Greg Jackson announces Mercury | Energy Tech Summit

[@monday223]

This guy is good. Octopus is good. I can charge my car overnight and 250 miles of range costs me less than £5.

[@TheRepublicOfYhonai]

This is huge! Octopus could become a real global leader in the green transition at this rate.

[@robertsprigge5535]

Unfortunately, despite this video being about new communication standards, almost all of the comments are actually about Heat pumps. If the Mercury project could persuade Battery Management Systems (BMS) designers to communicate with the energy providers we could get Virtual Power Plants and dramatically improve the efficiency of the Grid. I'm lucky having a BMS that does a reasonable job using Octopus Agile, i.e. prices based on Grid prices on the half-hourly wholesale prices. I expect Intelligent Octopus would be even better than Agile, if it could communicate with all BMS's.

[@Piccyman1]

They are already in the US

[@chrishedges573]

All this tech is great when it works. Octopus is my energy supplier and my smart meter which should be sending back half hourly readings has been off line for more than three months. As a result Octopus say they cannot issue a statement of my account. The Octopus employee I have been trying to deal with actually stated in an email that, because I live in the north of England, it is unlikely they will be able to get the meter working again. This when 9 other meters on our development are all working correctly!

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi Chris, I'm keen to take a closer look here & get you an update. Things like poor area network signal are out of our control but I'd like to make sure we've tried everything we can for you here. Could you please send over your account details using this form 👉 octo.ps/fb-help? 🐙

[@philcatterall5589]

@chrishedges573 Don't give up, if necessary contact the DCC or even your MP and ask them to help sort it. My Smart Meter went dumb in July, it took until Ocotber 1st for an engineer to come and replace it. I live in the north of England 10 miles from RAF Fylingdales, so it is necessay to use a 450 MHz comms head which can talk to the node (which I believe is on Arquiva's Bilsdale mast. On Oct 1st the engineer fitted my orginal 450 MHz comms head a few cms away from the replacement smart meter itself (not on top like before) it now works and is submitting faultless half hour readings! Octopus told me today by email that I will get an electric bill very soon. I hope so as they are holding over £1200 in my account as I haven't paid for any electricity since 08/07/2024. Good Luck and don't give up!

[@sirjohng1]

Not only Smart Meters: My October online submitted meter reading disappears into their system never to be seen again? I bet they come back with, "Get a Smart Meter and avoid this problem"? This company has become more about growth than care and I wonder how long it can sustain it. I was with Infinity and they tried this before going bust on me.

[@jtu100]

This is what happens when government get heavily involved in an industry

[@nozzinthenog3633]

If it's any consolation Chris , you are not alone I had to go to the Ombudsman last year to get my smart meter working after months of being fobbed off by Octopus' call handlers ( there is no customer service) It looks like I'll be doing the same this year as It's not been working for 2 months with the same "outrageous" ( Gregs word) level of customer service. I have another smart electric meter in the same room which is working so the problem isn't the location. They are overcharging me and recently increased my DD even though they weren't getting readings. Octopus Do great PR. Maybe they should stick to that.

[@alibro7512]

So When is Octopus coming to Northern Ireland? We currently pay stupid money for electricity so surely an amazing opportunity for an intelligent provider like Octopus.

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi there, we'd really love to but the NI energy market in general operates, and is regulated, separately from that of the rest of the UK, so there are no immediate plans at the moment. Keep an eye on our socials and website incase there’s any change in the future. 🐙

[@hughmarcus1]

Ironically their heat pumps are made in Belfast.

[@behappymike]

I love octopus but it's a shame my smart meter hasn't worked since they upgraded it months ago 👀

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hey Mike, I'd like to check this 👀 Can you send us a few more details and I'll take a look now? 👉 octo.ps/nudge 🐙

[@defragsbin]

Such is life - smart meter installations are farmed out to contractors and then subcontracted again. It took me about 3 visits (and one replacement) to get it working. From what I understand this is the case across all energy suppliers and they have the same massive backlogs. It sucks, but I think everyone's in the same boat, unfortunately.

[@behappymike]

@defragsbin well I wouldn't mind if they just picked up the phone and give me an update. Instead I find myself sending an email each week for an update only to get a canned response

[@defragsbin]

@@behappymike yup it's a pain :(

[@behappymike]

@@OctopusEnergy sadly the link doesn't work 😞

[@neil5877]

I love Octopus 🐙 but can ordinary people like me have the money to have all of this fitted? I'm 60 and disabled living on a tight budget in a 2-bed bungalow in Wales

[@MrTommymonk]

There will never be a cheaper time to do it with the £7,500 grant, worth looking into, some people are only paying a few hundred pounds

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hey Neil, we know that everyone’s circumstances are unique & we’re personalising our support/offers as best we can. Along with doing everything we can to keep prices as low as possible & supporting the customers who need it most ( octopus.energy/blog/bill-support/ ) Octoplus ( octopus.energy/octoplus/ ) is our reward scheme with loads of benefits - all you need is a free smart meter. Also, we have a bunch of innovative smart tariffs that might suit you octopus.energy/octopus-smart-tariffs/ 🐙

[@SergioBlackDolphin]

I am ten years younger. On UC. I am getting a air pump for free. Same I had earlier in the year about solar panels with the ECO4 funding.. All for free for me and not renting anything. I own it after they install them. The issue is I didn't have gas heating installed and this seems to have been the condition for the funding to be available for you.. I hope you don't have a gas boiler and system.. :-) my local council got me in contact with the current air pump company.. the solar panels company instead just installed to a neighbour nearby hence I got his details. They have done all the paperwork too.

[@davidcuthbert5781]

After the great that is available people are buying these from £500 depending on your property. Costs nothing to check and if you have to fork out £2/£3k for a new boiler anytime….. then it’s much cheaper to go with a heatpump possibly

[@stuartburns8657]

​@@SergioBlackDolphinMakes me wonder why I'm stupid enough to work in this Country really 😢

[@johnw65uk]

My instant quote for a heat pump was £7500 including the £7500 boiler upgrade scheme. I can see no incentive to move away from gas, it would take decades to pay itself back and by then probably need a new heat pump installed.

[@JohnR31415]

@@johnw65uk instant quote has to assume the worst of everything - a proper quote should get you a much more realistic figure…

[@kevindavis8442]

And in that decade, the world will realise that net zero is actually the con some of us are saying it is .. nothing wrong with green energy, in fact I am fitting a 12.6kWp solar system to my Moms house for her, but dont try and con me into parting with my hard earned for something that is little more than money transfer from us "plebs" to the elites .. its almost as big a con as the eternal war machine, by the way, the only reason that the solar system is viable, is because I am installing it myself (signed of by an electrician), and can now feed in with Octopus without having an MCS certificate

[@rtfazeberdee3519]

How long does it take for a new gas boiler to pay for itself?

[@thepete129]

For you maybe but many not . Our heating cost just 50p up until mid October ,…..

[@paulefc1971]

​@@rtfazeberdee3519But he may not need a new gas boiler?? He may have just looked at a heat pump (as I did) and come to the conclusion that its not worth it, to be honest, I think I'd rather pay £2000 for a new gas boiler, which was my latest quote, than pay £7500 for a heat pump, a heat pump is only really worthwhile if you have solar and batteries anyway

[@MrCyberstitch]

Would love a heat pump. My issue was the space in the house that was going to get absorbed. It might be that things have improved however at the moment I struggle with the house logistics of getting it done.

[@JohnR31415]

Space *in* the house? I assume you mean with a DHW tank? Have you seen the heat geek small tanks?

[@MrCyberstitch]

@@JohnR31415 Octopus came out two months ago and offered his solution. It was way too invasive. I guess if a better solution was possible he would have said.. if he knew.

[@Vegplot]

I presume Cosy can also work with underfloor heating system . We're currently in the process of a renovation that will include insulating the floor with Glapor and limecrete and we're going to install underfloor heating.

[@waynecartwright-js8tw]

Heatpumps are better with underfloor as it uses lower flow temp by design

[@jamesfisher585]

Could Octopus do something to bypass the utterly shabby coverage of radio signal based smart meters in the North of England and Scotland. I have EV, Solar & Batteries and the whole ecosystem is let down by clunky non functioning smart meters. There are literally millions of people like me waiting for a sensible WiFi metering solution to bypass the rubbish 420mhz radio system forced on us in the North. Please sort this out somebody!!!!!

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hey James, unfortunately signal issues are out of our control as we've no say over the available infrastructure across the UK. We work closely with the Data Communications Company who oversee the available infrastructure and they can arrange for improvements to be done in the area or they can approve the installation of aerials. As this is carried out independently of Octopus, we've no say over promised timescales but we'll of course do all we can to help where possible. Happy to help with any Q's, just reach out to us using the following link: octo.ps/fb-help.

[@yellownev]

I’d love a Octopus heat pump. Had the survey but was turned down due to no suitable location for a hot water cylinder. I wanted it in the garage Octopus said sorry no. I watched a heat geeks video where Greg James announced a partners scheme where Octopus would share my survey and other approved partner installers could do the work…. I’ve chased and not got anywhere. Followed the communication advice the Octpus people advised to email a different team, sadly nothing. I like Octopus but despite my enthusiasm and efforts I’m not getting any contact anymore. Sad 😢

[@soldier-Dave]

Do all the radiator pipe work throughout the house have to be changed to a larger bore!?

[@Tenagor]

Yes, yes, yes, but... in the switch to heat pumps and every other electric replacement technology, we must be aware of the finite limit of the generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure needed to support it. Government's task is to incentivise, invest and ensure it's all kept in balance.

[@Piccyman1]

Fat chance of that happening.

[@bobeagle2380]

I really admire Greg and Octopus, I have and an electric car and want o decarbonise my heating BUT I also have a lot of time for Dale Vince and he is adamant heat pumps are not the answer. I would really like to see a debate between these 2 titans of the green revolution.

[@JohnR31415]

Why does he think that? Does he think there is something better?

[@peteradamsonful]

​@@JohnR31415he thinks that we should grow grass and digest it to turn it into natural gas. But the nerds that I follow on bluesky reckon it's a missuse of arable land.

[@bobeagle2380]

He’s got a plant for turning grass into gas that can be used in the existing gas network but it’s still burning stuff.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Dale Vince has said a lot of admirable things about the green transition but he is well off track with his views on heat pumps. In his latest post he propagates some of the disinformation mingled in with actual facts. A dangerous emotive game to play with people. The biggest slow down in the roll out of heat pumps is due to customer hesitancy. So what should people like Dale be doing? Reassuring people. Showing that they work. Stop fear mongering. Fact check the things he shares. Anyway, he's slowly going from being a leading light to a leading loony at this rate

[@bobeagle2380]

@@UpsideDownFork agreed, I don’t see any public figures challenging him on this subject.

[@Homer_Bob]

wouldn't bother with Octopus. Their customer services are shocking, and have no interest in sorting out problems. They've been over charging me for 10 months and refuse to let me speak to a supervisor or the billing dept about it. Shocking treatment.

[@daviddunn2297]

I have solar, battery , oil And wood heating and now installed air conditioning which is an air to air “HEAT PUMP “ with all the ode advantages and also cools the house in the summer! All for only £3.5k , no grants. These would be a far better and cheaper for small homes? Surely with a grant many older people and lower incomes could have these for free? Or is there a conspiracy against air con ?

[@thetroopersk]

A/C is one of the way to sort this,....

[@SelinaAston-b1j]

I am 70+ would love an eco4 grant to include wall insulation and a heat pump to replace my oil heating system as l am off grid no gas here however because l have my own solar panels and battery system l have been refused as this ups my EPC rating from E to D the higher rating does not heat my home

[@MCSMIK]

Would be nice if the intelligent integration matured. As the same bugs with no schedule appearing hours after I plug my Tesla in, cannot support more than one Tesla or one zappi, basic things just keep on going wrong to the point I get bored of reporting them

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi there, Tesla recently changed the way their cars connect to 3rd party apps like ours - a virtual key is now required. If you have a compatible charger (Zappi) you can also reconnect to IO Go using your charger instead and manage things through the charge. Also, you'll still be able to remain on Intelligent Octopus with multiple devices, but you'll only be able to enable smart charging functionality for one. But please send over some account details and I'll check on this for you 👉 octo.ps/nudge 🐙

[@stuartburns8657]

Heat placement regulations are what will kill (or severely limit) HP rollouts

[@martinwray7001]

Podpoint integration for the intelligent go tariff please

[@ammaraihaan]

That's a Podpoint problem and not Octopus. Podpoint need to open their EV chargers to allow Octopus to integrate with their ecosystem.

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hey Martin, we’re speaking to everyone to add as many Intelligent integrations as possible, both cars and chargers. In the meantime, Octopus Go is a great option for charging at home 🚙🔌🐙 octopus.energy/smart/go/

[@martinwray7001]

@@OctopusEnergy thanks, yes I've been on standard go and go faster tariffs since 2019. It's just mildly irritating that I can't get the intelligent go option because of charger and car incompatibility.

[@PaulLandregan]

Wish this extended to my GivEnergy charger. Then my non smart EV can play. Hyundai Don't play nice at the moment

[@JohnR31415]

@@martinwray7001 might be worth picking up a second hand compatible charger?

[@programitect]

While I admire Greg and the innovative work Octopus Energy is doing, I have to agree with Dale Vince of Ecotricity on the practicality of simply replacing gas boilers with heat pumps in UK homes. Without first improving the energy efficiency of a property's fabric-like insulation and airtightness-a heat pump may struggle to maintain comfortable temperatures, especially in older or poorly insulated homes. Heat pumps operate most effectively at lower temperatures, but they have to work much harder in inefficient homes, potentially leading to higher energy costs and less comfort. Over the years, we've invested £20K in upgrading our 1987 house from an EPC rating of D to an A by enhancing insulation and installing solar panels with a battery. This made a significant difference in our energy consumption and comfort levels. I understand that companies like Octopus Energy have a business model that benefits from increased electricity usage, especially as they generate electricity. However, promoting better, more efficient homes that use minimal energy doesn't align as profitably with their business interests. It's important that we focus not just on switching energy sources but also on reducing overall energy demand through efficiency improvements.

[@danclyon]

To be fair though, he didn't say the only way was to replace every boiler - he said they were the answer. He didn't really touch on the other improvements necessary, but those improvements should happen anyway as replacing one not very efficient gas boiler with a more up to date one that's a lot more efficient still only presents a marginal gain if all the heat is still escaping :)

[@NunoLima1337]

Ecotricity also stands to gain from increased use of electricity when more people get heat pumps. I don't think there is a hidden agenda, only different strategies to get stuff done. In my case, i'd also prefer to not change my 2 year old home to suit a HP, if I could just use contemporary, locally sourced natural gas.

[@JohnR31415]

It’s not an either/or situation- it’s a yes/and. Improvements to insulation will reduce the energy input from *any* heating system - gas, resistive, or heat pump.

[@molliekat2075]

Am with you. Our district is in the process of getting Gas pipes laid to around 4 villages who were non gas areas. I can see now why there is so much new take up of GAS. I have a ASHP, Solar, EV but will struggle in winter due to no signal to our Smart Meter therefore only Standard Tariff. As Octopus will not accept readings for cheaper overnight rate unless they can capture remotely by Smart Metering. I have a Smart Meter that gives overnight and Day use. I neither want to see the countryside covered in Masts and associated street furniture. Why can't suppliers forget about this very expensive roll out that just does not cover many areas, and give us Broadband for billing!

[@TheRonskiman]

​@@molliekat2075it's just bizarre that smart meters can't operate via an encrypted channel over broadband, and to be fair Octopus do have a system in place to do that, but are not allowed to use it for billing.

[@Jollyva]

Love this

[@megapangolin1093]

Great initiative, good for everyone. I hope to goodness that this is Cybersecure, one strike from Russia and half the country or more could be hit in one go. Everything connected to everything else is brilliant, but it MUST be safe and secure or many people will not go for it. I am keen to have a smart meter, but I have kept an eye out on customer stories, and there are so many horrors about no follow up or resolution of problems, even with Octopus, who I think is easily the best, but I don't want to take the risk and spend weeks/months trying to resolve things. Reading the meter is OK at least I won't get a £1000 bill out of the blue this way, as I can see what I am using. For some reason, in the UK, there are too many digital things going wrong too often at the moment. Such a shame.

[@Ralphius86]

So Mercury is planning to be a simple "for-the-masses" equivalent of Octopus Agile + Home Assistant automations + HA switchable integrations?

[@samwatts8172]

No, I think it's aimed at manufacturers to standardise APIs and simplify cross-manufacturer integration of smart energy products. It would stop me being in a situation where my solar inverter can't integrate with Octopus and be optimised to support the grid and maximise my return on investment. Win win

[@sircoynie]

Wasn’t Matter supposed to do all this years ago?

[@keithbrown339]

I what a heat pump but Quoted 7.5 k for my half plus paying an EPC before i start. Octopus you are fantastic but if i pay for an epc and you say 7.5 k its a waste of money i will be dead before i recover cost. Having said all that keep up the good work.

[@UpsideDownFork]

EPC is ~£50 Annoying but worth it.

[@samwatts8172]

My mortgage provider (Skipton) provides an EPC for free. Worth checking if yours does too

[@samuelprice538]

I really wanted to get a hp for my parents but their small 1 bed house doesn't have the required external space for your product. If it could be wall mounted it would be no problem. Ground space is already occupied by doors and windows.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Small 1 bed house would be more suitable for A2A heat pumps.

[@MrAdopado]

For clarification of @UpsideDownFork comment: an air to air heat pump can have the external part on the wall. However, though this is usually cheaper and could be more suitable the A2A heat pump grant availability may be different. (Beware of just Googling air to air heat pumps because most of the hits will be links to "air sourced heat pumps" which in the UK are mostly taken as being air to water systems.)

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@MrAdopado I don't know what your point is. Yes, A2A are not eligible for grants but they are much much cheaper to install compared to A2W so the grant is usually unnecessary. There are no A2W monoblock units which are rated low enough for small properties like a 1 bed for example. You can get much smaller A2A units. The wall mount vs ground mount isn't really an issue as almost all A2W heat pumps can be wall mounted anyway.

[@MrAdopado]

@@UpsideDownFork Your initial short comment needed some expansion to be understood by someone not steeped in heat pump knowledge! I agree with you.

[@JonnyMcJonFace]

I wonder how octopus stack up against Tesla’s auto bidder energy AI balancing system? I hope they work with Tesla at some point.

[@maxthemagition]

Can my gas fire be replaced by a heat pump to heat my living room?

[@LickorishAllsorts]

Can my log burner be replaced by a heat pump to heat my living room *and* provide the wonderful enjoyment of a living fire?

[@Piccyman1]

@@LickorishAllsortsyes, put an lcd display with a nice cozy looking fire on the screen, in the place of the 🔥

[@sirjohng1]

And my October online meter reading disappears into their system never to be seen again? I bet they come back with, "Get a Smart Meter and avoid this problem"?

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi there, I'm keen to take a closer look at what's happened here. Please pop your details on this form and I'll get back to you: octo.ps/fb-help 🐙

[@mars6394]

Any time frame on givenergy ev charger becoming intelligent with octopus

[@thetroopersk]

before invest a lots of money,...sort out your insulations,...windows....and maybe it is a good idea to have a HP...

[@JustinUK]

Solax inverters batteries and Daikin heat pump, home assistant, myenergi Eddi all integrated talking to each other and using cheap grid energy and selling expensive electric back to grid like savings sessions- automate the lot, does this mean those with Daikin you don’t get to see all the controls and optimise remotely and needed a cosy for this option :-(

[@stuartburns8657]

In a couple of years selling energy will be back to pennies

[@JustinUK]

@@stuartburns8657 no chance in hell now liebour are in charge

[@williamlowry2487]

@@stuartburns8657I think it already is! Another channel called something like Greg does Solar stated that the UK grid isn’t interested in paying for energy during the middle of the day as we already have enough due to existing solar and plenty at night due to Wind and Nuclear.

[@stuartburns8657]

@@williamlowry2487 I'm aware that in some US states, and now Australia, that they now CHARGE YOU for exporting. So can't say I'm not too surprised.

[@BishBashBosh29...]

Integration of home batteries (i.e Tesla Powerwall, Give energy, Solaredge etc) with the IOG charge schedule would be helpful,, so that the home batteries don't discharge into EV's, as I, as per many others have an EV Charging socket connected on the outgoing side of a house battery, I appreciate I could get a sparky to rewire my system, and currently I have no issues altering my home battery to match IOG schedule, but once I have gone other family member's may not be so (anal?1?) involved. ;-)

[@TheAdamRBell]

Assuming your battery has an integration for Home Assistant, you could automate the intelligent slots saving you time and the rest of the family from your wrath 😆

[@BishBashBosh29...]

🤣🤣 I do have HA running and tinkered but not sussed out automations yet, so it is just monitoring and a few switches etc to set IOG, control ZAPPI and monitor powerwall. The good and the bad thing about HA and HACS etc is the amount of updates, I found I was spending more time updating it than altering the utility rate plan in the power wall, I appreciate I wouldn't need to do that with the PWII as any integration would be used to set the backup to 100% during charging slots. Maybe I will get round to putting in the time one day ;-)

[@annoni-mouse318]

I still couldn't stand the noise. We live in a very quiet location and the only spot for a HP would be near our bedroom window. Until they can make them silent (I suspect never) then I won't be interested.

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hey there, there are strict regulations on how loud they can be - at around 40 - 60 decibels within one metre, heat pumps are about as loud as a boiler but because they're outside, most people won't even notice. Lots more helpful info over on our heat pump hub here: octopus.energy/heat-pump-hub/ 🐙⚡

[@Glyn001]

One phone call away ? So why when you email customer service you’re lucky if they get back to you in 7 days ?

[@OctopusEnergy]

We're always here to help - if you'd like to give us a call, our phone number (0808 164 1088) along with all the ways to get in touch can be found here: octopus.energy/contact-us/ But please message us to confirm your email address/postcode, and I’ll get back to you shortly 👉 octo.ps/fb-help 👈 🐙

[@seanmarley5613]

Ring them 😂 just like you quote. Email is too slow with too and fro, go back to a good old fashioned two way conversation

[@JohnR31415]

I find their email speed to be acceptable for all the things that aren’t urgent, and phone them if I want/need an answer “right now”

[@gmuzz]

What happens if yiu need a 8kw heat pump?. The cosy 10 will be way oversized and inefficient

[@EverydayLife621]

MCS requirements, the heatpump has to match the max heat loss of the house, however just like ICE cars engine, sometimes its the same engine, but tuned differently - It wouldn't suprise me if the cosy 10 is just the cosy 6, but tuned differently. There is no difference in the mechanical parts in the Daikin between 4kw, 6kw, 8kw HP

[@John-FourteenSix]

Our ASHP is rated at 6K, for our 7.5K requirement home. The MCS caveat required a secondary (fixed/permanent) heat source, a independently powered, in our example a heated floor, which switches on only during the coldest weather. 12 months has been fine even when it was -7 Deg ‘C’ outside.

[@EverydayLife621]

@@John-FourteenSix Very interesting, is there any online info on this, as thought that the HP needed to be more than the HeatLoss?

[@JohnR31415]

@@EverydayLife621all very well and good, but the MCS calculations out by a factor of more than 2.5 for us. I’ve got years worth of gas data, showing my max heat loss… MCS number is more than 2.5 times as high…

[@BenIsInSweden]

10kW for 8kW heat loss is not "way oversized". You lose some efficiency in warmer temperatures but will also gain a bit in the colder temperatures, offsetting some of the loss. Nothing your average user should be concerned about. 12kW would be oversized, and 16kW would be way oversized.

[@maxthemagition]

My gas boiler heats my house wonderfully well and is only on for a few hours per day and even them it isn't powered all the time because it switches off when the water temperature is reached and when the room temperatures are reached which only takes about half am hour. Can a heat pump do the same or is it powered 24/7?

[@CraigPerry]

If it takes 20kw of gas to heat your property each day, then it would also take around 20kw of electricity if you used an electric boiler or electric radiators instead. If instead you use a heat pump, it’ll take around 5kw of electricity. If your gas unit price is 6p per kWh then provided your electric is less than 24p/kwh then you’ll save money on heating. Where I live, gas is 6p and electric 31p so it doesn’t make sense right now. Heating with gas doesn’t have to work the way you describe - you can probably reduce your current gas bill by switching to lower flow rates and maybe weather compensation, I.e. run your gas more like a heat pump. But this approach generally benefits from higher flow rates which if your pipework is too thin, will be loud.

[@lawrenceharris1819]

No, the guy is not listening to the many Octopus customers that Octopus won't talk to about their problems. Until he stops grabbing customers and starts ***listening*** to them, we remain locked in and unable to progress. His admin system is appalling.

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi Lawrence, we're certainly not perfect. We make mistakes, and occasionally we do let people down. We're not shy about admitting this. And when this happens, we do our best to help out here and put right anything that's gone wrong. I'm here to help - an you please send over your email/postcode using this form here so I can find your account 👉 octo.ps/fb-help 👈 🐙

[@andrewdeans2179]

I like octopus but they are having problems getting my smart meter working. If it does not work you can’t get cheap tarrif. Put your software team onto this problem Cheers Andrew

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi Andrew, I'm keen to take a closer look here & get you an update. Things like poor area network signal are out of our control but I'd like to make sure we've tried everything we can for you here. Could you please send over your account details using this form so I can take a closer look 👉 octo.ps/nudge 🐙

[@EverydayLife621]

You need to keep on at them to come out! (its not software its hardware!) - I had the same with EDF, but good for them they sent out 4 different smart meter fitters until (a local one who lived in the next village, knew the problem and resolved the issue - by adding and hanging the aerial outside temporarily) - its all to do with commisioning, and that if you're in a low o2 mobile signal area, its a pain (as needs to pass around 20 checks before it will boot into life) - the good news is once you've managed to get it to connect - it latches onto the neighbours signal - and have never had an issue since.

[@andrewdeans2179]

@@EverydayLife621 thanks I will keep trying to get smart meter fixed. In Scotland they use a radio signal- should be pushing for wifi where other methods don’t work.glad you managed to resolve your problem

[@EverydayLife621]

@@andrewdeans2179 Yes apologies - I was thinking too much of been down south.

[@Tony-Stockport]

An electric combi-boiler is an option rarely mentioned. I've had one for nearly 18 months now and it's fine and a fraction of the price of a heat pump.

[@jimlymm]

Surely an electrict combi is dirt cheap to buy, but can only ever hit 100% efficiency so must cost a lot to run compared with the 400%/500% efficiency of a heat pump ?

[@ashcroft13]

​@jimlymm nothing can be more than 100% efficient.

[@michalrybinski3233]

@@ashcroft13 you seem to not understand how heat pumps work - it does not "create" energy like gas boiler does by burning stuff, it just MOVES it, same as your fridge does, just in reverse. So yes, it can be 100s% efficient because it will use 1kWh but at the same time move 3-4kWh of energy in heat.

[@ashcroft13]

@@michalrybinski3233 I completely understand heatpumps/AC units and boilers work. Its my livelihood. You can say something moves more energy but It still doesn't make the device itself over 100% efficient. That's just marketing bs. Granted octopus doesn't use those terms in this video. I was replying to another users comments.

[@cad4246]

For small heat output requirements that's fine but for larger requirements it'd need a very beefy electricity supply and cost three to five times as much in electricity.

[@Bill-uf6os]

Heat pumps are only 2 times as efficient in cold temperatures. Please don't mislead

[@zassakavuma5877]

I'm no expert but from a brief search at -5degC you get a COP of about 2.5 to 3

[@BenIsInSweden]

2x as efficient as what? what is your definition of cold? Data on one of mine suggests it has to get to -27C before it dips below a COP of 2.

[@terryT-r5o]

Truth is every house is individual as is every installation. But in the colder weather the heat pump is more expensive to run, because the compressor has to work harder, so it uses more energy. Whether that’s a cop of 1,2,3,4 will depend on many factors. I am getting just on 2 at present and the weather is good, so no idea what it will be when the weather gets cold, by which I mean around 10 and below.

[@BenIsInSweden]

@@terryT-r5o what heat pump do you have and when was it installed? As in the UK MCS minimum is 2.8 and if you're only getting 2 in +10C then you're never going to achieve that.

[@UpsideDownFork]

False. Last winter I averaged 4 and I have a budget British Gas installation. Even on the very coldest days I managed a COP of 2.9.

[@widescreen8964]

Open source it all.

[@JohnR31415]

All of what? Kraken is a significant piece of work, and they license it to other energy companies…

[@gregchapman5556]

Load of tosh. Octopus energy can’t tell the truth. They quote you 1 price and charge another. This has happened twice now. I live in a flat that only has electricity no gas whatsoever. I can’t have a heat pump so get screwed.

[@MalavitaOfBB]

That's all great but my smart meter doesn't work and octopus have been useless in doing anything about it... I'm having to charge two electric cars at full energy price and not night tariff , I am certain octopus are not incentivised to solve my problem...

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hey there, I'd love to check this and help this sorted for you. Can you send across your details and I'll do some investigating? 👉 octo.ps/nudge 🐙

[@rodneybooth3381]

Meanwhile your data is being farmed and monetised. The uk housing stock isn’t suitable for heat pumps for the average person who isn’t earning stupid money. It’s a rich man’s folly

[@imik3y]

Yep, its like telling a single mum working a part time job to give up her £2k 1.2L Ford Fiesta for a £50k Tesla

[@widescreen8964]

Y'all need to become a foundation or something so you can't be gobbled up by private equity, strip mined and turned into another hollow shell for maximum profits.

[@YouTubechangedmyhandleagain]

Octopus Energy installed a smart meter in my home 18 months ago. It’s still not working and customer support doesn’t know when it will be connected. Absolutely useless.

[@jirwin32]

The metre is not installed by octopus, their is an industry group that looks after the metres and all the energy companies can do is nag for them to sort it out. But there is location issues with current smart metres as in, works for most but not all.

[@OctopusEnergy]

Hi there, we’ll do everything we can to get your smart meters online, but their location in your home & signal in the area can affect how they connect to the network. Can you please use this form to send over your details and I’ll take a closer look? 👉 octo.ps/nudge 👈🐙

[@unclebuh]

This man loves pretending he's eco and green meanwhile he became overnight the number 1 uk supplier, and there are currently over 18,000 ombudsman judgements against octopus for major failings. With multiple now at the court because octopus won't honor them. If you're all good and that, why are you now the most expensive supplier in the UK too?

[@McOw123]

Where are your stats from? I read BG had about that number, with Octopus around 4500 or so

[@unclebuh]

@McOw123 I just had a finished complaint where octopus were told to award me 4 figures (they haven't. They're ignoring my emails too) but my complaint referenced the mass complaints against octopus on social media where they don't delete the comments, which then I recieved a number from the ombudsman addressing their concerns at the amount of complaints against them. This is my 3rd ombudsman award from them, all regarding the same issue. They're good if you're in the middle class suburbs though apparently and have solar.

[@jan2000nl]

I am with Octopus and it’s been great. Haven’t made switch to heat pump. My maths shows it will be quite a lot more expensive to run at the moment compared to my gas boiler. But good to see improvement and costs coming down. Might switch in 5-10 years if the trend continues.

[@robertday8619]

All a load of bollocks.

[@MrCyberstitch]

Would love a heat pump. My issue was the space in the house that was going to get absorbed. It might be that things have improved however at the moment I struggle with the house logistics of getting it done.