We are committed to providing our customers with truly excellent customer service. We recognise that customers value their data and privacy, and so we treat our customer data with great care. This webpage sets out how and when we collect, use and share your personal information that you, or others, provide to us.
This privacy policy was last reviewed in May 2023.
1 Who are we?
This privacy policy applies to Octopus Electroverse, which is a business operated out of Octopus Energy Limited, company number 09263424 with its registered address at UK House, 5th Floor, 164-182 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1NN.
If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact us by email at dpo@octoenergy.com.
2 How do we collect and use your data?
We only collect and process data about you where we have a reason for doing so and only where that reason is permitted under applicable data protection law. This section sets out how we collect and use your data.
It’s important that you keep your personal information with us up to date, so please let us know if anything changes.
When you purchase products or services from our website or our apps
When you purchase products or services from us, we will use your personal information to complete your purchase. The details we collect from you may include your name, address and email address.
We need to process your personal information in this way to enter and perform the contract for the product or service you have asked us to supply you with.
When you phone, email or contact us on social media
When you phone or email us with general queries, we may process your personal information including your name, address, contact details and other personal information you’ve given us in order to provide the customer services you have asked us to, for example providing more information about our pricing.
We rely on your consent to handle your personal information in this way. If you do not provide us with the data we request from you for customer services purposes, we may not be able to fully answer your queries.
We may also log and record the interactions you have with us, such as phone calls, email opens and click throughs to help us better service your requests.
Marketing communications
This section applies if you have opted in to receive marketing communications from us or have previously expressed an interest in our products and services and have not opted out. We may process your personal information including your name, address, contact details and other personal information you’ve given us to provide you with marketing communications in line with any preferences you have told us about.
Where you have opted to receive marketing communications, we rely on your consent to contact you for marketing purposes. If you have not opted in and we send you marketing emails, we do this because of our legitimate interest to promote the success of the products and services you have expressed an interest in.
Every email we send to you for marketing purposes will also contain instructions on how to unsubscribe from receiving them, or you can contact us anytime at hello@theelectroverse.com.
We may also use the basis of legitimate interest to share information about our products and services via post, phone, targeted or generic adverts on our website or apps, or services from other Octopus Energy Group companies.
We never share your information with any third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
Third party platforms
We may sometimes provide personalised advertising via third party platforms. For example, we’ll hash your data (so no one can view it) and reference it against Facebook’s platform.
We do this on the basis of legitimate interest to ensure that you receive more tailored and relevant information about our products and services.
To make our website or apps better and more secure
We may use your personal information to provide you with a more effective user experience, such as by displaying services we think you will be interested in. Using your information in this way means that your experience of our website and apps will be more tailored to you, and the content you see on our website and apps may differ from someone else.
We also share your aggregated, anonymous data with third party analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our website and apps.
We will use your personal information for the purposes of administering our website and apps and making them more secure, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes. We process your data for this reason because we have a legitimate interest to provide you with the best experience we can, and to ensure that our website and apps are kept secure.
You can ask us to stop using your personal information in this way by using the “do not track” functionality in your internet browser. If you enable “do not track” functionality, our website may be less tailored to your needs and preferences.
Technical information and analytics
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect the following information:
technical information, including the IP address used to connect your computer to the internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, screen resolution, operating system and platform; and
information about your visit, including the full Uniform Resource Locators, clickstream to, through and from our website (including date and time), page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs) and methods used to browse away from the page.
When you use our apps, we may automatically collect the following information:
technical information, including the number of users on the app, session duration, the operating system used, device model information, first launch, app opens and updates, the occurrence of software bugs,
We may also collect information on your location on our websites and apps, such as your location data when accessing the website or apps in line with the location settings on your phone or internet browser. This can be disabled or amended via the relevant iOS/Android platforms or in your browser settings.
We work closely with various third parties, including advertising networks, analytics providers, hosting providers and search information providers from whom we may also receive general aggregated anonymous information about you.
Electric vehicles and charge points
If you sign up to a scheme with us for access to electric vehicle charge points, we will collect information about your consumption (including location of the charge point) as well as your name, address and vehicle information (such as vehicle make/model and licence plate number and state of charge) in order to accurately charge you. We will receive your consumption data from the charge point operator, which we will process in order to calculate a charge to add to your account.
Product and Service Development
We are always looking for ways to make energy better, for both our customers and for the planet. We sometimes process your data where we have a legitimate interest for doing so, for example:
to better understand our customer demographic and the content of customer communications and requests to create more relevant campaigns, products and services.
to make predictions about future behaviour based on current behaviour, to help develop and tailor our products and services.
to build a profile personally for you, so we can do things like show you products and services that we think will be of particular interest and relevance to you.
For data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes.
Where we do process your personal data, we rely on legitimate interests to process your data in this way.
Information we receive from third parties
If you use our electric vehicle charge point services, we may receive your location data in line with the location settings on your phone when you use our mobile app. This can be disabled or amended via the relevant IOS/Android platforms.
Charge point operators will share the RFID card hex code or digital token of customers using our electric vehicle charge point services with us. We will use this information to locate your account to process your bills.
Vehicle databases may also provide us with details of vehicle make, model, battery capacity, range and other relevant information.
Automated decision-making
We do not currently use any processing systems which make decisions and produce legal effects for you, or which may otherwise significantly affect you, based solely on automated processing of your personal data.
3 Sharing your information
Where we share your information with any third parties, we always do so in line with this privacy policy and in compliance with data protection laws. We also ensure that these third parties only use your data in line with our instructions. Some of the organisations we may share your information with include:
Our group companies, where necessary for the provision of our services. The Octopus Energy Group includes all subsidiaries of Octopus Energy Group Limited.
Payment providers to help us process your payments to us.
Debt collectors where we have a legitimate interest to recover sums owed to us for our services.
Electric vehicle charge point operators and associated parties necessary to communicate your usage data where you use our charging network services.
Where an RFID card to access electric vehicle charge points is used, we will share your name and postal address with third party RFID card providers.
We may also share your information for the following reasons:
If our business is sold
We will transfer your personal information to a third party as follows:
if we sell or buy any business or assets, we will provide your personal information to the seller or buyer (but only to the extent we need to, and always in accordance with data protection legislation); and
if one of the Octopus Energy Group companies, or the majority of its assets, are acquired by somebody else, in which case the personal information held by such company will be transferred to the buyer.
We process your personal information in this way because we have a legitimate interest to ensure our business can be continued by the buyer.
Where we have a legal obligation
In some circumstances we may need to share your personal information if we are under a duty to disclose or share it to comply with a legal obligation, or to allow us to comply with our supply licence conditions and other Ofgem obligations. For example, to investigate something like theft or fraud.
4 Cookies
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your device. Cookies are an essential and widely used tool, and they enable our website to function properly and efficiently, as well as providing us with helpful information about how people use our website.
How do we use cookies?
Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good user experience when you browse our website and keeps your visit secure from cross-site forgery. It also allows us to improve our website, and we use cookies to do helpful things. By continuing to browse our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, which we do not have any control over. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies.
Types of cookie and similar technologies we may use
Name
Cookie
Purpose
Sentry
amp_*, anonId, gsID, sentry-sc, session
Crash reporting
DataDNA/Redash
We use it to query our database and pull out useful reporting stats.
Mapbox
session
Mapping and directions
Intercom
Communications with user
Stripe
__stripe_mid, __stripe_sid
Manages credit card payments
Shorten URLs, generate QR codes and link.in bios
Charge point operators
Starting and stopping charges
Shipbook
App logging
Branch
branch_has_loggedin, drift_aid, driftt_aid, intercom-device-id-*
Metrics and redirect
Google analytics
1P_JAR, AEC, APISID, CONSENT, HSID, NID, SAPISID, SID, SOCS, SSID, Secure-1PAPISID, Secure-1PSID, Secure-3PSID, Secure-3PSIDCC, __Secure-ENID, ga0WF78KBZBP, gaN39NMPS1FY, gatUA-67011385-7
Analytics
Typeform
Customer feedback
Hotjar
hjSessionUser*, hjid, drifttaid
Analytics
Chattermill
Customer feedback
Amplitude
amp_*, amp_*_amplitude.com, intercom-device-id-*
Analytics
Firebase Analytics
Analytics
Firebase Crashlytics
Crash reporting
Falcon
Social media
Apple Search Ads
Advertising purposes
Google Ads
Advertising purposes
Cookie preferences
You can manage your cookie preference on our website at any time from the ‘change cookie settings’ in the footer of our website or in the app. This allows you to turn preferences on or off as you choose. We have grouped our cookies into three categories:
1. Essential: These are necessary cookies and things break without them. They do geek-tech wizardry like keeping our servers running when we're really popular or protecting you from hackers.
2. Analytics and customisation: These cookies help us understand how our customers are using our site. They help us build better features and tailor our content for different people.
3. Marketing and social media: These cookies help us reach you on social media or other websites to help you with queries or suggest relevant offers.
Turning cookies off in browser
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of some or all cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies you may not be able to access all or parts of our website, some website features may not work as intended, and your personal data will be less secure.
If you don’t want us, or anyone else, to use cookies in your browser, you can:
Remove cookies from your hard drive;
Set your browser to block cookies; and
Set your browser to send you a warning notice before a cookie is stored on your computer.
For more information on cookies, this website may help www.allaboutcookies.org. This website is not owned or run by Octopus, but we think it’s helpful.
You might not be able to make the most out of our website or appwithout cookies, as some functions need cookies to work. Should you change your mind, simply turn cookies back on.
5 Where is my data stored?
Octopus Electroverse is headquartered in the UK and, with its affiliates, operates globally. As a global business, we may store the data we collect from you outside of, or transfer it to organisations outside your home country.
Whenever we transfer your personal information outside of your home country, we will ensure that it is protected as required by applicable data protection laws. In the EEA or UK, this might mean only transferring your personal information to a country that has been deemed by the European Commission or UK Information Commissioner to provide an adequate level of protection, or by using specific contractual protections.
You can contact us at dpo@octoenergy.com for details of how we protect specific transfers of your data.
6 How long do we retain your data for?
We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, accounting or administrative requirements.
7 What are my rights under data protection laws?
Depending on your home country, you may have various rights under the data protection laws, which you can exercise by contacting us. The easiest way to do this is by email to dpo@octoenergy.com.
Right to object
The right to object to us handling your personal information where we are handling your personal information based on our legitimate interests. If you ask us to stop handling your personal information in this way, we will stop unless we can show you that we have compelling grounds as to why we should continue to use your personal information.
You can also ask us to stop processing your personal information for marketing purposes at any time.
Right of access
The right to ask us for copies of your personal information. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.
Right to rectification
The right to ask us to rectify any inaccurate personal information we hold about you. You also have the right to ask us to complete personal information which you think is incomplete.
Right to restriction
The right to ask us to restrict our processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability
This right only applies to personal data that you have given us. The right only applies if we are handling your personal data because you consented to us using it or because there is a contract in place between us and the processing is automated.
In this case, you have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, standard machine-readable format, and the right to ask us to send your information to another organisation or to give it to you.
Right to erasure
The right to require us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to complain
If you have queries or concerns, please contact us using the details below. If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
8 What about websites we link to?
Our website and apps may contain links to third party websites. If you click on a link to any of these websites, you will leave our website or app and this may allow third parties to collect or share your data.
We have no control over the contents of those third party websites and so will not accept any responsibility or liability for any materials on there. We encourage you to check their privacy policies before you submit any personal information to these websites.
9 Our websites and services are not intended for children
Our websites and sources are meant for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or legal guardian and think your child has given us information, you can contact us by using the details set out below.
10 Protection of personal data
We have in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard the personal data that you provide.
11 Updates and contact
Changes to our privacy policy
We keep our privacy policy under regular review. Any changes we make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by email or post.
Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy policy.
Contact us
Any questions, comments or requests regarding this privacy policy are welcomed and should be addressed to dpo@octoenergy.com, or you can use any of the ways listed on our website here.