their energy at off-peak times. For every month a customer's peak energy usage is less than 15% they are entered into a prize draw. Five customers win the top prize of £2,000 worth of energy to use over the course of a year, with 100 winning £50 prizes and 37,250 people receiving £2 of free energy. To sign up visit Scottish Power Scottish Power's Power Save scheme gives customers the chance to access half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every weekend. Customers need to register to become a Power Saver to have half of the cost of the energy they use during these hours refunded. The supplier will also occasionally launch an ad-hoc Power Saver event during the week. You need to have a smart meter to become a Power Saver. To sign up visit the Scottish Power website. EDF EDF is giving away two days' worth of free electricity to thousands of customers this month. The offer is available on June 1 and June 8. The scheme is part of EDF's Sunday Saver challenges, where customers earn free electricity on Sundays by shifting the electricity they use during the week. To be eligible they need to move their electricity usage away from the weekday peak hours of 4pm to 7pm. The more electricity customers move away from these hours, the more free electricity they can earn, with between four and 16 hours up for grabs. This is added as credit to your account. One way to do this is not to run your dishwasher or washing machine during these hours. To be eligible you needed to have signed up for the challenge between April 28 and May 4. But EDF frequently launches these savings challenges, so keep an eye out for the next one to avoid missing out. Energy bill increases The average dual full energy bill for those on a variable tariff will fall to £1,720 a year from July. This is a decrease of 7% compared to the cap set between April 1 and June 30. The will be welcomed by the 22 million households in England, Scotland and Wales who are not on a fixed energy tariff. But if you will still struggle to pay that then you can take action as you could be missing out on free boilers and energy bill discounts. .
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Planning change to make installing heat pump easier for millions
A key planning restriction that heat pumps need to be one meter from a neighbour's property has been lifted as the government seeks to accelerate the take up of the low-carbon technology. The change, which is part of the government's Warm Homes Plan to lower household bills and cut planet warming emissions, means it could be easier for millions of homes in England to have a heat pump installed. But consumer groups warn that the changes will not help those in rented or leasehold properties and the biggest barrier to installing a heat pump remains the high upfront costs. This is a particular problem for older housing stock where upgrades to pipework and insulation may also be required. What is a heat pump and how much do they cost? Half of homes need heat pump by 2040, government told UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level Most UK homes use gas boilers for their hot water and heating, but this produces up to 14% of the country's planet warming greenhouse gases. In comparison, heat pumps use electricity, so as the country moves to generating more electricity from renewable energy sources like solar and wind, they could produce far fewer emissions than boilers. But switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump is expensive and not straightforward if you live in one of England's six million terraced homes. Until Thursday, homeowners needed planning permission if they wanted to put a heat pump within one meter of their neighbour's property - because of concerns over noise. Tom Clarke, a gas engineer who recently retrained to fit heat pumps, said having to apply for planning permission had been a barrier for his customers. "When you look across London we have loads and loads of terraced houses and no matter where you site the appliance it is always going to be within one metre of the boundary," he said. It was particularly problematic for people replacing a broken gas boiler because many customers would not want to go more than a month without heating waiting for council approval, he said. This is echoed by Octopus Energy, who told parliament's Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) Committee in 2023 that this planning rule was affecting 27% of its customers. "Those who try to proceed end up waiting an additional eight to 10 weeks on average. Even if customers meet all the requirements, there is no guarantee that local councils will grant the permission, as they all have different interpretations of central planning guidelines," the company wrote in its submission. "The combined impact of all these things mean that very few of the 27% of customers who require planning have made it to install." The rule has now been dropped to accelerate the uptake of heat pumps. Previous concerns over noise are less of an issue with newer devices, though units will still be required to be below a certain volume level. The planning changes also include a relaxation of the rules for the size and number of heat pumps households can install. Households most likely to be affected are those living in terraced housing. In 2021, they accounted for 5.7 million households, or 23% of the total. Some of these will still need planning permission, for example those living in conservation areas and those installing ground source heat pumps. The change is part of the government's Warm Homes Plan which aims to give 300,000 households upgrades to improve their energy efficiency and lower bills. Although the heat pump industry welcomed the changes, many point out the main barrier for many customers is that installing heat pumps is expensive, particularly in older houses, where better insulation may also be needed. This was the case at social housing estate Sutton Dwellings in Chelsea, London, which underwent a full refurbishment of its fabric alongside a new heating network. Its landlord, Clarion Housing Group, did receive a grant from the government to install the new network but also invested its own money. Stuart Gadsden, commercial director at Kensa, the company which designed and installed the system, said this was an issue for many landlords: "A big [barrier] is funding, this obviously does cost more to install than a traditional gas boiler system. "In the social housing sector we have funding from the warm homes social housing fund, but it was oversubscribed by double. Lots of housing associations want to put low carbon heating in but there is not enough to go around." Renters have to rely on landlords being willing to make the initial upfront investment. Rob Lane, Chief Property Officer at Clarion, said the company was happy to do this at Sutton Dwellings because of the impact for residents: "We're waiting to see how the costs of running this system bear out, but our forecasts suggests that each home is going to cost on average £450 - £500 per home (each year) - considerable savings for residents." From 2030, as part of the Warm Homes plan, there will be mandatory requirements for all private landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties. But the way that Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are currently calculated means a gas boiler can sometimes have a better rating than a heat pump because it looks at energy costs and assumes gas is cheaper. Katy King, deputy director of sustainability at charity Nesta, said the government could bring down electricity costs. "The UK has some of the most expensive electricity prices in Europe. The government could take levies off electricity and put them onto gas or use general taxation. It is a tricky choice and one we do expect them to be consulting on within the year," she said. Boiler Upgrade Scheme Environmental rules reviewed for small housebuilders UK sea temperatures soar after exceptionally warm spring
