Octopus Energy handing state pensioners who lost Winter Fuel Payment free £300

Octopus Energy handing state pensioners who lost Winter Fuel Payment free £300
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Octopus is offering state pensioners who've cruelly lost the Winter Fuel Payment £300 savings. Octopus, one of the largest energy firms in the country, has moved to offer customers who are hard-up and struggling free electric blankets.

Octopus Energy is launching a new deal which could lead to big savings for customers as the autumn rolls out and winter approaches. This scheme is open to all Octopus Energy customers through the company's £30million Octo Assist Fund.

Priority is given to consumers in particular circumstances, such as those who are medically vulnerable, elderly, or living alone. There have been 60,000 free electric blankets already provided to those most in need and there are 20,000 up for grabs now.

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Those who received an electric blanket saw their gas bills fall by an average of 20 per cent in previous winters. This significant reduction was achieved with only a minimal 0.2 per cent increase in electricity usage: an average saving of £150 across the three winter months for participating customers.

Mario Lupori, the director at Octopus Energy Group, explained: "We know many people are worried about the costs of heating their homes over winter. An electric blanket means you heat the human, not the home – staying warm for as little as 3p an hour.

"We've got 20,000 more blankets this year to give out to our most vulnerable customers and we're delighted that they will help them stay warm." Electric blankets are an incredibly efficient way to heat a person and save customers from paying to heat an entire home. It currently costs less than 3p an hour to keep a person warm with an electric blanket, whilst heating a whole home could cost around £4.70 a day.

An analysis by Octopus Energy’s data team, which looked at the smart meter data of 4,190 customers who opted into the scheme, showed that customers who received electric blankets reduced their energy bills by 19% compared to a control group.

This would see customers save £300 on their energy bill this year.