Yes, I recently switched my FiT (generation element) from E.On to Octopus. [My export has been with Octopus for some time.] The process took rather longer than I thought it should. E.On claimed that Octopus weren't providing the necessary information, but that information seemed to be concerned wtih export, not generation, so I'm not sure of the relevance. Also, the information concerning export was properly registered on the Ofgem master database, so why E.On required Octopus to confirm it is a bit puzzling.

Having said all that the switch did, eventually, happen but required a bit more of my involvement than it should.

The only comment I'd make about having the generation FiT with Octopus is that they are not (yet?) very slick at paying the generation FiT following a meter reading, or providing the associated statement. E.On, when it worked, was impressive with payment arriving within a week or so of providing a generation meter reading. The reason I left was that on a recent occasion they refused to pay me until the next 3-monthly window even though I'd provided the generation meter reading within the required timescale. Apparently something had gone wrong at their end with my meter reading and they weren't willing to process it.

 

I tried when i moved in here, to move the FIT from Scottish Power to Octopus.

Started out asking them very specifically if i needed to deal with Scottish Power first and was told no. Filled out a bunch of forms, sent them off, and then waited....

Eventually they came back and said we cant move it because your not the registered person on the FIT database. I pointed out that was literally the first thing i asked them, and got an "oh sorry we misread it" back.

It then took months for scottish power to actually do the transfer, then when i went back to octopus they had somehow lost all the previous correspondence and asked me to start a-new. I couldnt be arsed, so its still with Scottish Power.

Scottish Power's FIT process is very clunky, and i expected moving to Octopus would make the whole thing somewhat more slick, but from the post above, perhaps not...

I quite like Octopus, they have some clever tariffs and tech, but their CS seems somewhat lacking recently. A recent email about a smart meter issue took them a week even to respond.

 

@DavePlugged

Hi an old thread but i have recently switched my FiT to Octopus from E.On and I am trying to find out how Octopus take the FiT readings? Not popped up on search so far but I see you switched and I am hoping you can point me in right direction as to how you provide your readings to Octopus?

I can't see anything obvious on the dashboard yet...

Like you I agree E.On was great for payments and the meter reading straight forward. I only switched to octopus to use their outgoing tariff but really i did not need to switch to use them and I am still waiting for a MPAN to be set up for export (I think) that might be the delay...

 

Octopus prompt me by email every 3 months to provide a generation meter reading. Payment of the generation element of FiT now seems to take about a week following submission (an improvement since my post in Feb 2022!).

I would hope that the MPAN is not necessary in order to receive the generation payments, but presumably is necessary to receive export payments based on measured (rather than deemed) exports.

 

For me the FIT was totally seperate.

Switching your electricity supplier wont change the FIT scheme provider.

My FIT is still with Scottish Power, i've never bothered changing it.

 

Just to be clear I switched my FiT to Octopus... You can change who provides your FiT payments..

I have tweaked my post to be clear...

 

Thanks how do you submit the readings? Via email or on a web page?

presumably is necessary to receive export payments based on measured (rather than deemed) exports.

Yes...

 

Thanks how do you submit the readings? Via email or on a web page?


Yes...

Right for anyone who is contemplating switching I would not bother, especially if you are with E.On.

The process by which Octopus gather the data is they send you an e-mail on the 16th of every month. This e-mail has a link that you follow that then gives you access to a web page to enter your Solar meter reading and a reading for the export figure.

You can’t access the web page via the normal account summary page you have access to for Octopus.

They set up a new account code which is not related to your house and on the web page it does not show it is related to your FiT meter – as I saw this account pop up a while ago.. I guessed it might be related to the FiT switch.

The e-mail with the Link to follow says..

“When the reading submission window closes in two weeks, we'll start calculating what everyone is owed. We aim to make payments within five to six weeks of that closing date, but sometimes it might take a bit longer.

If you've sent us a reading and not had a statement or payment after this time, please email us and we'll check what's happened.”

So you have to wait 2 weeks for the window to close and then another 5 – 6 weeks for payment if this is true?

E.On were way better – a dedicated web page that you can access at any time and available as soon as meter readings are required.

As soon as you send a meter reading they start processing and payment is made within a week!!!

I had thought Octopus would equal or beat E.On in processes but they are way behind…

I had thought switching to Octopus for FiT payments would make my process to gain an export MPAN easier – It did not… (Still waiting on this...)

You can still get an Export MPAN from Octopus for solar export even if your FiT agreement is not with them. In hindsight (a lovely thing) I would have been better staying with E.On and just applying with Octopus for an Outgoing tariff…

So if anyone see’s this just a few pointers to help you avoid this process…

Of course Octopus behind the scenes might be trying to improve this? – I will update if they do…

 

Well it’s taken me more than 3 months so far to reach the stage where I have a date for my FIT to be transferred. Octopus requested all manner of information that was not easy to find as my PV system was installed many years ago - receipted invoice from the installer to show I had paid for the PV system (the invoice itself was not acccepted as it did not show I actually paid it), copy of deeds to the house or land registry documents to prove I owned the house. Then they rejected my documents initially as they were not from Land Registry - the were actually from the Scottish Land Registry as I live in Scotland, but Octopus would not accept these at first attempt as they were not an official body according to Octopus!

So it’s not necessarily a straight forward process, but for me it’s the easiest way to get off deemed export and onto the Outgoing Octopus tariff for PV export.

 

My FIT has been with EDF for the last 11 years; they were slow to pay in the beginning but then improved and now it is very slick; I receive a prompt every quarter to submit a reading and the payment is made within 2 or 3 days.

 

do you have to send your own meter readings? I thought they were automatic? I’m trying to get FIT transferred to me which is hoepfully in progress. But I have never read the meter so the suppliers would have been able to do that remotely and I wouldn’t know wehre to start.

 

have to send your own meter readings

Yep, my FiT meter was installed over 10 years ago. No automated doodads then...

You submit 4 times a year.

As for your situation maybe they have some way of reading the FiT meter remotely? You should be able to read it physically if you know where the meter is?

 

On my meters yes they're old school manual from 2007. I have a smart supply meter but the panels have the ordinary meters.

 

Update...

Wish I had never moved from Eon as Octopus didn't send reminder email for the next quarter.

I am chasing it via support and the person dealing with it really doesn't understand FiT.

you currently have smart meters and are sign up to us with a smart tariffs meaning that we won't need you to be sending in readings as we don't require 1 reading a month but 48 readings a day for smart tariff which we collect from your smart meter.

They don't understand the meter measuring the solar generation is not something they have access to.

Octopus need to get their act together and improve this.

 

I switched my supply to Octopus (via bulb), but left my FiT with EDF. EDF made a bit of a mess of payments with a new system in 2024, and are still querying every reading I submit, saying it is “outside our expected seasonal range”, even though I have been submitting accurate readings for nearly 13 years and sent in a photo of my generation meter last quarter! So I was thinking of switching the FiT to Octopus and asked them whether, now that I have a smart meter, they would use that to calculate my export payments. I benefit from deemed export at the moment, since I export well under half my generated power (having a heat pump). Their answer wasn’t quite unequivocal, but I think I would stay on deemed unless I “switch to a smart tariff”, but I would probably be bonkers to switch from a lucrative FiT to anything they currently offer for generation. However, having read here about the bureaucracy of switching and Octopus’s understanding of the FiT, and since EDF may be annoying but do pay promptly, I’ll probably not bother to switch.

 

Switched from Scottish Power to Octopus in January this year to get their EV tariff. We have a 3-phase supply and still waiting to get a 3-phase smart meter fitted..
Now problems with FIT payments. Transfer of FIT went okay and they asked for a reading on 1 April. I am still waiting for the payment and have been told that I need to submit my gas and electric reading to make sure my account is in order before they will release it and that it will take another 4-6 weeks! That takes us to around 4 months for payment. This is despite me submitting gas and electric readings on 16th of every month and the account being in credit to the tune of £500! I am hopping mad and may have to file a complaint with OFGEM.
Their customer service keep responding - 'thank you for reaching out to us..' which adds fuel to the fire.