Zero Bills homes generate more energy than they consume. To achieve this, the house must be off the gas grid (ie use electric heating), 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.

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.

We currently guarantee to offer the Zero Bill for 5 years. This will be updated over time.

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 tariff unit rates. The rest of the home’s energy needs remain free.

Once the developer has obtained the accreditation, activating a Zero Bills home is easy. We’ll send the householder a Welcome Pack on move-in day, including a dedicated Octopus Energy weblink with simple steps to follow online.