Greg Jackson on how it started + Octopus NEW PREMIUM PARTNER!

Greg Jackson, CEO & Founder of Octopus Energy talks about his childhood, the future of the heating industry and announces their new premier partnership with Heat Geek!
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[@BristolHeatPumps]

As a Heat Geek installer this is great news, it will really help speed up decarbonising homes in the UK with heat pumps, it will only happen if we all work together.

[@mattx4253]

Why do we need to decarbonise homes 😂 what a fucking laugh that is. 500 new coal stations in China and hundreds more in India. Thousand new gas stations also. But your wanky heat pump is going to make a difference 😂

[@RevolutionHeating]

Just 2 guys, looking at the bigger picture and coming up with the right solutions. Bravo!

[@erinthecat4206]

Nothing but appreciation for what Heat Geeks and Greg and Octopus are doing. Collaboration is always going to win the day. Sharing and supporting the customer is every bit as important as supporting the industries out there. All too often small traders are run roughshod over. Heat Geeks is giving every installer the tools to be awesome, now with added Octopus pinkness and Newark Cylinders. If I was still on the tools I'd be jumping at the chance.

[@craigchamberlain]

As a very happy Octopus customer and a very happy recent recipient of a Heat Geek certified heat pump installation, this is great to see. Keep disrupting guys, your efforts are greatly appreciated!

[@deansh8506]

Sir Greg Jackson

[@johntisbury]

Nice to see a bromance going on here for all the right reasons.

[@michaeldutton2813]

Maybe you could persuade octopus to send their installers to complete the heat geek training too 👌

[@hawkeyexiv]

The Octopus engineers who fitted our heatpump had done Heat Geek training.

[@michaeldutton2813]

@@hawkeyexiv oh that's really good to hear!

[@OH2023-cj9if]

That proves they are serious.

[@wellsteadfamilytv9687]

I’m new to Heat Geeks this week but I’ve learnt so much and this announcement is brilliant, Octopus really do believe in the bigger mission and the more quality installers there are in this space the better it will be for people 🎉

[@pepe_da_prawn]

I started to do Adam's heat geek course and shortly after got a job at octopus. Been a great company to work for thus far.

[@sam-elliot]

Hoping that the combi heat pump will become a reality for Octopus customers sooner rather than later!

[@Jaw0lf]

I want to say a big thank you to Octopus and Greg Jackson for providing forward looking contracts and buying my unused solar. This has meant that last month I charged my EV at home, heated my DHW with my ASHP and cooked on an electric cooker, as well as all my home use and I had no bill, in fact I was credited by Octopus. I am a consumer but I really enjoy watching the Heat Geeek channel and learning more about my ASHP.

[@andycampbell193]

And the next step @gregoctopus could be utilising the new heat store cylinder from heat geek/newark for your installs. What do you reckon? Count me in if you are!

[@briangriffiths1285]

There are 28 million households in the UK with 23 million relying on gas boilers. The govt target of 600,000 heat pump installations a year is unreachable without many more guys trained to install them In truth it will need 1.4 million to be installed every year just to first install by which time they will start to need to be replaced. Any Heat Geek or installer is pretty much guaranteed work for the next 25 years when it might tail off to just swap out old Heat Pumps. But you can bet your life there will be innovation that keeps plumbers swapping pipework too so that a COP of 5-6 can be reached! Good news for Adam, and Greg, as always seems to be genuine about saving energy and folks money.

[@stevenmawhinney5007]

Heat pumps need replaced every 25 years, wow massive claim, considering they dont even give you a big warranty lol

[@briangriffiths1285]

@@stevenmawhinney5007 How long does your fridge last? Quality refrigerators easily have a life beyond 20 years without a warranty. Heat pumps should be made to industrial quality as they are not built for fashion.

[@user-un1yb8bn5j]

As an energy assessor the biggest stumbling block with any electric heating is the price differential between mains gas and electric unit price. As the gap closes then the transition will speed up. Most of the assessments I carry out for heat pumps is in villages where they are competing against Oil, LPG and other forms of electric heating. Keep driving down those prices Greg.

[@benbocc1549]

Greg, what a legend. Great vid! ❤

[@edc1569]

Octopus is the business that makes you think maybe privatisation can work.

[@gregevans8939]

An organisation that has a "profit motive" will always be far more efficient, innovative and customer focused than ones that don't.

[@Matt-Oakes]

@@gregevans8939 So the same logic applies to all the other energy companies right? You’re saying British Gas as it is now is better than a public utility could ever be?

[@gregevans8939]

@@Matt-Oakes Matt... I'm saying that if British Gas became state owned... it would probably employ far more people and be grossly inefficient... requiring large cash injections from the hardworking taxpayer. Just look at how inefficient the civil service is !!

[@metalhead2550]

It really does depend heavily on the leaders at the top and the culture which they intentionally foster, a significant number of current industrial leaders are not doing a good job with this.

[@robertszynal4745]

So many people just regurgitate the old "private is better" crap when the reality is that "good leadership is better" whether it's private or public. For every good private company there seems to be 20 bad ones. Likewise in the public sector, the DVLA have absolutely smashed it over the last decade or two in their digital transformation. It's sooo easy to do everything now, but then you have a bunch of other public sectors that are doing badly. Leadership = culture = performance. It's that simple.

[@smartboilercompany1983]

What a great collaboration, one heat pump at a time ❤

[@markmccoy8832]

Great to see opportunities opening up across this area.

[@Umski]

Fascinating love in going on there 😂 I’ve not heard Greg speak before even though I’ve been an Octopus customer for a few years now - my Feed-In-Tariff is with Ecotricity but would happily switch to Octopus if it wasn’t such a faff. One of the few companies I’d like to work for 👍

[@mahon257]

I've just switched FIT from OVO to Octopus. Took 6 months - even had to get OFGEM involved (long story to do with OVO - nothing to do with Octopus - who have been superb). I also get SEG payments (2 solar systems). my export rate on SEG with OVO was 4p (really!). Octopus paying me 8p. For me, it was totally worth the hassle, literally doubled export payments... might not be the same for you of course.. good luck!

[@Umski]

@@mahon257 thanks for sharing, it's only the FiT for me so it wouldn't make a difference payment-wise, I got fed up of Ecotricity changing my reading on the 1st April tick-over date and paying me for some units on the old value even though the reading was taken literally when I stopped generating on the 31st March - this only started to happen in 2020 but they still won't acknowledge it's an annoying issue which then requires a manual tweak which is always a battle - I'm not sure if Octopus would be the same as they use a generic contact means versus Ecotricity that have a "dedicated" team for generators - so it's really only for me to consolidate things - I'll see what happens this quarter!

[@andytrewin]

Great to be here for the announcement ~ Kind regards AndyT (Somerset)

[@dazmc79]

You guys are smashing it ! Keep up the good work 👍

[@eliotmansfield]

best thing i like about octopus is that they have published the api for their platform - even for their consumers to use.

[@TheoneandonlyRAH]

Congrats mate!

[@interstellarhaggis]

Really wish there was an ask the audiance option for things like this. Theres a comments i disagree with regarding cars and would love to have had the opportunity to ask questions and hear responses.

[@chriswinter7787]

Fantastic news

[@MikeHarEV]

Im an octopus heat pump customer who's heat loss was deemed to heigh just this week. They couldn't factor in my external wall insulation when some rooms only 2 out of 3 walls have the extra insulation and classed all walls as uninsulated. I'm getting a refund and starting to look for a second option. Sounds like this would have been just the thing for me rather than the hard stop i received. Hopefully I'm sorted now with a new survey next week with a likely outcome of a 12kWh system.

[@garyrandall9023]

We have a solid wall 1930’s bungalow, heat pump works well and there is research to suggest solid walls perform better than current perception.

[@stixstonesinvestors5413]

Wow what a great interview. 🔥🔥

[@MCSMIK]

Would it mean that when getting a quote from octopus I can request a heat geek to install mine? As the feeling with octopus heat pump installations is a cookie cutter approach with limitations on the design, like designing to 50C for example. I feel heat geeks do a more thorough job

[@Ben-gm9lo]

You have hit the nail on the head. To my mind they are offering different products to solve the same heating issue. Octopus are trying to mass install at minimum cost to the customer, this means running a higher temperature due to minimal system changes. Heat Geek (installing at my house soon) are offering a higher cost and quality install that will work at lower temperatures and higher efficiencies. I already run my heating at 50 degrees on gas, but Heat Geek are still changing almost all my radiators to get me down to the low 40s and reach those heady COPs. Not cheap upfront, but long term savings.

[@eddyd8745]

Hi Greg, when is the Cosy 6 and it's big brothers finally going to be rolled out? It's 9 months later than originally envisaged so far. Keen to know as my Octopus install is on hold (received a quote etc. but with the Daiken HP) until they come out.

[@anyuone]

Greg Jackson CBE Commander of British Electric…

[@edc1569]

When will heat geek drop that flame logo?

[@HeatGeek]

The flame represents warmth! But always room for growth

[@Swwils]

Yeah having a vapour compression cloud with glasses would be tricky.

[@thomasjohnbirks132]

I still cannot get an Octopus heat pump in Scotland. Does this initiative mean that Heat Geek can install one?

[@martinpickard100]

Interesting after went down the road with octopus and PP turned down. Hopefully a heat geek would be able to do a non standard install

[@edwardpickering9006]

It's a really good idea, that I am sure will help get more decarbonisation done. Next off please try and sort out the madness of the MCS scheme, which wants to insist that I replace my nearly new hot water tank with a very similar one, or I won't get the grant - madness!

[@HeatGeek]

Which mcs “regulation” have you been told is saying you should do this??

[@edwardpickering9006]

@HeatGeek Current 2 year old tank is HeatraeSadia PP210B. Works fine for us for hot water on current gas boiler @45 degree flow temp. Been told needs replacing as the coil isn't big enough to work with a heat pump and unless it was changed then wouldn't qualify for MCS or £7.5k grant... WDYT? (P.s. have a Eddi as well do most of our hot water is from solar, MCS doesn't seem to take this into account...)

[@danielknights1505]

Just tell him to get it all in Cumbria too we always get forgotten about up here

[@user-gd1vm1dq6d]

It would be good to see a video of the exact upfront costs versus savings by having a HP. In essence it’s all well and good saying there’s a saving, but I suspect dividing the huge upfront costs over months versus savings, will make this look different. Going greener is good, but it’ll take 30 years plus to completely change.

[@HeatGeek]

We have a few videos already out on this

[@AndyJHiscock]

I'm holding out until a compact all in one direct replacement to a combi boiler will be developed. As its inside the property there will be, no planning permission headache, no astheic issues, will become an option to millions of people, no convernant issues, simple and easy to install. I'm sure it will happen as there is a whole swathe of houses out there who can't have a heat pump in its current form. As the need for central heating grew, boilers shrunk from a monster in the corner of the kitchen with low efficiency to a box that can fit in a cupboard. If someone has a gas combi boiler there is little reason why they can't have a heat pump - no matter the property type.

[@SeanW-zi6kj]

It’s almost already here to be fair, see the recent heat geek videos.

[@digitaria]

Quick questions - Where is the source for the electricity generation coming from to run these heat pumps? Where is the materials coming from to build these batteries? What will happen to these batteries when the reach end of life cycle?

[@Biggest-hz7ng]

Electricity should come from renewables (heat pump use can help cope with their intermittency). A heat pump using gas-only electricity generation uses less gas than a gas boiler. Materials come from mines (some good, some bad), mineral prices and battery costs have dropped. Batteries are highly (95%) recyclable.

[@digitaria]

⁠@Biggest-hz7ng Mines that are good and bad? I thanks for the response. Electricity should come from renewables is sounding great, but, where is the materials for these renewables coming from? See this all sounds great because the strap line is “we are saving the planet” but this idea seems to me like all the changes in the past. The real SOURCES suffer so that the WEST can become wealthy. I guess soon we will see the ever damaging AID for raw materials and privileges being ramped up towards these SOURCES. This is the usual feel good about it factor. I would like to see 80%-90% of the current electricity production coming from renewables FIRST before the mass rollout of heat pumps. Why hasn’t the government made it compulsory for all new builds regardless of when planning was granted, to have solar panels, batteries and EV chargers as standard I know about the trial schemes in Whales etc. However, if the is for the good of mankind globally then sure these things should be mandatory on all newly built properties from now going forward. Surely we should be thinking about ethical responsibilities and moral values when considering the SOURCES for the new Industrial Revolution. I hope that in 50-60 years time the people at the various sources will at least have electricity and decent living conditions, after all they made the new revolution happen. Or, is history going to be repeating itself?

[@Swwils]

It doesn't even matter if the electric comes from burning gas, since you are literally getting more space heating energy than the gas itself contains when the electricity made from burning gas is used in a heat pump. This is the underlying magic that lots of people forget.

[@Swwils]

​@@Biggest-hz7ngnot really practical at grid scale. It doesn't really matter though because you can just burn gas to make electricity for heat pumps and this is still a net decarbonisation.

[@oronjoffe]

As of now, about half the energy comes from renewables and the proportion keeps going up.

[@benbradbury3665]

Would be good if octopus could give me a correct bill.

[@yngndrw.]

What happens when a heat pump manufacturer produces a heatpump with a defect affecting efficiency, such as the Vaillant energy integral counting bug in firmware V351.06.07 - Are either of you going to hold them to account when they refuse to fix it? Vaillant has fobbed me off, saying they don't consider it an issue even though they've fixed it in a later firmware version. (Which requires an expensive board replacement) Heat Geek doesn't appear to care either, telling me it's not their problem and that I should contact Vaillant. Octopus, do you care enough about efficiency to use your size to force manufacturers such as Vaillant to put their game and stand behind their products, including when there are software issues? Lots of words are being said about wanting to drive change, but let's see you both hold manufacturers to account.

[@HeatGeek]

Any jobs through us we take full responsibility of regardless of the manufacturer. We contractually hold ourselves responsible. If you have used someone trained by us but not run the job through us we can’t really do anything about the works they do outside of our ecosystem..

[@yngndrw.]

@@HeatGeek But this goes beyond contractual responsibility, this is about reputational damage to the industry. When we have large, top-tier manufacturers shirking their responsibilities and knowingly producing products with out-of-spec software which cannot be easily updated and that negatively affects efficiency, in an industry which has enough nay-sayers about reliability, complexity and efficiency - They are causing reputational damage which affects you and the environmental action you are pursuing regardless of who has installed it. Due to your size, you are in a small group of organisations that are in a position to hold manufacturers such as Vaillant to account, to demand better from them. Individual installers are not in the position you are, by standing up you're helping all of your installers by ensuring they have products which the manufacturers themselves will stand behind. Pushing back against this sloppy product support benefits the consumer, it benefits you as a business within the industry, it benefits the industry as a whole and it benefits the environment - Whether there's a contractual obligation to help or not. So why wouldn't you push them to support their products? Will you still support the use of their products, knowing that Vailliant won't stand behind their own products? PS: Will you be replacing the control board of every HeatGeek Assured Vaillant install with an affected firmware version proactively, or will you only do so if a customer notices? This kind of question is why it directly affects you as a business.

[@digitaria]

8 out of 10 people are not satisfied with their boilers because the boilers are not installed and commissioned properly. I good boiler that can be rated and balanced properly is a good way forward too. Let’s fight for proper boiler installations and that is easy if GasSafe wants to implement measures to ensure boilers are installed properly. Scrap all the low budget boilers that cannot modulate to at least 4kW. Make it possible for installers to set running temperature so customers can’t change it. Just a few ideas…

[@davecavaghan7889]

why do heat geek charge for a warranty

[@Swwils]

Octopus need to push for zonal pricing. Simple as.

[@EverydayLife621]

I think retrofittig to heat pumps is going to be a harder slog than EV's, as the maths just dont stack up for homeowners using electric (even at 100-400% efficiency) for heating in older houses.

[@robertszynal4745]

The breakeven point with gas is currently 380% or a SCOP of 3.8. Heat is heat, whatever the source so the house it is in is irrelevant as a poorly insulated house will cost more in gas/oil just as much as in electric. It's just physics. Heat energy in must match heat energy out.

[@GlynHudson]

@@robertszynal4745It's now dropped to 3.6

[@Swwils]

​@@robertszynal4745that's not a fair break even point because you pay VAT on that electric and it ignores all the other constraints that come from the market. If you think of it as an apollo style project to decarbonise it makes much more sense.

[@electrician247]

"introducing money to the local economy by using a local indy installer by example"could not say it better myself Adam. Buyer beware of big corp especially those wandering into areas they have no expertise. Support small indy installers by not driving standards and prices to the floor. Octopus are an incredible energy retailer (I am a customer). Less impressed with other activities at the moment.

[@Swwils]

The difference between heat pump installation and EV charger installation is that there are literally almost no knowledgeable installers in the UK, where it's the flip of that with sparks.

[@newsgroup6948]

Shame Octopus don’t offer a one stop solution to Heat Pumps. Went through the whole survey process only to be advised that in order to have the heat pump I’d have to arrange for someone else to replace all my microbore making the install not financially viable!!!!

[@juliancouch5891]

Hello Greg Please allow qualified electricians to approve DIY solar installs instead of MCS then you can buy my surplus production and encourage domestic production.

[@stevenmawhinney5007]

Possible exciting times, but i dont know if yous watched the debate last night on TV, climate change isnt getting sorted till 2045 at the very least, theyve all let it slip accidentally that they know nothing can be done, with todays older model brick houses. Unless octopus want to put up the 28 billion to help every home in the uk. You will win the battle at some.point, but i defo know now, il be fitting gas boilers, with low temp specs until im well retired lol.

[@Biggest-hz7ng]

UK plans to reach net zero in 2050 (China 2060). Energy, heating and transport are the easiest things to fix, have a substantial effect and are being dealt with first. Heat pumps can be fitted in old churches, so should fit most everywhere.

[@stevenmawhinney5007]

@@Biggest-hz7ng yes they can be fitted in churches, but they are not lived in 24/7, have a loft with insulation and no hot water as more than likely will be on a watet heater. Id love to know the running costs for a church with a heat pump installed. Thats right, theres no data lol.

[@stevenmawhinney5007]

@@Biggest-hz7ng also, il bet you 100 pounds, net zero wont be sniffed at in 2050

[@Biggest-hz7ng]

The heating costs of a church should be roughly equivalent, given the efficiency of heat pumps compared to boilers, assuming their tariffs are similar to domestic tariffs. Hopefully governments will ensure we are on a path to net zero by 2050. It will take time

[@bordersw1239]

How about adding something to the Heat Geek member conditions- each Heat Geek has to train up a minimum of one new Heat Geek member every three years.

[@HeatGeek]

Lots on the road

[@langy1318]

Get a room you two😂

[@liberatodelgreco4430]

You have been given an unfair advantage by being allowed your EV installer to pull the main fuse and upgrade, which like you just stated IT ISN’T FAIR we can’t pull main fuse

[@Lewis_Standing]

Pardon?

[@BristolHeatPumps]

At the huge volumes they are doing its actually a smart move as long as its being done properly and safely

[@edc1569]

Why can’t you pull it? Just assure yourself you can do it safely and point at octopus if anyone questions it.

[@gavjlewis]

But for every EV charger install where they have an advantage they are also putting in ten times as many isolators when installing new smart meters.

[@robthomas7232]

​@@BristolHeatPumpsSmart move for a big company with lots of VC funding, but unfair on the self employed spark who isn't allowed to do that.

[@jamieblatantsparky]

Fancy getting on the guy that’s going to put plumbers out of business

[@bordersw1239]

Who plumbs in the air source heat pumps - the local butcher?

[@edc1569]

Taps will still need fixing mate. Slapping a combi on the wall might not be your gig anymore - sorry.

[@jamieblatantsparky]

I am not a plumber your the turkeys voting for Christmas

[@jamieblatantsparky]

@@bordersw1239octopus minimum eqge bicthes

[@bordersw1239]

@@jamieblatantsparky Definitely not an English grammar teacher either.

[@Angel-xq9yz]

Heat pumps expensive to run , do not work effectively temp under 5 , Cost more to run below zero

[@mikeypc3592]

Are you saying this from personal experience?

[@JH-fv1gq]

🤮10k for a heat pump, 5k for a battery, 6k for solar. 30k for an ev. The rich get richer the sheepeople get poorer.

[@edc1569]

Technology costs money, we could just keep inflating house prices more - money for nothing.

[@Umski]

Pretty sure that’s about the average cost for say a new kitchen/bathroom/wedding 🤷‍♂️

[@JohnR31415]

Or 2k for a second hand EV. EV/ICE price parity is very close indeed, it’s already well worth it. But yes, new cars are expensive.

[@mattmackenzie1111]

Lots of government funding available.

[@Biggest-hz7ng]

There's help for the less well off and heat pump grants to help us all reduce the mess we are making. Batteries and solar are investments with fairly quick payback times and also help reduce our impact through demand shifting. EVs are better, and becoming more affordable and available in the secondhand market.

[@KevinofWessex]

One big scam

[@fje1948]

Hmm…… I bet you hate EV’s as well! 😂

[@daveoram7249]

Ah we have a Climate Change denier who probably works for Shell. Probably doesn't believe in the Covid vaccine either and thinks Putin is misunderstood

[@hm27200]

😂😂😂 i cant believe all the comments backing greg. This man is the problem he is allowed to profit massive amounts whilst we pay extortionate amounts to line his pockets no wonder he is smiling. Energy should be owned by us it ahould be a human right to have energy not let one individual make billions in profit.

[@RichyNeal]

Have you even looked at what they offer? I'm on agile and I paid virtually nothing for electric throughout the day yesterday, i apid more instanding charge than actual usage and i even charged my car, at one point they were paying me!

[@daveoram7249]

Best Energy Supplier out there. The only good thing about Privatisation is Octopus Energy. Octopus are leading the way forcing other Suppliers to change. Octopus gave loads of money back to Customers before anyone else did with the Energy Saving scheme. This is now backed by the Grid which cuts carbon emissions at busy times

[@Fullchargeelectricalservices]

Isn’t this just Octopus and Heat Geek sourcing leads and taking a cut while asking the installers to earn less than if they worked direct?