energy switching Archives

May 7, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How to Switch Business Energy UK: A Small Business Guide (2026)

Last updated: 27 August 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.

If you run a small business in the UK and you want to switch business energy, you're in the right place. Most business owners never actively choose their energy supplier. They just inherit whoever supplied the premises and carry on paying whatever lands in the inbox. That's an expensive way to run things, and once you understand why, the fix is surprisingly simple.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute business or financial advice. Energy prices change frequently. Always verify current rates directly with suppliers.

Business energy is a different world to domestic. There's no price cap protecting you, the VAT is higher, and the market is full of brokers trying to lock you into long contracts. Several of us on the CoolCuration team are freelancers or run small businesses, so we've been through this process ourselves. Here's what we learned.

Published by Stiv in Energy, Money, Money saving

Tags: business energy, business energy supplier, Climate Change Levy, energy switching, freelancer energy, octopus energy, small business UK, sole trader energy, switch business energy, VAT business energy

April 6, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Octopus vs Ovo Energy 2026: Which UK Supplier Is Better?

Last updated: 17 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

If you're weighing up Octopus vs Ovo for your next energy switch, you're not alone. Both are major UK suppliers, both talk a big game on green energy, and both want your direct debit. So which one actually delivers? In this head-to-head comparison, I compare pricing, customer service, green credentials, smart tariffs, and everything else that matters when choosing between Octopus Energy and Ovo Energy in 2026.

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.

Leaning towards Octopus? How to switch, which tariff to pick and how the referral credit works are all in my Octopus Energy guides hub.

Published by Stiv in Energy, Money saving, Services

Tags: energy comparison, energy switching, green energy, octopus energy, Ovo Energy, price cap, smart tariffs, UK energy supplier

March 9, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Is Octopus Energy Regulated by Ofgem? UK Licensing and Consumer Protection (2026)

Last updated: 27 August 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.

Yes. Octopus Energy is regulated by Ofgem, the UK's independent energy regulator. That means Octopus must follow the same consumer protection rules, pricing regulations and licensing requirements as every other domestic energy supplier in Great Britain. In practical terms, this covers everything from how you're billed to how quickly you can switch and what happens if things go wrong.

Quick answer

Octopus Energy holds both gas and electricity supply licences from Ofgem.
Default tariffs are subject to the Ofgem price cap.
Switching, billing and complaint handling rules all apply.
Customers can escalate unresolved complaints to the Energy Ombudsman.
If Octopus ever failed, the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process would protect your supply and credit balance.

If you're reviewing suppliers and want to see how switching works in practice, start here: Octopus Energy switch process.

Reassured and ready to switch?

The current Octopus new-customer credit is listed on my referral page, kept up to date.

See the live Octopus credit

Checking Octopus out before you switch? My Octopus Energy guides hub collects the safety, tariff and referral guides in one place.

Published by Stiv in Discount, Energy, Saving, Services, UK Made

Tags: consumer protection, energy switching, octopus energy, Ofgem, price cap, UK energy regulation

December 31, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Referral Offers UK 2026: £400+ in Rewards (Stacking Guide)

UK Referral Offers2026 Edit

The best referral offers UK, stacked in the right order

Last updated: 14 October 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have been stacking UK referral offers for years, including using Sprive on my own mortgage since October 2021. So this guide reflects what has actually landed in my own accounts, not a list lifted from a press release.

Want to know what the best referral offers UK providers are handing out in 2026? Most people grab one sign-up bonus, forget the rest, and leave easy money on the table. This guide works differently, because it is a practical stacking plan you can complete in an afternoon.

Every offer below sits in a clear category, so you always know what to tackle first. Moreover, I have re-checked each one against the provider's own live terms this month and pulled anything that has ended. Done sensibly, and if you qualify, the cash and credit here adds up to more than £400. On top of that, the cashback layers keep paying long after setup.

Affiliate note: This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.

Not financial advice: nothing here is financial advice. Capital at risk applies to every investing offer, because the value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Offers, values and terms change often, so always check the provider's current terms before you sign up.

Start with the biggest single win

If you only do one thing this week, switch to Octopus Energy. It pays real bill credit, there are no shares to sell and there is no lock-in.

Switch to Octopus Energy

Published by Stiv in Discount, Finance, Money, Money saving, Referral Guides, Saving, Services, UK Deals

Tags: 2026, bank bonuses 2026, cashback, cashback deals, energy switching, free money UK, free shares, investment bonuses, money saving, referral codes UK, referral offers, referrals, sign up bonuses, sign-up bonuses, uk fintech