Octopus Energy vs npower (2026)
For households this matchup is largely historical: npower no longer supplies homes, having wound down its domestic business and migrated those customers to E.ON Next between 2019 and 2021. If you still think of yourself as an "npower customer", you are really with E.ON Next now, and the practical question is simply which supplier to choose next. Octopus suits people who want 100% renewable electricity, strong service and access to smart tariffs, while E.ON Next remains a reasonable mainstream option if you would rather not move. Either way, there is no longer an npower tariff to defend, so it is a natural moment to compare. Join Octopus through a referral link and you get a £50 welcome credit.
Switching from npower takes ~5 working days with no break in supply — and my link gets you £50.
Switch to the UK’s most awarded energy supplier! Switch to Octopus Energy and you’ll get £50 credit once your switch is complete. T&Cs apply (only one switching offer per household).
The verdict
For households this matchup is largely historical: npower no longer supplies homes, having wound down its domestic business and migrated those customers to E.ON Next between 2019 and 2021. If you still think of yourself as an "npower customer", you are really with E.ON Next now, and the practical question is simply which supplier to choose next. Octopus suits people who want 100% renewable electricity, strong service and access to smart tariffs, while E.ON Next remains a reasonable mainstream option if you would rather not move. Either way, there is no longer an npower tariff to defend, so it is a natural moment to compare. Join Octopus through a referral link and you get a £50 welcome credit.
npower spent years as one of Britain's "Big Six" suppliers, owned by German energy group RWE and later sitting within Innogy. Following a 2018 asset swap that handed it to E.ON, the domestic brand was wound down from 2019 and around two million home customers were moved to E.ON Next by 2021 — though npower Business Solutions still trades in the commercial market.
Where Octopus tends to win
- Octopus is the UK's largest electricity supplier, powering roughly one in four GB homes, whereas npower no longer supplies households at all.
- Octopus provides 100% renewable electricity as standard and holds an 'Excellent' rating of around 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
- Octopus is a multi-year Which? Recommended Provider, a service track record npower's wound-down domestic brand can no longer offer.
- Once you join and have a working smart meter, you can move free onto Octopus's smart tariffs such as Tracker, Agile, Intelligent Octopus Go, Cosy and Outgoing.
- Joining via a referral link earns you a £50 welcome credit, added automatically as bill credit — there is no code to type.
Where npower still has a case
- npower was a long-established 'Big Six' supplier with decades of brand recognition and millions of customers before its domestic exit.
- Its home customers were transferred to E.ON Next, an established mainstream supplier, so there was continuity of supply rather than a collapse.
- The brand still operates in the commercial market as npower Business Solutions, so larger non-domestic users may still encounter it.
At a glance
| Feature | Octopus Energy | npower |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.8/5 “Excellent” | Lower |
| Which? Recommended | 9 yrs running | No |
| Smart / EV tariffs | Agile, Tracker, Intelligent Go, Cosy | Limited |
| 100% renewable electricity | Yes | Varies |
| £50 welcome credit | Yes — via referral link | No equivalent |
These are general, evergreen comparisons — Octopus’s Trustpilot and Which? standing are Octopus’s own ratings, not ours. Tariff prices change with the energy price cap and your region, so always confirm live rates on octopus.energy before switching.
Is npower cheaper than Octopus Energy?
There is no clean answer, because npower no longer sells domestic tariffs — its former home customers are now on E.ON Next pricing, not npower's. As with any two suppliers, whether E.ON Next or Octopus works out cheaper depends on your specific tariff, your region and how much energy you use, and both track the quarterly energy price cap. Check octopus.energy for Octopus's current rates and the live version of its 12-month fix before deciding.
How to switch from npower to Octopus
Switching to Octopus is straightforward, even though your account has most likely already moved to E.ON Next. Use the referral link on this page, enter your address and a recent meter reading, and Octopus contacts your current supplier for you — there is nothing to cancel yourself. The switch typically completes in around five working days, with no engineer visit and no break in supply, because it is covered by the Energy Switch Guarantee, which keeps the same pipes, wires and meter. Your £50 welcome credit is added automatically once the switch fully completes and your first monthly Direct Debit clears — usually around four weeks, occasionally longer if the old supplier is slow. The one thing that cancels the bonus is signing up through a price-comparison site such as Uswitch, Confused or GoCompare, because that route drops the referral link and pays the comparison site instead.
FAQs
Is npower cheaper than Octopus Energy?+
There is no clean answer, because npower no longer sells domestic tariffs — its former home customers are now on E.ON Next pricing, not npower's. As with any two suppliers, whether E.ON Next or Octopus works out cheaper depends on your specific tariff, your region and how much energy you use, and both track the quarterly energy price cap. Check octopus.energy for Octopus's current rates and the live version of its 12-month fix before deciding.
How much is the Octopus Energy referral credit?+
£50 of credit when you switch to Octopus through a referral link. Business and charity switches get £75. It’s added straight to your Octopus energy account.
Is the Octopus referral code still working in 2026?+
Yes. The scheme is active and we re-verify our code on the 1st of every month. We last confirmed it works on 1 June 2026.
How long does it take to get the £50 credit?+
It’s paid automatically once your switch completes and your first monthly Direct Debit has been taken — usually around 4 weeks after you join. No claim needed.
Is this an official Octopus Energy offer?+
Yes — the £50 referral credit is Octopus’s own scheme. Octopus Energy Referral is an independent guide, not affiliated with Octopus, but the link takes you straight to Octopus’s website where you sign up directly with them.
Ready to switch? Use my link and get £50 — it costs you nothing.
Switch to the UK’s most awarded energy supplier! Switch to Octopus Energy and you’ll get £50 credit once your switch is complete. T&Cs apply (only one switching offer per household).