- Saving Sessions participants can win a new Ford Puma Gen-E Premium EV
- The Sessions are exclusive to Octoplus members
- Electricity normally used during these sessions will be billed as usual, but any extra will be free
Octopus Energy has announced the return of its Saving Sessions, starting from 16 June, giving its customers the chance to win an electric vehicle (EV) or one more than 8,000 of its pink Octopus plushies.
Customers can win a new Ford Puma Gen-E Premium EV, worth £35,000, courtesy of Ford and Octopus Electric Vehicles, as well as the sought-after pink plushies of the supplier’s mascot.
In Saving Sessions, customers are rewarded for shifting their electricity, which includes using more to make the most of green power when it’s abundant and using less when the National Grid is at its busiest.
The Sessions are exclusive to Octoplus members and participants can “fill their boots” with free power during hour-long slots, which will usually be held in the early afternoon, Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer, Octopus Energy, said.
“We’re offering even more fun, flair and fabulous prizes,” she said. “It’s a brilliant way to showcase how smart tech and green energy can work hand-in-hand – and make saving money feel like winning the jackpot.”
Nearly 1 million eligible customers have already opted in, Dibb-Simkin said, and new customers can sign up easily via the Octopus Energy app or online. To be eligible, you will need to have a working smart meter and be signed up to the Octoplus loyalty schemes.
Customers on ‘intelligent tariffs’ already have their smart devices (EVs and batteries) optimised to run at the greenest and cheapest times, so Saving Sessions will run differently for them. Plug in your EV throughout the session to be credited to the value of an hour of free charging.
Those signed up will receive a notification the day before a Saving Session will begin and then customers need to “plug in and power up”.
Unlike other suppliers’ schemes, Dibb-Simkin said Octopus’ Saving Sessions are uncapped, so customers with EVs and heat pumps can “max out the freebie”.
She added that the electricity customers would normally use during these sessions will be billed as usual, but any extra electricity will be free. Customers can also track their earnings in real-time via a new dashboard on the Octopus website and app.
It works by Octopus utilising historical smart meter readings to work out a customer’s typical energy use at that time of day. If the Session is on a weekday, the calculation will look at a half-hourly usage over the past 10 weekdays. If the Session is on a weekend, then it will look at half-hourly usage over the past four weekend days.The figure is then used as a baseline and any power above this will be free.
“Not only will all their electricity over their average be free, but participants will work together to unlock collective milestones for the first time,” she said.
“Hitting targets will not only bag customers brilliant prize draws, but can also unlock triple-length sessions where they can get free electricity for longer.”
Saving Sessions builds on Octopus’ track record in flexibility, and has seen more than 2 million households paid to flex their energy use last winter, collectively earning more than £10m.
