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Snug Octopus is a smart electricity tariff designed for homes with traditional storage heaters. It gives customers six hours of cheaper electricity overnight and an additional managed afternoon period for evening warmth. Unlike Economy 7, Snug allows Octopus to control when compatible storage heaters charge through the smart meter. The household chooses its heating preferences, while Octopus creates the charging schedule. This guide was checked on 10 July 2026.
Traditional storage heaters contain ceramic or clay bricks. Electricity heats those bricks overnight, and the stored warmth is released gradually during the following day. Snug Octopus uses the auxiliary load control switch inside a compatible second generation smart meter to operate the heating circuit. Octopus schedules the heaters to charge during selected periods, taking account of preferences entered by the customer. The tariff provides a cheaper window from 00:30 until 06:30 each night. Electricity used anywhere in the home during those six hours is charged at the lower rate, not only electricity consumed by the storage heaters. Octopus can also schedule heater charging outside the overnight window. When it does, electricity used during the scheduled period receives the cheaper rate. This includes the daily afternoon boost, intended to add heat before the evening.
Octopus advertises a lower rate of 9 pence per kilowatt hour. The daytime rate and standing charge vary by region, so customers need to enter their postcode to obtain the quotation. Snug is a variable tariff. Its prices can rise or fall, and Octopus says it will provide reasonable notice before changing flexible tariff prices. The 9 pence rate applies between 00:30 and 06:30, during the managed heater schedule, and during the one hour afternoon boost. Electricity used at other times is charged at the regional daytime rate. For comparison, the average electricity rate under the Ofgem price cap from 1 July to 30 September 2026 is 26.11 pence per kilowatt hour for a Direct Debit customer. The average electricity standing charge is 57.19 pence a day. Those national averages do not replace the regional Snug quotation.
Snug Octopus is not available to every home with electric heating. It is intended for traditional night storage heaters controlled by an auxiliary load control switch in a second generation smart meter. The customer must already be supplied by Octopus, live at the property and hold the energy account in their own name. Octopus carries out technical checks because not every second generation meter supports the required control arrangement.
The customer tells Octopus how long the storage heaters should charge and when warmth is required. Octopus then produces an optimised schedule. Charging often occurs in shorter periods overnight rather than continuously for six hours. Octopus may move some charging outside that window where system conditions make another period preferable. The afternoon boost provides one managed hour of charging at the lower rate. This can help older heaters maintain useful output into the evening. More than one storage heater can be controlled where they share the eligible arrangement. If an immersion heater is connected to the same controlled circuit, it will usually operate alongside the heaters.
The tariff permits a maximum of seven hours of managed heater charging in each twenty four hour period. This normally consists of overnight charging plus the afternoon boost. If the requested schedule exceeds seven hours, Octopus can charge additional managed consumption at the daytime rate. The terms allow Octopus to decide which excess period receives that rate. Customers should choose the overnight duration carefully. Running every heater at maximum during mild weather could waste electricity and exceed what the home needs.
Smart meters can occasionally respond late to a charging instruction. Octopus says most respond within fifteen minutes, but a delay can push consumption outside the approved schedule. Electricity used because of such a delay may be charged at the daytime rate. The same can happen if communication with the meter is lost and the heaters return to their previous schedule outside the Snug periods. Customers should review monthly statements rather than relying entirely on the in home display. Smart tariff adjustments can appear later, making the statement the most reliable record of charging costs.
Octopus estimates that a medium Economy 7 household using 3,900 kilowatt hours a year would spend ยฃ964 on Snug, compared with ยฃ1,092 on Flexible Octopus Economy 7 using April 2026 prices. That produces an estimated annual saving of ยฃ128. This example is not a guarantee. Actual savings depend on regional rates, heater settings, insulation, daytime electricity use, weather and the amount of heat required. A poorly insulated home may still consume large amounts of electricity even at a lower unit price. Snug changes when heating energy is bought, but it does not improve the building.
Snug can be combined with Outgoing Octopus, Agile Outgoing Octopus or the Octopus Smart Export Guarantee. Solar owners should compare import savings and export income together. While using Snug, customers give Octopus exclusive control rights for demand response services involving the storage heating equipment. They cannot place the same property or devices into a competing third party flexibility scheme.
Snug is most suitable for households with compatible traditional storage heaters, an eligible smart meter and predictable heating needs. It offers more control than a fixed Economy 7 schedule and provides a useful afternoon top up. It may be unsuitable for homes with unsupported meters, independently controlled modern heaters, direct acting electric radiators or heating demand that regularly requires more than seven managed hours. The best decision comes from comparing the live Snug quotation with the home's current Economy 7 rates and annual consumption. Heater settings, daytime demand and building heat loss should be included before estimating the likely saving.
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