Inside Octopus Energy

It’s hard to keep up with the pace at which AI is changing our lives – and energy is one of the many areas it is rapidly transforming. In this episode, Russell Goldsmith is joined by Steve Wattam, Head of Data Science in Kraken’s Flex business, and Ali Teeney, Kraken’s Global Head of Machine Learning and AI. They discuss how Kraken, the Octopus Energy Group’s tech arm, uses AI and machine learning to further improve customer service and create engaging roles for its team – while helping to build smarter, cleaner energy systems globally.

Since launching the Octopus Energy brand in Spain, the clean energy retailer has grown from a team of ten employees, to over 500. In addition to energy, the company now installs EV chargers, heat pumps and solar panels in customers’ homes. In this episode of Inside Octopus, host Russell Goldsmith reconnects with Roberto Giner, CEO of Octopus Energy Spain. Roberto shares the journey of Octopus Energy's remarkable expansion in Spain, the smooth integration of his former business, Umeme, and the adoption of the Octopus culture in Spain. Roberto also discusses the successful migration onto the Kraken platform and the exciting future of Spain's energy market, including the country’s leading role in solar energy generation.

Heat pumps are like magic, turning one unit of energy into three to four units of heat. In this episode, our podcast host Russell Goldsmith chats with Effie Evans, director of Octopus Energy’s heat pump business, about the important role these clean tech devices are playing in decarbonising our homes Effie and Russell discuss Octopus Energy’s efforts in rolling out heat pumps across the UK – with thousands of new installers hired this year, the opening of a heat pump factory in Portadown, Northern Ireland, and the launch of the ‘Cosy 6’ heat pump. They also address how Octopus is dispelling myths and misinformation about this crucial technology.

How Kraken – the world’s first next-gen energy operating system – is powering a transformation at Octopus and beyondAt the heart of everything the Octopus group does is Kraken – a world-leading operating system for utilities. In this episode, Octopus CEO Greg Jackson and Kraken Chairman Gavin Patterson shine a light on the unique potential that Kraken unlocks, from green tech innovation and optimization to lightning fast migrations.

Introducing Zero Bills: the first-of-its-kind smart tariff providing eligible households zero bills for five years, guaranteed. In this episode, we talk to Michael Cottrell, Product & Partnerships Director at Octopus Energy, and Holly Gavin, Product Manager at Kraken Technologies, about how we're partnering with housing developers to build the homes of the future.

The EV market has taken off in recent years, and we're right at the forefront of the transition. In this episode, we talk to Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, and Claire Miller, Director of Tech and Innovation, about the growth story of Octopus' EV specialist business.

Today we're back across the pond to talk to the US team about the exciting growth they've seen over the last 18 months since launching in Texas. We chat again with Michael Lee, the CEO of Octopus Energy US, Lily Stein who is an Octopus veteran and moving to Texas from Australia to lead operations and Naja Cossey, the Director of Marketing for US. We dive into some of the new programs and campaigns they've been running stateside to help customers through times of rising energy prices and grid uncertainty. We discuss the impact a brand that looks after its customers with such outrageously good service can have on the way customers use energy and how in turn, that can shift the way the market works.

In this episode, our podcast host, Russell Goldsmith, chats with Alex Schoch, who heads up our global flexibility team, and Devrim Celal, the CEO of Octopus’ flexibility technology arm KrakenFlex about how to unlock the untapped resource of household flexibility. It’s clear – we’re entering a new era of energy in which households are moving from passive off-takers to active enablers of a smarter, greener and cheaper grid. For the first time ever, UK’s National Grid this winter is offering a new service to households, allowing them to reduce their usage during times of peak demand and get paid for it. Alex and Devrim explain how the scheme works and what other innovations we are working on to build the smart grid of the future.

The well regarded Energy Advice UK Facebook group, founded by Gemma Hatvani in 2020, now holds nearly 100,000 members. Octopus's Chief Product Officer Rebecca Dibb-Simkin talks to Gemma and her colleague Ian about their rollercoaster journey, how their community supports each other and works with suppliers, and shares some energy efficiency advice from the group.

Octopus Energy is known for its breakthrough innovations - one of the most exciting ones is The Fan Club, the world’s first local tariff that provides customers living near wind turbines with cheaper energy when the wind is blowing, with a discount of up to 50%. In this episode, we welcome back Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation, who explains how the tariff has come about, how it works and what impact it has had so far. We also hear from the Fan Club’s first customer James Laing, sustainability pioneer and Fan Club fan Julia Hailes, and Dan Gowthorpe, who hosts one of Octopus’ Fan Club wind turbines.