Octopus Power and the pandemic

As an vitality firm, we play a essential position in preserving the lights and heating on when it’s extra essential than ever to have dependable energy at dwelling. Throughout the first lockdown, we have been the one vitality firm answering telephones as regular to help clients, and our dedication hasn’t modified.

Two years into the COVID-19 outbreak, and several other variants later, right here’s the whole lot it’s worthwhile to find out about Octopus Power’s pandemic response. From our security measures at in-person visits to how one can entry further help if you happen to’re struggling to pay, data on how we’re taking care of our workforce, and different helpful assets.

How we’ve been working through the pandemic

Because the pandemic started, we’ve been fast to adapt. We have been the one vitality firm answering telephones as regular once we first went into lockdown, and we’ve been working as regular ever since.

The significance of being agile in a disaster

Service at Octopus stays robust as a result of it doesn’t matter what, we may be versatile. As a tech-based vitality provider, we’ve constructed Octopus Power to be adaptable. Our innovative expertise, our programs, the best way we organise our groups, and our working habits – have all been designed to permit us to surmount a variety of hurdles, be that journey disruption, web outages, hacking, or on this case – COVID 19.

Our tech implies that all our workforce members want are a laptop computer and a headset. They’ll log onto the web and instantly start supporting clients by telephone or electronic mail, finishing up all the identical help performance as they will within the workplace.

This implies we have saved up glorious, dependable customer support all through the pandemic. With the present vitality disaster resulting in excessive payments and 20+ different suppliers going bust, we’re busier than ever. We’re right here if you happen to want us, however earlier than you attain out to our workforce, you may prefer to see in case your website has the reply.

Assist and FAQs

‘Power defined’ blogs

Log in to your on-line account

There’s tons you are able to do along with your on-line account, together with submitting meter readings, updating your Direct Debit particulars, and even telling us you’re transferring home.

For those who don’t discover what you’re on the lookout for, right here’s how one can get in contact with us.

Help for patrons affected by the pandemic or in monetary hardship

We all know that occasions have been extremely arduous. Please, please get in touch with us if you happen to’re struggling along with your payments. There are a lot of methods we might help.

We arrange the Octo Help Fund in November 2021 as a part of our marketing campaign to assist these anxious about paying for his or her vitality throughout this Winter. For those who’re an Octopus buyer, you’ll be able to entry our Monetary Help type right here – a fast and easy on-line instrument which asks you a collection of questions on your monetary state of affairs. We are able to supply a lot of help choices primarily based on circumstances and wish, together with entry to current schemes, financial help from the fund, electrical blankets, or a mortgage of a thermal imagery digicam to seek out warmth leaks at dwelling. We have additionally written at size about how we’re doing the whole lot we will to maintain costs as little as potential.

You probably have prepayment meters…

Most top-up areas (like supermarkets and nook retailers) have remained open that will help you high up as regular. Energy is a necessity, so it is going to at all times be effective to depart your own home to high up – although you can high up greater than typical in a single go if you wish to keep away from pointless journeys exterior. Discover your native top-up spots at www.paypoint.com.

For those who can’t high up for any motive, (for instance, you probably have COVID and may’t depart the home), we advocate asking pals, household or neighbours to high up for you as a primary port of name. If this isn’t potential simply get in contact and we’ll assist.

For extra info on topping up within the present circumstances, head over to Citizen’s Recommendation. There’s additionally extra recommendation on utilizing prepayment with Octopus, together with info on emergency credit score and pal credit score hours in our Prepayment FAQs

Modifications to dwelling visits (like meter readings and engineer appointments)

We’re presently in a position to proceed with in-person work like meter installations, taking meter readings and door-to-door gross sales, however you’ll be able to in fact refuse any of those visits if you happen to’re shielding.

Common testing, further coaching and tools has been supplied to all Octopus workforce members who do in-person work, to make sure they take vital precautions and are protected.

The place we have to present emergency providers to a buyer who’s in isolation or could have been uncovered, we’ll completely nonetheless be doing this however have further processes to observe.

Meter engineers

Our engineers are putting in sensible meters throughout the UK with in depth particular security coaching and tools detailed right here.

The pandemic has created a giant backlog of appointments for us, that means in some instances, delays for patrons hoping to get a speedy appointment. We have written in regards to the challenges of rolling sensible meters out throughout Covid-19 right here, and you’ll request one right here – we’re prioritising (wherever potential) clients whose appointments have been delayed by Covid-19 or whose installations are pressing.

Meter readers

Our meter readers are working by their common quarterly visits as regular, taking important readings to assist be certain that our clients’ payments are correct and updated.

Our contractors observe in depth security steering, and we’ll at all times electronic mail you to let you already know when somebody’s popping spherical.

As at all times, you’ll be able to submit readings on-line.

Our in-person gross sales groups

Our door-to-door groups will nonetheless be out and about, however might be specializing in having useful and pleasant conversations about vitality, answering any questions and issues clients might need. Being an Octopus Model Ambassadors is about excess of simply serving to clients change!

We have written about why we predict it is actually essential to make our workforce obtainable to folks (when it is protected to take action), and detailed their in depth security measures, on our info weblog about Octopus face-to-face gross sales.

Supporting our workforce

Octopus Power employs over 1,000 folks throughout England, Scotland and Wales, the bulk in roles straight taking care of clients, and we’ve been watching the updates on Covid-19 with as a lot focus and concern as the remainder of the UK.

Since all our workforce have to work is a laptop computer and a headset, we have all been in a position to pivot between working from dwelling and the workplace seamlessly all through the pandemic primarily based on authorities steering, new variants cropping up and so forth.

At the start of 2022, our individuals are largely doing a versatile mixture of each distant and workplace work primarily based on what works greatest for them.

We have labored arduous to made that work as simple and protected all through. We have been one of many first companies to work with the UK authorities to supply every day Covid testing in all our websites throughout the UK, and we guarantee all places of work are deep cleaned repeatedly and well-stocked with the whole lot from hand sanitiser to anti-bac wipes and even Octopus face masks. Naturally our workforce who do in-person work (like meter engineers) have free entry to glorious PPE to maintain themselves and our clients protected whereas finishing up essential work.

From the beginning of the UK’s first lockdown, we additionally paid our whole workforce a daily working from dwelling allowance to make sure they will make their setup as comfy as potential.

On high of the already deeply-forged on-line social communities we’ve got at Octopus as a digital, world firm, we have accomplished tons to maintain spirits up and assist folks transitioning to dwelling working. Every little thing from common Zoom stand-up comedy on a Friday night time to weekly Zoom Yoga. Mother and father with youngsters at dwelling have been in a position to entry iPads to assist hold little ones entertained and educated, and we truly arrange a whole kids’s leisure programme, OctoKids: sending weekly exercise packs and internet hosting common Zoom classes with youngsters entertainers.