Intelligent Octopus Device Onboarding FAQs
General
How do I connect my device?
Once you’re on supply with us, you’ll see a section in our app called “Explore our lab” that will appear about halfway down the home page. There will be options to connect the types of devices we’re compatible with. Click there to connect!
I don’t see the “Explore our lab” section in my app
Explore our lab will only become available once you’re on supply with us. If your supply start date is in the future, check back once you’ve come on supply with.
If you came on supply today, first, make sure you’re on the latest version of the app. If you are, try logging out and logging back in. If that still doesn’t work, give it a couple of hours in case our system is still updating.
If you still don’t see the Explore our Lab section 24 hours after you’ve come on supply, reach out to heretohelp@octopusenergy.com
I have both a thermostat and an EV but I can only enroll one
Right now, we can only onboard one device or the other, so this is expected. We’re expecting to be able to connect to both by the end of the summer, so keep a look out!
Thermostats
How will I know when my thermostat is connected?
For some of our compatible thermostat brands, it can take an hour or two for the device to be approved to connect to Intelligent Octopus. Once the device is approved, you should see a “Devices” tab show up in the bar on the bottom of your screen. When you click into that, you should see your thermostat(s)!
If you haven’t seen that show up within a few hours, it’s possible that there was an issue establishing a connection with your device, so you should reach out to heretohelp@octopusenergy.com
I’m trying to enroll my ecobee thermostat but it keeps telling me that something’s gone wrong.
Sometimes our ecobee connection temporarily goes offline. You can try again in a couple of hours and it may work. If you’re still having trouble, double check that the email you’re using to log in with in our app is the primary email address in your ecobee account.
I’m trying to enroll my Honeywell thermostat but it’s not showing up in my Devices tab.
First, double check that your thermostat is eligible for Intelligent Octopus. Eligible thermostats are WiFi enabled and are managed through either the Resideo or Total Connect Comfort apps on your phone.
If your device is eligible, confirm that your thermostat isn’t still enrolled in a demand response program with your previous retail energy provider.
I’m trying to enroll my Amazon thermostat but it’s not showing up in my Devices tab.
Confirm that your thermostat is registered with Amazon and managed through your Alexa app.
I’m trying to enroll my Sensi thermostat but it’s telling me that I’m already enrolled in ERCOT’s demand response program.
To join Intelligent Octopus, you will need to opt out of ERCOT’s program. You will need to email texas@energyhub.com asking to withdraw from the program.
EVs
What do I need to do before joining Intelligent Octopus?
You need to have an EV, be an Octopus Energy customer, have an iPhone or Android and have downloaded the Octopus Energy app. Intelligent Octopus won’t work without the app.
Why do I need to log into my car?
By logging into your car, you’re allowing Octopus to choose when to charge your car in line with the set Smart Charging Schedule
Can I Connect More Than One Car to Intelligent Octopus?
Not yet. At the moment you can only connect 1 vehicle. You can remove your car and add another if you’d like to use Intelligent Octopus for a different car. We are working on supporting multiple vehicles!
Why isn’t my car appearing in the list?
Most likely, we haven’t had someone onboard that version of the EV yet. If we offer integration with the car maker, it's likely that we can connect with models they produce. We just need the battery size and the vehicle charge's max import. Send those details to heretohelp@octopusenergy.com and we’ll get it squared away!
I tried to do my test charge and it failed immediately. What’s happening?
It can take a few minutes for our system to register that your car is at home. Try again in ~15 minutes and it should work!
Why did my Test Charge Fail?
There are a few reasons why your Test Charge might fail:
Why can’t I Connect / register my Tesla?
Typically, this happens for three reasons:
1) Do you have more than 1 Tesla?
We can’t currently support customers with >1 Tesla. If this sounds like you, reach out to heretohelp@octopusenergy.com for next steps!
2) Did you check both “Vehicle Information” and “Vehicle Charging Management” when you provided your Tesla log in information?
Not sure? You can follow this link to see what access you’ve provided us. Make sure you’re in your “Security” settings looking at “Third Party Apps”. You should see “Octopus Energy US”.
If you click “Manage”, you should see everything you’ve provided us access to. If you don’t see a check next to both “Vehicle Information” and “Vehicle Charging Management”, you will need to remove access and retry.
When you retry, please be sure to allow access to “Vehicle Information” and “Vehicle Charging Management”.
3) Did you provide your Virtual Key?
All Teslas must provide a Virtual Key to enable connection to your EV. The only exception to this is Model S and X’s manufactured before 2021.
Why do I need to provide access to "Vehicle Information"? (Tesla specific)
The way that Tesla has bundled things in their API, key pieces of information that allow us to charge your vehicle are covered by "Vehicle Information". Specifically, a few items in “Vehicle Information” tell us that your car is at home, so that we don’t try to create a charging schedule for you while you’re travelling, as well as how big your battery is, whether you’re connected to your charger or not, and your Tesla’s current state of charge.
Everything that we don't need is ignored entirely and is not pulled into our system. We take the responsibility of charging your car seriously and paramount to that is keeping your private data private. It's also worth noting that we are not getting access to any more data than we already had.
Why do I need to provide my Virtual Key? (Tesla specific)
In early 2024, Tesla made an update to their API that requires vehicle owners to explicitly provide a virtual key to third parties that are being allowed to manage aspects of their vehicle. This increases security for customers because it means unauthorized entities won't be able to get to their data. It doesn't provide us any more information than we already had, it's just a more explicit authorization to work with their vehicle.
