Octopus Energy Review – Is It Worth Switching?

Before we moved into our house we did a bit of exploring into energy providers. And Octopus was one that stood out to us. They were highly rated in several places, like in this Octopus review. So when we got the keys and realised we were already with Octopus we were very happy. That was back in March (where has the time gone?!) And we ‘officially’ moved in August so I thought I’d do a bit of an Octopus Energy review for you. This might be interesting if you’ve been debating the switch.

We’re currently on a 12 month fixed contract for both our electricity and gas. And then once that’s over in March we’ll review the other options that Octopus offers to make sure we’re getting the best deal for our money.

You only get a statement when you submit a reading

How a lot of other energy suppliers work is they estimate your usage based on how much you’ve previously used. But if like us you’ve just moved and they’re comparing your usage to the previous owner’s usage this could be quite different. Or for example this year we’ve all been at home a lot more so we’re using more energy. So if you paid based on last year you may find yourself owing a lot more.

This is only applicable if you’re on a monthly direct debit though, which is something I’d always recommend. If you opt to pay when your bill comes through you’ll get a monthly bill whether you submit a reading or not. But on direct debit, Octopus will only send you a statement showing how much you owe when you submit a reading. This way what you’re paying is always accurate and no estimations are used. This means you should never have times where you suddenly owe a lot of money. Or times where you’ve overpaid so much you need to stop payments.

Octopus Energy Review- They remind you monthly to submit readings

My biggest worry about only getting a statement when I submitted a reading was remembering to submit it.  But every month on the same day Octopus emails me to remind me to submit a reading. There have been a few times where I’ve done it a week late and ended up with a bill for 5 weeks and then next time for 3. But it’s great that they’re actively reminding you to submit it so your payments are accurate.

There’s also a little wheel you can spin every time you submit a reading where you could win money off your bill. I’ve yet to win, but you never know!

Their customer service was amazing

When we first moved in I emailed them to explain our situation. We’d got the keys but we wouldn’t be living there for about 4 months so didn’t want to pay loads on direct debit and be left massively in credit. Their customer service got back to me so quickly and gave me an easy solution. I set up and paid the first payment in full (based on how much we felt we should pay monthly). And once that had gone through our direct debit was reduced down to £10. This meant the direct debit still existed and could be changed as soon as we moved in. But we weren’t paying loads.

Then the day we moved in officially I emailed them, they switched the direct debit back and it’s been great ever since.

Octopus Energy Review- Quick and easy to make changes

The website makes it so so easy to make changes to your account like making an additional payment, changing your direct debit, or updating your contact information. With some of the energy suppliers, I’ve been with before they sometimes make it tough to do. Either the place you can do it is quite hidden on the website, or you have to ring them to change your payment amount. And ringing a company is not how I want to spend my lunch break.

Octopus Energy Review- Switching rewards

You can get a £50 reward for switching to Octopus by using a friend’s code like mine here (where I’d also get £50). Sign up rewards are always a nice touch as it gives you a bit of a boost on your account making your first month or so slightly cheaper. As we were already with Octopus we didn’t get to take advantage of the reward, but if you want to switch take advantage.

My Octopus Energy review is massively positive as I have not had a single bad experience so far. Although knowing if what we’re paying is competitive is another thing for me to look into.

Have you ever heard of Octopus Energy?

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