Octopus Power-ups: How They Work, Who Qualifies and Why They’ve Dried Up

Octopus Energy has introduced Power-ups, a way to get free electricity into your home. But who is eligible to join, how does it work, and is it still worth getting excited about in 2026?

Octopus Power-ups

Let’s be honest; if you were going to send a Christmas card to a company, energy providers would probably be very low on your list. Especially when you consider how crazy energy prices have been over the last couple of years and the profits these companies are making.

However, there’s the odd perk and tweak that can help cut your bills. For example, Octopus offers an Intelligent tariff, giving electric car users access to some very cheap rates at night. Plus, they offer Saving Sessions, which allow you to earn money if you can reduce your usage over a certain period.

And the latest perk on offer? Power-ups.

What’s a Power-up?

A Power-up is a short window of time, usually one or two hours, where you can use as much electricity as you like, completely free.

At least, that’s how it works in theory.

Can anyone join?

To qualify, you will need to be:

• An Octopus Energy customer
• Have a smart meter fitted
• Live in a designated area – currently restricted to the South East and East
• Opt-in to Power-ups

How does it work?

Octopus will email you to let you know when a Power-up is scheduled. This is often around 24 hours in advance, although sometimes it’s much shorter notice.

During the event, you use electricity as normal. You’ll initially be charged your usual rate, but Octopus later applies a bill credit covering the electricity used during the Power-up window. This usually appears within a few weeks.

Why are we being offered free electricity?

The UK now relies far more on renewable energy, particularly wind and solar. That’s great in principle, but it comes with a problem: supply doesn’t always match demand.

On very windy or sunny days, the grid can end up with more electricity than it needs. Because large-scale storage is still limited, that excess energy can go to waste.

Power-ups exist to encourage households to shift usage into these surplus periods. If we’re running appliances, charging cars or heating homes during these windows, the grid doesn’t need to rely as heavily on fossil fuels later.

It saves money and reduces carbon emissions. In theory, everyone wins.

How often will they happen?

This is where expectations need to be managed.

When Power-ups first launched in late 2023 and early 2024, they were fairly frequent. I once had three in a single week. Most events ran for two hours, usually mid-afternoon on weekdays.

Timings later became more unpredictable, with events popping up early mornings, late evenings and occasionally overnight. Weekend sessions also became more common.

However, since around the middle of 2025, Power-ups – and free electricity in general – have become very rare.

The year started reasonably well, but sessions have dropped off sharply. When they do happen, they’re now usually just one hour long, rather than two. Weeks (sometimes months) can pass without a single event.

In short: if you’re joining Octopus purely for Power-ups, you’re likely to be disappointed.

How much can you save?

A two-hour time slot is pretty restrictive, especially during the middle of the day. However, I have managed to save an average of just over £4 per session. That’s by turning on the washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher and charging my electric car.

I have even bought a couple of cheap electric heaters from Amazon so I can warm the house up for a couple of hours.

How long will Octopus offer Power-ups?

There’s no official end date. When Power-ups launched in August 2023, Octopus said they would run for at least a year.

They’re still technically active, but in reality, they’ve been quietly scaled back. Free electricity hasn’t disappeared completely, but it’s no longer something you can rely on.

What if you’re not a customer?

Never fear. As long as you’re not tied into a contract with your current energy provider, you can switch over to Octopus completely free.

Bear in mind that switching can take several weeks and you will need to install a smart meter if you don’t already have one. And check the unit rates before you switch. There’s no point in getting a couple of hours worth of free electricity if you’re paying more the rest of the time.

Don’t forget, new customers also get £50 credit using a referral code when they join.

Further reading

If you want to save money with Octopus, take a look at their Octoplus scheme.