Paw-ered by Octopus: Kimbolton Vets are saving money with Shape Shifters Trio
When we want to know how customers are getting on, we go straight to the source.
In fact, paying customers a visit is one of our favourite things to do. Especially when they're being so smart with their energy consumption. And especially when they count some lovely pups among their colleagues!
So, we popped over to see Becky. She runs Kimbolton Vets, caring for cats and canines in her Cambridgeshire community. And she's saving money with Shape Shifters: Trio.
By making a few small changes, Becky's unlocking big savings. That means more money to reinvest in her practice - and in her patients of course (did someone say treats?! 😋).
We stopped by to see how Becky's making the most of Shape Shifters. Oh, and to hang out with some darn adorable dogs 🐶
Hi Becky! Tell us about yourself.
My name’s Becky and I’m the founder here at Kimbolton Vets. We’ve been open for just over a year now.
I decided to open my own practice because I wanted a bit more control. Over how I do veterinary medicine and over my own life too. It means I can be a vet the way I always wanted to, away from corporate chains. Plus, I’ve got a young family and I wanted to have time with them on my own schedule.
That sounds like a really positive move. How have you found becoming a business owner?
I’m passionate about being a business owner as well as a vet.
Running a business is a whole new world to me - and it’s something that I’m really enjoying. The flexibility and independence are great. We can decide for ourselves how we run our practice and set our prices.
What’s it like being in the veterinary industry at the moment?
It’s becoming more corporate. Which is leading to prices going up. It just wasn’t something I felt comfortable with.
Staff are feeling less appreciated too - there are longer hours and less in the way of thank yous. So, starting my own practice, I wanted a team of people who could feel happy coming to work.
That's lovely. It'd be great to hear more about your team.
We’re a small team here. We’ve got 3 vets, 3 nurses and 1 receptionist. And my dog Arthur! He comes with me to work every day.
Coming to work is a joy. We get on really well - we enjoy working together and doing our job as a team.
Employee happiness is really important to me. It’s another of the reasons I wanted to open up the practice.
And what's the community like around you?
Kimbolton is a friendly place to be. And we’re really part of the community here. We love joining in with community events.
Like at Christmas, we had a little Santa’s Grotto set up for the dogs. The locals loved it!
And we have lots of clients and neighbours who’ll pop in to say hi when they pass by. All in all, being part of the community is really important to us.
Let's talk about being green. What are the challenges for you as a vet?
Veterinary medicine isn’t the most environmentally friendly industry. There are lots of sterile packaging and single-use plastics. We use lots of syringes and surgical kit that we then dispose of in plastic wrappers.
So, it’s important for us to find areas where we can balance that.
Parts of the building are over 500 years old - which brings challenges. When it came to replacing the oil boiler, we decided to invest in getting a heat pump. We got a government grant, got the pump installed and now all our heat is run off that.
It’s important to do all we can to be green. All those small steps you can take add up. You can have a big impact without too much effort on your side.
And when it came to choosing an energy supplier, we certainly wanted one that has those green credentials.
We're delighted that you chose us! How did you know Octopus Energy for Business was right for you?
We chose Octopus because we already have you at home. The customer service was really important for us.
Like when we first started here, we had some issues with the energy setup. We had a 3-phase energy supply and no other suppliers would come and sort it.
But Octopus were really great in the customer support and helped us to get it running in time for us to open.
We’d recommend other small businesses to do a simple switch. The service we’ve received has been really helpful for us.
Let's talk a bit about Shape Shifters: Trio. Why did you join?
We signed up to Shape Shifters: Trio because we thought this was the sort of change that we could make for our business. Not using that energy 4-7pm and getting cheaper electricity during the day was really appealing to us.
Quick look: What is Shape Shifters: Trio?
Shape Shifters: Trio is one of Octopus' smart tariffs for businesses. It gives you 21 hours of cheaper electricity. Every day. Guaranteed.
You'll get 3 set energy prices for different periods of the day:
- The night rate is the cheapest time to use electricity. It runs from midnight to 7am
- The day rate is cheaper than the standard rate. It runs 7am-4pm and 7pm-midnight
- The peak rate runs 4-7pm. It's the highest rate, so you can save by using less here
What steps have you taken to make the most of Shape Shifters: Trio?
All the staff know that we try to avoid using the high electricity items between 4pm and 7pm. So, our washing machine, our autoclave, we try to use outside of those hours. We have our air con units all turn off at 4pm.
Some of the staff have made some little printouts that they've laminated. We've got them stuck on some of the machines that use a lot of electricity. Just as a reminder of when not to use it.
It’s great for our heat pump too. We have it set to come on overnight. That’s enough to last us throughout the whole day. By putting it on when demand for electricity is low and prices are cheaper, we don’t need to have it on during peak times.
What’s been the impact of Shape Shifters: Trio for you?
We’re lowering our bills significantly. Saving that money certainly would allow us to reinvest that into other low carbon greener technologies and just make more of those small changes to add up.
I would recommend other small businesses to make these changes.
All these companies, making these changes together, can make a better future for all of us.
Thanks for having us, Becky! It's been so nice to chat to you (and Arthur).
Why not follow Becky's lead? 🦮
Shape Shifters: Trio is saving hundreds of businesses money. You can join them!
Or, if you fancy a smart tariff with more variation, Shape Shifters: Agile is worth a look. You can learn more, compare Agile and Trio, and sign up for either version by clicking this button:
Head to the Shape Shifters homepagePublished on 7th August 2025 by:
Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy!
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