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Move from BG to Octopus - few questions.

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chubsta
chubsta Posts: 496 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper
As British Gas are seemingly useless when it comes to sorting out billing problems (they want to put my DD up from £75 to £520 per month an an annual estimated usage of £640 as detailed on another thread) I have decided to look elsewhere.

Octopus seem ok but I have a few questions...

I have a Smart Meter and a small box which shows me my usage 'live' - will Octopus supply a similar system? I'm guessing the actual smart meter won't change but will they give me a small display box that works alongside it so I can keep track of my usage?

Do they have a decent iPhone app so that I can check bills/readings etc easily?

Would you recommend them? What are they like at sorting problems with DD etc?

Anything I need to know?
Mortgage free!
Debt free!

And now I am retired - all the time in the world!!
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Comments

  • NigelIR
    NigelIR Posts: 12 Forumite
    10 Posts
    I cannot answer the question about the smart meter as I didn’t have one before moving to Octopus.

    I have found the customer service via email to be varied, but good when you phone them up.
    The iPhone app is quite good, I can see current usage as well as historical. I have changed the DD in the app itself too.
    There are other apps that are quite good to, I am running one called Octo-Aid which has lots of extra info on consumption and costs, and a tariff comparison option which puts your historical usage into different tariffs and tells you which one you would be better off on.
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 34,600 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 7 October 2023 at 9:40AM
    The IHD, the little box, will stay.  Octopus will (should ?) update the data when they take over.
    The app is pretty good showing half hour use etc.
    DDs can be adjusted on line with no difficulty, you set it where you want it.  I suspect if you set it too low and start getting into big debt they may contact you.
    They seem to be pretty good, not perfect and can set some strange DDs but as above you can change that unlike some suppliers.  There have been a few posts on here where they have not sorted problems but a far lower number than the other suppliers.
  • MikeJXE
    MikeJXE Posts: 3,856 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    As above, Iv'e been with Octopus since February and except for initially poor contact (£50 for my trouble) I have had no issues with them 

    I control my own DD from first contact, I knew I was paying over what I needed to but wanted to get ahead of the game so I had a good credit balance for the winter

    They emailed last week and were reducing my DD but I wan't happy so I put it back up again but not quite as high 

    I don't have a smart meter so I give them a reading on the 1st of every month and a bill is produced after a couple of days so I have never had an estimate. My usage is approx £750 per year 

    I haven't needed to contact CS so I can't comment 

    IMO if you keep up to date with your own readings and calculations (don't rely on the IHD) you cant go wrong with Octopus 
  • I've only just signed up and dont have a smart meter, but i can say their website/app is a huge improvment on any other provider i can remember using!
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  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I'm another happy bunny with Octopus.  I don't have a smart meter, but their bills just couldn't be clearer: they generate a bill each time I send a meter reading.  They'll set up a Monthly Variable Direct Debit if you call them.  The Android app is very good so I'd expect the iPhone version to be similar.
    Octopus have a good reputation on the forum and have been the 'Which?' recommended supplier for many years.
  • Alnat1
    Alnat1 Posts: 3,864 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 7 October 2023 at 12:09PM
    Another very happy Octopus customer here. If I need to contact them I usually phone, picked up in minutes rather than hours. Other say Twitter works well but I'm not a twit.

    They offer variable DD if you ask, where you pay the full amount of each month's bill. Means it's low bills over summer, higher in winter but at least they aren't holding onto your money and you're able to stick some away over summer and earn a bit of interest, ready to pay the big bills later.

    The bill are very clear and easy to understand and they also offer several alternative tariffs like Tracker and Agile which can save money for those happy to time-shift use to certain days or hours.
    Barnsley, South Yorkshire
    Solar PV 5.25kWp SW facing (14 x 375) Lux 3.6kw hybrid inverter installed Mar 22 and 9.6kw Pylontech battery 
    Daikin 8kW ASHP installed Jan 25
    Octopus Cosy/Fixed Outgoing 
  • chubsta
    chubsta Posts: 496 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper
    Thanks for all the replies guys, Octopus it is then! I like to have a fair bit of credit in my accounts as then I don't worry about putting the heating on in Winter etc so the ability to change the dd easily would very much suit me.

    Im guessing I will need to let them know the make etc of my smart meter so they can send me a monitoring box that works?
    Mortgage free!
    Debt free!

    And now I am retired - all the time in the world!!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 8 October 2023 at 8:25AM
    chubsta said:
    Thanks for all the replies guys, Octopus it is then! I like to have a fair bit of credit in my accounts as then I don't worry about putting the heating on in Winter etc so the ability to change the dd easily would very much suit me.

    Im guessing I will need to let them know the make etc of my smart meter so they can send me a monitoring box that works?
    Octopus will not send you a monitor or an In House Display. This device is only supported by the supplier for 12 months. If you have SMETS2 or SMETS1 meters enrolled with the DCC, your existing monitor should continue to work. If not, you can buy a paired IHD from Hildebrand or Chameleon.

    I should add the monitors and IHDs pair with your communications hub not your individual meters.
  • Or you can download one of the apps that pulls the data like an IHD on your phone - bright and loop are the two I see mentioned most often. 
    I'm not an early bird or a night owl; I’m some form of permanently exhausted pigeon.
  • Slinky
    Slinky Posts: 11,021 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Don't forget to find a friend who is already with Octopus and get them to give you their referal code. You'll both be credited with £50 once Octopus receive your first payment.
    Make £2025 in 2025
    Prolific £229.82, Octopoints £4.27, Topcashback £290.85, Tesco Clubcard challenges £60, Misc Sales £321, Airtime £10.
    Total £915.94/£2025 45.2%

    Make £2024 in 2024
    Prolific £907.37, Chase Intt £59.97, Chase roundup int £3.55, Chase CB £122.88, Roadkill £1.30, Octopus referral reward £50, Octopoints £70.46, Topcashback £112.03, Shopmium referral £3, Iceland bonus £4, Ipsos survey £20, Misc Sales £55.44
    Total £1410/£2024  70%

    Make £2023 in 2023  Total: £2606.33/£2023  128.8%



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