Help when you're struggling to pay

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We know many people are facing incredibly tough circumstances in the Cost of Living crisis.

This page explains everything you can do to get control of your bills, and all the ways Octopus - and other organisations - can help.

What you can do Review & change your payment amount and method, try energy saving tips, get a smart meter and discounted insulation
How we can help Our £30m Octo Assist fund has targeted support to customers in need, from standing charge holidays to electric blankets.
External support From government schemes to Citizens Advice, we've outlined organisations who can provide help beyond energy bills.

Try our checklist to get control of your bills

1) Set your monthly payment using our Balance Forecast tool 🔮

The Balance Forecast tool helps you choose the right amount.

It uses your energy prices and past meter readings to shows you how much you should pay monthly to cover your energy costs. You can test out different Direct Debit amounts to see how the change would impact your balance over 12 months.

If you try to set your payment to a level that could lead you to build up debt, we'll let you know. You'll need to get in touch with us, so we can check there's not any other support you're eligible for.


2) Think about which tariff - and payment method - suits you best 💳

a) Set up a monthly Direct Debit online to save around £80 per year.

A steady monthly Direct Debit is our most popular way to pay, because it allows you to spread your payments evenly across the 12 months, rather than paying less in summer and much more over the winter.

Because this method costs us less in admin, your unit price is less, saving the average home on our variable tariff around £80 a year.

b) try another payment method

Pay by variable Direct Debit, where you pay for exactly what you use every month.

Or, switch to Smart Pay-as-you-go, where you top up your meters as and when you need to. If you already have a smart meter, we should be able to switch you to smart prepay fairly quickly.

To find out more about these payment methods, please get in touch.

c) check your tariff

If you're worried about future changes to energy prices, you may want to consider switching from a flexible to a fixed tariff. Our Loyal Octopus tariff fixes your price for a year at the best rates we're able to offer at the time.

However, you're probably still best saying on our Flexible tariff right now: we're the only large supplier who can say that our Flexible Octopus tariff, has always been priced below Ofgem's energy price cap. Octopus standing charges are also the cheapest of any large supplier, and we haven't raised them in October (against Ofgem's guidance).

You can view and change tariffs through your app and online account.


3) Get a Smart meter (and unlock ⭐Octoplus⭐)

Smart meters save you money by giving you better control of your bills and consumption. But that's not all...

With a smart meter, you unlock Octoplus, our new rewards programme featuring Free electricity at certain times, Saving Sessions, the energy saving scheme where we literally pay you to use less energy, and access to other great benefits. Find out more.


4) Save up to £400 a year with small changes 🤏

  • If you do one thing, check your boiler's flow temperature. Reducing your boiler flow temperature is really easy to do (just a case of turning down a setting on the boiler) and could see you save significantly without sacrificing your comfort. Learn how to do this here.
  • Mind the gap. Make sure your heat isn’t escaping through gaps in your doors, windows or loft space.
  • Tweak your thermostat. Make sure it’s only on when you need it, and that it’s set to the perfect temperature. In fact, turning the temperature down by just 1 degree could save you up to £128.
  • Invest in insulation. Insulating your loft, walls and even your hot water cylinder could help you save £££s of pounds every year.
  • Keep an eye on the light. Invest in some LED lighting which uses 70-80% less electricity and save £20 per year, per bulb.


5) Get insulation for free or at a discounted rate 🏡

Help your house use energy and heat more efficiently with free or significantly discounted insulation through a government-funded scheme.

Apply here for The Great British Insulation Scheme and here for the ECO 4 scheme.


How we can help

1) Financial support from Octopus Assist 🐙

In the energy crisis, we set up Octopus Assist: a £15m fund which we increased to £30m over the winter to support even more customers struggling with bills.

Our support is designed to target those in the greatest need. The families who struggled to afford the bills even before the energy crisis, and those whose health and safety relies on heat and power.

If you'd like to apply, we'll ask you to fill out some information about your incomings and outgoings so we can better understand your situation.

Then, we'll offer you advice and support that's most appropriate for your circumstances from a number of wide-ranging schemes like standing charge holidays, personalised account help, and direct bill support.

You can also loan a thermal camera for free to find draughts around your home. Plug one of our infrared cameras into your smartphone to see where heat is escaping, and we'll share tips and ideas to help you fill those gaps to avoid wasting energy.

We’re also offering free electric blankets, which can save the average home £300 per year (they cost between 2 - 4p per hour to run). We’re giving them out free to those in greatest need – particularly the elderly, or those with medical or mobility issues.


2) Extra support from the Priority Services Register 📋

This is a free national service that help us prioritise customers in vulnerable situations for additional support.


3) Personalised account help 💬

We understand everyone's circumstances are different. Get in touch with a friendly Octopus specialist any time you need bespoke account help.

We're always here to talk, whether you need to defer a payment or set up a payment plan to gradually pay back debit on your account or further spread out the costs of your energy.

Whatever it is, we can work with you on a short or long-term plan that suits you best.

If you’re eligible, we can also arrange for payments to be taken directly from your benefits using the Fuel Direct Scheme.


Charity and government support

1) Government support

  • Warm Home Discount: Customers who receive certain means-tested benefits will receive a credit of £150 towards their energy bills before 31 March 2025. Find out more here.
  • Additional government support schemes, including:
    • Cold Weather Payments: if you’re receiving certain benefits you may get a Cold Weather Payment of up to £25 every 7 days if the average temperature where you live is below freezing (zero-degrees c) or forecasted to be below freezing for 7 days
    • £200 - £300 Winter Fuel Payment: designed to support people born before 25th September 1958. Provided to people in receipt of Pension Credit or on means tested benefits. The exact amount you'll receive for this depends on your age, and whether other people in your household also qualify. Find out more here.

You can find more of the government's advice at their Help for Households website.


2) Support from charity

  • Warm Welcome Spaces are places of belonging, where new friendships are forged, and where people feel valued. They want to make sure that everyone can find a welcoming place of belonging and reconnection close to their home. Find your nearest warm welcome space.
  • We've partnered with the Money Charity to offer the Money Manual, a bite-sized guide designed to help you manage your money
  • Get free, independent, and confidential help from Citizens Advice by phone on 0808 223 1133 (England), or 0808 223 1144 (Wales)
  • Of you're in Scotland get free, independent, and confidential help from Energy Advice Scotland by phone on 0808 196 8660.
  • LEAP (Local Energy Advice Partnership) is a free energy and money-saving service for people working to help people keep warm and reduce their energy bills.
  • Turn2Us is a national charity providing help to people who are struggling financially. Contact them by phone on 0808 802 2000.
    • If you’re a carer for someone who has an illness or disability, Turn2Us has specific advice to help you make sure you’re receiving the right benefits, and to help you find available grants.



Frequently asked questions

What if I can't pay my energy bill, or keep getting into debt?

What's changed since last winter?

Why would a supplier with 100% green tariffs be impacted by fossil fuels prices?

What is Octopus doing to help in the crisis?

Why won't Octopus go bust?

Why can’t energy suppliers charge less?

Why are standing charges increasing, not just unit rates?

Published on 27th February 2025 by:

image of Lil Murdoch

Lil Murdoch

Warm Home Discount Operations Manager

Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy!

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