Octopus unveils ‘UK-first’ heat pump and solar referral schemeOctopus unveils ‘UK-first’ heat pump and solar referral scheme

Octopus Energy has announced the launch of its low-carbon domestic technology referral scheme, offering £100 worth of incentives for heat pump and solar installations.

This initiative, driven by the goal of decarbonising UK households, will allow anyone who gets a heat pump or solar system installation from Octopus to refer friends and family for their own low-carbon technology installation.

Those referring will pocket £100, while those having the tech installed will get a £100 discount on the fitting. Octopus Energy retail customers can get a £100 credit on their account, while others will receive a widely accepted e-voucher of the same value.

The scheme was launched as the government announced a significant surge in demand for heat pumps, with applications for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant increasing by 75% year-on-year (YoY) in February.

According to the government, this marks the fourth month that more than 2,000 applications have been received since grants for air and ground-source heat pumps increased to £7,500.

This means the monthly average for applications received between November 2023 and February 2024 is 45% higher than the monthly average before the grant uplift.

Octopus data shows that switching to a specialist heat pump tariff like ‘Cosy Octopus’ can save households £222 a year compared to running a boiler.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, said: “Our approach has always been to put money back into people’s pockets, and we will happily give away another £100 million in referrals as savvy customers take advantage of our heat pump offer – and help speed up the clean heating revolution along the way.”

This article first appeared on Current±’s sister publication Solar Power Portal.