Introducing Snug Octopus, the Intelligent tariff for storage heaters

Signing up to Snug Octopus is free, and we'll be able to check if your storage heaters can connect to smart charging, but some things make it more likely:

• If your storage heaters come on and off automatically, and you don't have to set a timer to charge them overnight.

• If you have a second generation smart meter (SMETS2). Not sure? You can find out by scrolling down to the meter details on your online account dashboard.

• If your electricity meter has more than 4 wires coming out at the bottom (5 is common)

Modern storage heaters that can connect to wifi or an app may not be compatible as some aren't controlled by the smart meter itself – but it's worth double-checking.

Storage heaters use electricity to heat ceramic or clay bricks inside them overnight. The heat is then gradually released the next day. Usually, there's a little dial that lets you control how quickly that happens.

Homes with storage heaters are often on time-of-use tariffs, like Eco-7. These tariffs have cheaper electricity rates at night, so you can take advantage of low rates while you sleep and your storage heaters power up. But on Snug Octopus, these rates are even cheaper.

We use smart technology to connect to your storage heaters and control when they store energy each night. On sign up, you'll tell us how long you want the heaters to run and when you want your house to be warm, and we'll charge them at the cheapest, greenest times - giving you the hard-to-beat off-peak rate of 9p per kilowatt-hour.

Yes, your smart charging schedule works for all your storage heaters unless you turn them off using the isolation switch.

If your immersion heater runs on the same circuit as your storage heaters, it will also be charged at the same time.

Any brand of storage heater can work with Snug Octopus, as long as your heating is managed by an auxiliary load control switch (ALCS) on a second generation (SMETS2) smart meter. The best way to see if your storage meter is compatible is to sign up and let us check for you.

Yes, we need access to half-hourly meter readings to bill you correctly. 

You need to have a second generation (SMETS2) smart meter for Snug Octopus to work. Not sure? Check what kind of meter you have on your online account dashboard.

Don't have a smart meter yet? Register for one today and we'll install it for free.

Snug Octopus is a smart tariff with peak and off-peak pricing. The electricity for your whole home will be charged at the off-peak rate of 9p/kWh:

• Between 00:30 and 06:30 each night

• Whenever your storage heater is charging on your smart schedule. This is based on the preferences you give us when you sign up

• During your daily one-hour afternoon boost. (This will help make sure your home is toasty in time for tea!)

The rest of the time, you'll be charged the day rate. You can check the rates for your region by popping in your postcode in the 'How it works' section on this page.

Snug Octopus is a variable tariff, meaning the price you pay can rise and fall with the cost of wholesale energy. We’ll always give you reasonable notice of any changes to the pricing of flexible tariffs.

A customer using the typical amount of energy for a medium, Economy 7 home (3,900 kWh per year according to Ofgem) would typically spend £1,124 per year on electricity with Flexible Octopus Economy 7, our variable tariff slightly below the October 2024 price cap. The same customer would spend £985 on Snug Octopus: a £139 saving. 

As part of your smart schedule, we aim to charge your storage heaters between 00:30 and 06:30 when electricity is cheapest and greenest. Often this happens in short bursts overnight.

When things get chilly in winter, we'll also smart charge your storage heaters for an hour in the afternoon to keep your home warm and cosy throughout the evening – this will be charged at the off-peak rate. 

It sometimes takes a bit of time for meters to react to smart charging, but most respond within 15 minutes. Any delay that does happen could cause some charging to happen at peak times, which means you'll be charged the day rate.

Yes, when we schedule your storage heater charging, all of the electricity you use during that time will be charged at 9p/kWh.

We're working behind the scenes to make Snug Octopus compatible with more storage heaters. In the meantime, you can still find fantastic value on all our other Octopus tariffs – our standard prices have always been cheaper than any other large supplier. Get a quote today.

You’ll be charged 9p per kilowatt hour for any electricity used during your smart schedule and between 00:30 and 06:30.

It sometimes takes a bit of time for meters to react to smart charging, but most respond within 15 minutes. Any delay that does happen could cause some charging to happen at peak times, which means you’ll be charged the day rate.

You'll also be charged the day rate if you manually set your storage heaters to charge during peak hours.

As part of your smart schedule, we'll charge your heaters for an hour in the afternoon to keep your home as warm as possible during the evening. When charging outside of the off-peak window you'll still be charged the off peak rate

It sometimes takes a bit of time for meters to react to smart charging, but most respond within 15 minutes. Any delay that does happen could cause some charging to happen at peak times, which means you'll be charged the day rate.

Your monthly statements are the best way to keep track of your charging costs.

Our mobile app lets you check your balance, balance forecast, and energy usage costs. But because of the complex nature of smart tariff pricing, sometimes the deductions are applied later when you receive your bill. So it's best to wait for your statement.

This is the same for In-Home Displays (those little screens on your counter showing how much energy you use). For more details, check out our FAQ.

Snug Octopus gives you more control over how and when you heat your home. Because of that, you'll need to be the Octopus account holder and live at the property attached to the account to sign up.

Yes! You can be on Snug Octopus at the same time as Octopus Outgoing or Smart Export Guarantee.

Flexibility services are initiatives created by energy networks and providers that pay customers to shift their energy use.

While you're on Snug Octopus, you won't be able to join another flexibility service from another third party or energy provider.