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Octopus Zero Bills

Making Zero Bills homes the new normal

Octopus Zero Bills is the next generation energy tariff with zero energy bills for the home, for ten years, guaranteed. We're working with housing developers, BTR providers, housing associations, and local authorities across the UK to make Zero Bills the new standard for everyone.

By building homes kitted out with the right combination of solar panels, home battery and heat pump, we can unlock our Zero Bills tariff for the resident, it's as simple as that!

Want to deliver Zero Bills homes?

Partner with Octopus to build the homes that customers value more.

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What makes a Zero Bills home?

Why build Zero Bills homes?

Zero Bills projects

Certified Zero Bills partners

Why partner with Octopus?

Zero Bills awards

What you get from Octopus if you sign up to Zero Bills

Ready to get started?

See what the media is saying about Zero Bills

FAQs

What makes a Zero Bills home?

Zero Bills diagram

Since our founding in 2016, we’ve worked relentlessly to drive the green energy revolution while bringing costs down for our customers. Now, we’re making it possible to give up energy bills for the home – and carbon emissions – altogether.

Enter Octopus Zero Bills: a first-of-its-kind energy tariff providing zero bills for the home for at least ten years, guaranteed. And the way we do it? Our tech platform, Kraken, optimises the renewable technology within the home - heat pump, battery, and solar - to run them more efficiently and as net carbon in operation, providing a zero bill for the home, all year round.

Each Zero Bills home comes with a fair usage policy, set at roughly twice the property's expected annual electricity consumption — giving plenty of headroom for everyday use. Homes also include EV chargers, so residents can benefit from our Intelligent Octopus Go tariff for smart, low-cost EV charging.

Why build Zero Bills homes?

Constantine with builders

Why developers are building Zero Bills homes?

  • Simple upgrade to the Future Homes Standard: Future-proof your developments with minimal changes to your current spec.

  • Improved sales velocity and viability: Homes with Zero Bills attract more buyers and renters, helping sites move faster.

  • Meets growing requirements from institutional partners: Aligns with specifications from local authorities, housing associations, and BTR clients.

constantine house

Why customers are buying / renting Zero Bills homes?

  • Removes worry around future energy prices: Zero home energy bills, 10 years guaranteed, means long-term financial peace of mind.

  • No need for costly future retrofits: Homes are already built to high-efficiency, low-carbon standards.

  • Greater long-term value: Built-in tech like solar, battery, and heat pump enhances resale appeal and future readiness.

Zero Bills is fast becoming the go-to specification for build-to-rent, with "bills included" now the second most searched filter on Rightmove – just after "pet friendly".

With Tenant Power, the Zero Bills model is also viable for social housing.

Zero Bills Projects

Check out some of our Zero Bills sites

Hollymead Square

Hill Group

Templegate

Thakeham

Pinhoe

Verto

Zero Bills Certified Partners

As part of being a Global Standard of housing, we have launched our Certified Partner programme, bringing together industry leaders to help drive the transition to homes that are not only net zero in operation, but also zero in energy bills.

Don’t get left behind — let’s build the new standard together

Why partner with Octopus?

We are a tech company leading the green energy revolution

  • UK’s #1 Energy Provider: Leading the market with innovative and sustainable energy solutions.

  • Trusted by Millions: Serving over 9 million customers worldwide.

  • Exceptional Customer Love: Rated 4.8 on Trustpilot, and Which? recommended 8 years running!

  • Renewable Leadership: One of Europe’s top investors in renewable energy generation, committed to a greener future.

  • Global Presence: Operating in 32 countries - the Zero Bills scheme has also been launched in Germany and New Zealand.

Join the award-winning Zero Bills scheme

Partner with Octopus

Construction News Awards 2025

Low Carbon Project of the Year

International Sustainability Awards 2025

Best Green Building

Essex Housing Awards 2024

Climate Action

What you get from Octopus

  • Dedicated account manager to guide you through to the launch of Zero Bills

  • Free Octopus assessment of your properties and house types

  • Design guidance for your hardware spec including heat pumps, solar PV, batteries and metering

  • Zero Bills accreditation — the Octopus 'stamp’

Already have a site you'd like assessed for Zero Bills?

No site is too big or too small!


Start by downloading the Zero Bills data template and work with your SAP assessor to complete columns A-K using your heat pump calculations.

If your assessor is a Certified Zero Bills Assessor, they can run the Zero Bills assessment for you directly. If not, and they'd like to become certified, ask them to get in touch with the Zero Bills Team.

Alternatively, once the template is complete, simply email it to zerobills@octopus.energy. We'll carry out the assessment and confirm which plots qualify.

All necessary specifications can be found in the column headers of the template.

How to Reduce Your Energy Bills — or Even Pay Nothing At All

The winter heating season is looming and finances remain strained, but UK homes are getting the chance to cut energy bills — or even pay nothing at all — by effectively becoming mini power plants.

I bought a smart home and my energy bill is now ZERO: Here's how I did it

Homes signed up to the initiative have green technology installed, including a heat pump, solar panels and a battery, and are signed up to Octopus's Zero energy tariff.

'I used to spend £3,000 a year on energy bills ... I now pay nothing at all'

“Having zero energy bills was definitely a factor in buying this home”.

Frequently asked questions


Developer questions

Octopus Energy Zero Bills homes generate more energy than they consume. To achieve this, the house must be off the gas grid (ie use heat pumps), and be kitted out with solar PV and a battery. We will assess, for a given design, the minimum hardware requirements to be eligible for Zero Bills.

Register your interest and we’ll send you a data form to complete, with one row per plot that you would like to assess for eligibility. We will then run our analysis and let you know which plots are eligible, and recommending design changes that would unlock eligibility for others.

We are happy to assess any housing stock for Octopus Zero compatibility, but practically, the thermal characteristics must be at least as good as current new build regulations. Retrofit that achieves this works just as well as new build for the purposes of the proposition.

Yes. As long as the design is able to fulfil the requirements, we are happy to offer the Zero Bill. In Scotland, that is likely to mean a larger solar array and better thermal insulation as minimum requirements.

We work with a number of Certified Partners to deliver Zero Bills across the country. If you'd like to become one, please get in touch.

On average, Zero Bills properties receive a higher valuation and sell quicker than their bill-paying counterparts. In a pilot scheme carried out with ilke Homes and Gresham House, Zero Bills homes sold quicker and were valued at 10.7% more than non-Zero Bills homes.

Customer questions

We currently offer our Octopus Energy Zero Bills tariff with a 5 or 10 year guarantee depending on the agreement in place with your house builder. Your house builder will confirm which guarantee length your home has.

To make it as simple as possible, we have only one Fair Use Allowance – on total electricity across the year. This is set at approximately double the expected usage, so customers should only exceed this if they have very high heating preferences.

The customer will be billed at our Flexible Octopus unit rate (still no standing charge) for energy electricity imported above the Fair Use Allowance, with billing done on an annual basis.

If the above conditions are not met, we reserve the right to move the customer to a different tariff (likely Standard Variable Tariff or Smart Export Guarantee). However, we would not do this for the short period while the hardware is fixed.

EV charging is not included within the Zero Bills allowance, but will be billed separately at Intelligent Octopus Go tariff unit rates. The rest of the home’s energy needs remain within the Zero Bills Tariff.

Once the developer has obtained the accreditation, activating a Zero Bills home is easy. The resident will receive information from the house builder or housing provider when they move in, including a dedicated Octopus Energy weblink with simple steps to follow online.

You can read the T&Cs for the Zero Bills tariff here.

Want to build or deliver Zero Bills homes?