Greg on tour: our CEO puts in the miles to meet our lovely customers

Greg Jackson meets a customer holding a fluffy pink octopus toy

Bristol: Hosted by Paris Troy from BBC Radio Bristol. Keynote from General Sir Richard Shirreff on the geopolitical risks of energy. Panel on smart tariffs with Sarah Go Green and Phil Steele.
Manchester: Hosted by Nikki Dean. Fireside chat with Gary Neville. Panel discussion covering the environmental impact of AI with Geraldine De Boisse, Ollie Boots and Phil Steele.
Glasgow: Hosted by the comedian Fred MacAulay. Keynote from Baroness Ayesha Hazarika. Panel featuring Greenpeace UK founder Areeba Hamid, Rachel Fletcher, Emma Fletcher and Phil Steele.
Newcastle: Hosted by Fred MacAulay. Keynote from the science journalist Adam Rutherford on trusting complex science. Panel on vulnerable customers and Tenant Power with Katie Orme, Nigel Banks, and Phil Steele.
Cardiff: Hosted by tech presenter Angela Lamont. Keynote from author Jamie Bartlett on ensuring tech innovation actually improves lives. Panel discussion with Katie Orme, Sarah Go Green, and Phil Steele featuring a live zonal energy demo.

We think it’s so important to talk to our customers. We love chatting to you all on the phone and reading your emails, but sometimes it’s nice to sit down face-to-face, grab a pint, and hash out the future of energy together.

So a team of us, including Greg Jackson, our CEO, packed lots of pink octopuses and headed to Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff, to meet 1,500 of you in person.

We had over 30 Octopus staff on hand at each venue, including our Geek Squad and a dedicated “Nerd Shed” for deep-dives into specific accounts, and invited special guests including Gary Neville.

The goal was simple: to hear what’s working, find out what’s frustrating you, and brainstorm how to bring bills down.

Gary Neville on stage, holding a microphone

(or open it on YouTube)

In your words

The absolute highlight of the tour was hearing how you're already transforming your homes. Here's what a couple of our customers said.

After renovating our home to improve energy efficiency, thanks to guidance from the Manchester Carbon Co-op, we installed a battery and solar panels, and our bills have dropped to just £12 a month. After Octopus Live we've ramped up efforts to get a heat pump!"
Lloyd and Sarah, who joined us in Manchester

I’m a total EV convert. Intelligent Octopus Go and linking my heater and washing machine to Google Home helps me make the most of cheaper off-peak electricity and saves me so much on fuel."
John, from Cardiff

Hearing these wins, alongside the genuine challenges some of our customers are facing right now, is why we run these events. And the big boss was delighted.

"People want lower bills and straightforward advice on how to get them, and these conversations help people take the next step. Customers also came with plenty of challenges for us. That’s exactly what we wanted. Hearing what works, what frustrates them and what we can do better. I’m still not sure who learnt more: our customers or the team!"
Greg Jackson, CEO

Smashing smart meter myths

Phil Steele and Sarah Go Green on stage in Bristol

In Bristol, our Future Technologies Evangelist Phil Steele, above with Sarah Go Green, a customer advocate, asked the crowd to put their hands up if they didn't yet have a smart meter. “I was surprised at the number”, he says. The reasons were completely valid: from lack of space in the meter cupboard to weak mobile signals.

But the tech is moving fast. Phil explained how we're now using Virtual WAN via home Wi-Fi for signal blackspots. And they unlock smart tariffs, which can bring your bills down if they’re used in the right way, so they are worth checking out!

Richard Shirreff on stage in Bristol at the Octopus Live event

Sir Richard Shirreff, the ex-NATO commander, on stage in Bristol. He talked passionately about the state of geopolitics and energy

Acting out the energy grid

Energy pricing can feel pretty opaque: it’s hard to understand how cheap renewables are held back by expensive fossil fuels.

To clear this up in Newcastle, Phil used the front row of the audience to physically demonstrate how the grid works. By assigning different people the “cost” of wind, solar and gas generation, he showed how the most expensive generator (gas) ends up setting the price for everyone. The collective "Aha!" moment in the room was brilliant.

Greg Jackson holds a beer and chats to a circle of customers

Greg Jackson talks to customers over a beer in Bristol

Wendy: fighting the good fight

In Cardiff, a customer named Wendy showed Phil a “plug-in energy saver” they’d seen heavily advertised online. A quick investigation in the Nerd Shed confirmed these devices are at best highly misleading, and at worst might be illegal and dangerous. (We immediately reported the search ads!).

Greg Jackson gesturing on stage in a pink chair

Greg in full flow on stage in Manchester, answering a customer's question

Power (and pints) to the people

Over in Glasgow, the conversation focused on the simple fact that green tech and cheaper bills shouldn't be off limits to renters. We talked through the Tenant Power model: landlords install the solar and battery, we pay them a monthly fee, and the tenant gets access to a tariff up to 30% cheaper than standard flexible rates.

Important stuff! But it's also important to have a good time, which was helped along no end by the comedian Fred Macaulay. Phil Steele said: "Having a comedian lightened the topics. We also saw the Glaswegians really enjoy a few pints!" Cheers to that.