Octopus Energy for Business: what it offers and how to deal with it

Octopus Energy sells gas and electricity to businesses as well as households. This guide sticks to what the company says on its own pages and what regulators publish. We do not rate or recommend suppliers, and Biz Energy is not affiliated with Octopus Energy.

Who owns it

Octopus Energy for Business is part of Octopus Energy Group, the UK-based group behind the Octopus household supply brand. The supply company named on Octopus's complaints page is Octopus Energy Ltd (company number 09263424). In December 2025 the group announced it would spin out its Kraken software business as a separate company, keeping a minority stake of about 13.7%; the energy supply business stays with Octopus Energy Group. The group is privately owned and backed by a mix of investors; we have not set out its full shareholder list here.

What Octopus Energy for Business covers

Its business site lists products for several groups: small and medium businesses (it specifically names micro-businesses), large businesses with account management, and multi-site operators who can request quotes for several premises at once. Beyond plain supply it advertises solar-related export arrangements, electric-vehicle schemes and a land-leasing offer for landowners. Most small firms will care about only the first part: fixed prices and the smart tariff options.

The supplier says its fixed tariffs lock gas and electricity prices for up to two years. For a longer view of fixed against variable deals, see fixed vs flexible business energy contracts.

Smart tariffs: when they help and when they do not

Octopus offers time-based tariffs where electricity is cheaper for most of the day and dearer in an evening peak. The company describes the peak as 4pm to 7pm and says customers who move usage away from it can cut bills. The saving depends entirely on your pattern, so test it with your own numbers before signing.

Here is an illustrative sum. The prices are invented to show the method, not an Octopus quote. Say a café uses 24,000 kWh a year, of which 4,800 kWh (20%) falls in the peak window.

• Flat tariff at 26p/kWh: 24,000 x £0.26 = £6,240.
• Time-based tariff with 23p off-peak and 40p peak: (19,200 x £0.23) + (4,800 x £0.40) = £4,416 + £1,920 = £6,336. This costs £96 more.
• If you can shift a quarter of peak use (1,200 kWh) to off-peak: (20,400 x £0.23) + (3,600 x £0.40) = £4,692 + £1,440 = £6,132, which is £108 cheaper than flat.

The lesson: a time-based tariff only wins if you can actually move load. Ovens, dishwashers and refrigeration cycles often cannot move, so a business with a fixed evening trade may do better on a flat rate. A business that runs mostly during the day, or can pre-heat or pre-cool storage, has more room. Smart tariffs also need a working smart meter; read our guide to business smart meters and the explainer on half-hourly meters for how usage is recorded.

How to contact Octopus

The supplier's business pages link to a quote form, a multi-site quote form, a general support and contact hub, and a customer login. Use the official contact page to find the current phone and chat options, and the business home page for quotes. We do not print phone numbers here because they are best checked at source on the day you call.

A note on Bulb

Octopus took over Bulb Energy's customers in December 2022 and the Energy Ombudsman now routes Bulb-era complaints under the heading "Octopus Energy (formerly Bulb Energy)". If an old Bulb dispute is your issue, it is handled through that route. This mostly concerns households, but any firm that was a Bulb customer should keep old correspondence.

Reading the paperwork

Check the Principal Terms for the price per kWh, the standing charge, the end date and any exit fee. If the price is built from separate pieces, our explanations of pass-through charges and the standing charge will help. If a broker introduced you, their fee should appear in the Principal Terms as a total in pounds and pence. For the other pieces of a bill, see non-commodity charges explained.

Leaving Octopus

You can start a switch with a new supplier once you are out of contract, or earlier if you accept the exit costs in your terms. There is no cooling-off period for business contracts, so confirm what you are signing for. Microbusinesses cannot be forced to give notice when out of contract, except under an evergreen contract, where up to 30 days can be required. Our page on how to switch shows the usual sequence.

Complaints

Octopus's complaints page is the first stop. It describes a two-stage process: raise the issue with the team (by email, phone or post) and a named specialist owns it; if it is not resolved, or has been open eight weeks, Octopus sets out its final position and can issue a deadlock letter. The page does not have a separate business procedure, so tell it you are a business customer and quote your business account number. The Ombudsman will usually take a case only after you have a deadlock letter or eight weeks have passed, and you then have 12 months. Micro and small businesses can use the Energy Ombudsman, subject to size tests. The Ombudsman's Octopus page asks you to check that the name on your bill matches the company you are disputing with and to have the date you first complained. See energy disputes and the Ombudsman.

Multi-site and solar considerations

The business site advertises a multi-site quote route and solar-related products, so a few general points are worth knowing before you ask for either.

Several premises

Each meter point has its own contract, end date and size classification. One quote for five sites does not mean five contracts end together unless the paperwork says so. Make a simple table of site, MPAN or MPRN, annual kWh and end date. Our guide to switching multiple sites shows how to line them up.

Selling surplus solar power

If you have panels, an export tariff pays you for electricity you send to the grid. Under the Smart Export Guarantee, larger suppliers must offer a tariff to eligible generators, and you shop around for the rate because it varies. Read about the Smart Export Guarantee for business and whether you can sell surplus power before assuming export income will cover costs.

EV charging

Workplace chargers change your load pattern and, with a time-based tariff, can be scheduled overnight. VAT treatment of electricity used for charging also differs from ordinary supply; the reduced-rate relief does not apply to workplace or public charging. See workplace EV charging.

Check the green claims

Many suppliers sell "green" electricity backed by certificates. That is a bookkeeping match, not a guarantee your kettle runs on wind. Our piece on whether green business tariffs are really green explains what to look for.

Next steps

• Pull 12 months of half-hourly or daily usage so you know what share is in the 4pm to 7pm window.
• Price a flat and a time-based option side by side using the sums above.
• Get contract end dates for all sites if you have more than one.
• See our supplier overview for alternatives.