Octopus Energy vs Scottish Power

Scottish Power is one of the original big six UK energy suppliers, now owned by Spanish energy giant Iberdrola. They supply around five million UK households and have a strong track record in renewable generation, with over 40 operational wind farms across the country. Their Trustpilot score sits at a respectable 4.3 out of 5, though their performance in independent surveys like Which? has been less consistent.

Their parent company is one of the world's largest renewable energy investors, and Scottish Power was the first of the big six to move entirely to wind power generation. Let's look at how they compare to Octopus across the things that matter most.

Pricing

Scottish Power's standard variable tariff sits at or near the Ofgem price cap. This is the familiar pattern with most of the big six. They charge what they're allowed to charge, with little incentive to undercut.

Octopus's Flexible tariff typically comes in below the cap. The difference on standard tariffs alone might be £50-100 a year. If you move to a smart tariff like Agile or Go, the gap grows significantly. Scottish Power has introduced some smart tariffs (including EV Saver and Power Saver), though the range of pricing options is still narrower than what Octopus offers.

Customer service

Scottish Power's Trustpilot rating is 4.3 out of 5 from around 152,000 reviews, which is a solid score. That said, their performance in independent surveys tells a different story. In the latest Which? energy company rankings, Scottish Power placed in the bottom third. Common complaints include long wait times, billing errors and difficulty getting issues resolved. As with any large supplier serving millions of customers, absolute complaint volumes will naturally be higher.

Octopus, with a 4.8/5 rating from over 757,000+ reviews, scores highly on both Trustpilot and in independent surveys. Their support team is consistently praised for quick responses, helpful staff and resolving problems on first contact. Both suppliers have strong Trustpilot scores, but Octopus has a more consistent record across all measures of customer satisfaction.

Smart tariffs

Scottish Power has expanded its smart tariff range in recent years. Their EV Saver tariff offers cheap overnight charging from midnight to 5am, the Heat Pump Saver provides lower rates for heat pump users and Power Saver gives half-price electricity on weekend afternoons. They also offer EV Optimise, which uses smart scheduling to find the cheapest charging windows. These are genuine options, though the range is narrower than what Octopus provides.

Octopus has Agile (half-hourly wholesale pricing), Go (8.5p overnight EV charging) and Intelligent Go (7.5p smart EV charging), Tracker (daily wholesale rates), Cosy (for heat pumps) and Flux (for solar and battery export). The breadth of Octopus's smart tariff lineup remains a step ahead, particularly for households with solar panels, home batteries or anyone who wants to engage closely with their energy usage.

Where Scottish Power has strengths

Renewable energy generation. This is arguably Scottish Power's greatest strength. Their parent company, Iberdrola, is one of the world's largest investors in renewable energy, with over US$105 billion invested globally. Scottish Power operates more than 40 onshore and two offshore wind farms across the UK, including Whitelee, the country's largest onshore wind farm. They were the first of the big six to move entirely to wind power generation after closing their Longannet coal plant in 2016. All their domestic tariffs now include 100% green electricity sourced from their own wind farms, backed by REGO certificates. They are not just buying certificates to appear green; they are building and operating the infrastructure.

Octopus also owns renewable generation through Octopus Generation, and all their electricity is 100% renewable. Both companies have strong green credentials. Scottish Power's advantage is the sheer scale of their generation portfolio through Iberdrola, while Octopus brings innovation through products like Agile and Flux that actively help balance the grid.

Fixed deals. Scottish Power regularly offers fixed-rate tariffs that lock in your unit rates for a set period. If you want complete price certainty and you're worried about rates going up, a fixed deal can provide peace of mind. The trade-off is exit fees of £50 per fuel if you leave early. If prices fall after you've locked in, you'll either pay the higher rate or pay to leave. Octopus's fixed tariff, by contrast, has zero exit fees.

Boiler and heating services. Scottish Power offers boiler servicing, boiler cover plans (provided through Domestic & General) and air source heat pump installations through partner installers. They've installed over two thousand heat pumps in recent years, with brands including Mitsubishi, Vaillant and Daikin. If you want your energy supplier and your heating maintenance from the same company, Scottish Power can provide that.

The verdict

Scottish Power is a more credible competitor than many of the traditional big six. Their renewable generation through Iberdrola is genuinely impressive, their Trustpilot rating is solid and they've expanded into EV and heat pump tariffs. Those are real positives.

Where Octopus pulls ahead is in the breadth of smart tariffs, consistently strong independent survey results, lower standard pricing and the absence of exit fees on any product. If you have an EV, solar panels or a home battery, Octopus's tariff range gives you significantly more options for reducing your bills. Unless you've got a particularly good fixed deal with Scottish Power or specifically value their heating services, switching to Octopus is likely to save you money and improve your experience.

The switching process is straightforward. There's a step-by-step walkthrough in the switching guide, and you can estimate your costs on the tariff comparison tool before committing to anything.