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Zero Bills living: How to stay at £0

Living without energy bills is exactly as brilliant as it sounds. Here’s the inside track on keeping it that way


Your Zero Bills home has been designed with low-carbon tech including solar panels, a battery, and a heat pump to keep your home energy bills at £0 for 5 or 10 years, as long as your usage stays within your Fair Use Allowance (FUA).


The good news? For most households, that simply means living normally. But there are a few small habits that can make it even easier to stay at zero.


So, what is the Fair Use Allowance?


Your FUA is an annual limit on the amount of energy (in kWh) you are allowed to import from the grid more than what you export (in kWh). Your solar generation offsets much of your usage throughout the day, so your net import is usually well below your total consumption.


If you do happen to pop over your limit, don't panic. We’ll just bill you for the extra energy at our standard, great-value Flexible Octopus rate.

Your Zero Bills tariff has:



If you only remember three things, make it these:


1. Let your heat pump do the heavy lifting

Your heat pump is the most efficient way to heat your home and hot water.


Use:

  • Thermostat

  • App controls

  • Zoned heating if available


Avoid:

  • Plug-in electric heaters

  • Fan heaters

  • Portable radiators


These use far more electricity per unit of heat.

2. Charge your EV properly


If you own an EV, charging must be through an approved charger on Intelligent Octopus Go (here’s a super simple guide to connect your EV charger).


That keeps vehicle charging separate from your home allowance.


If you plug into normal sockets or bypass smart charging, you’ll quickly eat into your home allowance.


3. Keep your Zero Bills tech connected

Your solar inverter, battery, heat pump, smart meter and connectivity devices need to stay online.


This helps optimise:


  • Battery charging and discharging

  • Heating efficiency

  • Smart tariff controls

  • Usage monitoring


If we can't connect to your tech, we can't work our magic!


The traffic light guide to household energy

Green

These barely register on your allowance.


  • LED lighting

  • Wi-Fi router

  • Phone charging

  • Tablets

  • Laptops

  • Smart TVs

  • Fridge/freezer

  • Dishwasher

  • Washing machine (normal use)

Amber

Normal use is no problem.


  • Heat pump

  • Tumble dryer

  • Oven

  • Electric showers

  • Dehumidifiers

  • E-bikes / scooters

Red

Use occasionally or on timers, not as a default.


  • Portable electric heaters

  • Patio heaters

  • Air conditioning units

  • Heated towel rails left on all day

  • Multiple dryer loads daily

Off the charts

You probably don't need to worry about these. But just so you know, these would blast through your allowance:


  • Hot tubs

  • Saunas

  • Sunbeds

  • Cold plunge chillers running 24/7

  • Crypto mining rigs

  • Home server racks with constant high loads

  • Kilns / workshop heaters

The sneaky costs most people miss

Heated towel rails: A small towel rail left on permanently can use thousands of kWh per year. Instead, use a timer for 1–2 hours in the morning and evening.


Plug-in heaters: They feel convenient, but they’re expensive to run compared with your heat pump. Adjust your thermostat instead.


Old appliances in exile: That vintage beer fridge in the garage or the ancient chest freezer in the shed might be handy, but older appliances are notoriously inefficient and quietly chew through your allowance.


Charging an EV typically uses 3,000-4,000 kWh/year – nearly your entire home allowance. It must go through your approved charger on Intelligent Octopus Go, which handles charging separately at cheap overnight rates.


Zero Bills covers:

Your home: heating, hot water, appliances


Intelligent Octopus Go covers:

Your car: cheap overnight charging

Plugging into a standard socket bypasses this system and could result in a higher bill later.


Maintenance really does matter

  • Show your panels some love: Dirty panels can't soak up as much sun, meaning you’ll have to pull more energy from the grid. Giving them a clean once or twice a year keeps them working at top efficiency (and helps you stick to your Zero Bills agreement!).


  • Look after your heat pump: Service your heat pump annually using manufacturer-approved engineers. A poorly maintained heat pump loses efficiency and draws more electricity to deliver the same heat.


  • Leave the advanced settings to the pros: Your battery, inverter, and heat pump are cleverly configured to work together. You can absolutely control your comfort (like room temperatures and schedules) via the app, but please leave the advanced system settings alone. Tinkering under the hood can throw the whole system out of whack.

An important heads up 

We want to keep you at £0! But if your home uses more energy than your Fair Use Allowance for two years running, we might need to review things and move you to a different, standard tariff. This usually only happens if there's disconnected equipment or heavy-duty appliances running constantly, so sticking to the tips above will keep you perfectly on track

You don't need to obsess over plugs


Zero Bills is designed for ordinary households who cook, wash, work from home and heat their home normally. If your system is working properly and you avoid extreme loads, most homes should stay comfortably within the allowance.

Need help?

If you’re unsure about anything or you think your kit may not be working properly, contact us, we’re happy to support!