How to switch to Octopus Energy
We run an independent referral site and earn £50 credit if you join Octopus Energy through our link. Your £50 is unaffected, and the information below is based on Octopus's own published pages.
Switching to Octopus Energy is done online and takes a few minutes. You get a quote, sign up, and Octopus arranges the change with your old supplier. Octopus says it usually completes the switch within about three working days of sign-up, your supply carries on as normal, and you have a 14-day cooling-off period to cancel.
What you'll need
Octopus will ask for details like these when you get a quote and sign up:
- Your address and postcode
- Your current supplier and tariff, if you have them to hand
- A recent gas and electricity meter reading, if possible
- Bank details to set up a monthly direct debit
- An email address for your Octopus account
The switch, step by step
- Start from a referral link. If you want the £50 credit, sign up through the link on this page, directly on Octopus's website. Octopus doesn't pay the referral credit if you join through a comparison or switching site.
- Get a quote and choose a tariff. Enter your postcode and usage details. Octopus's standard variable tariff is Flexible Octopus; smart tariffs need a compatible smart meter (more on that below).
- Octopus contacts your old supplier. You don't need to tell them. Octopus liaises with them directly and agrees a switchover date.
- Switchover day. Octopus officially takes over your supply and takes your first direct debit on the switchover date, then monthly on the day you choose.
- Send a meter reading. About five days after the switch date, Octopus emails to ask for a reading. It is used to work out exactly where your old supplier's charges stop and Octopus's start.
- Your old supplier sends a final bill. This closes your old account, or refunds any credit you had. Octopus notes this can sometimes take up to six weeks.
How long does switching take?
Octopus says it usually switches customers within about three working days of signing up, and that its switches are covered by the Energy Switch Guarantee. Ofgem's Faster Switching rules set a standard of five working days for suppliers to complete a switch.
Separately, you have a statutory 14-day cooling-off period after agreeing a new energy contract, during which you can cancel without penalty.
Do you need a smart meter?
You don't need one to switch to Octopus's standard tariff. Smart tariffs such as Agile and Intelligent Octopus Go do need a compatible smart meter. If you're not yet an Octopus customer, you join on a standard tariff first and move across once Octopus has connected to your meter, which Octopus says generally takes around 14 days.
Things to check before you switch
- Exit fees on your current deal. If you're on a fixed tariff, leaving early may cost you.
- Exit fees on the new tariff. Some Octopus tariffs carry one. At the time of writing, Intelligent Octopus Go has a £50 early exit fee.
- Who pays the bills. If you pay your supplier directly, you can normally switch. If your landlord pays, ask them first.
Switching and the £50 referral credit
Octopus adds the referral credit once you're on supply and your first monthly direct debit has been taken, which it says typically takes around four weeks. You must join through the referral link directly on Octopus's website. See our referral code explained guide for the full rules.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to contact my old supplier?
Will I lose gas or electricity during the switch?
Can I cancel after I've signed up?
Do I need a smart meter to switch to Octopus?
What if my old supplier delays the switch?
Get £50 Octopus Energy credit
Join Octopus Energy through this referral link and you and the customer who shared it each get £50 energy credit.
Claim your £50 →UK customers only. We're an independent site and earn £50 credit too if you switch via this link; your £50 is unaffected.