Bulb taken over by Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy took over the energy supply of Bulb, with the change announced in December 2022, according to a list of supplier takeovers published by Citizens Advice¹. The same page records Octopus Energy as the new supplier for two other firms: UK Energy Incubator Hub, announced in July 2022, and Shell Energy, announced in December 2023¹.

Citizens Advice says the list covers "the suppliers that have been taken over since January 2022, and the month they announced the change"¹. The dates given are the months the changes were announced, not necessarily the dates accounts moved¹.

Source: Citizens Advice¹

The guidance sets out what happens to a household when its supplier changes. A new supplier can follow if the existing one goes out of business, is bought by another energy company, or changes its name¹. Citizens Advice states: "You'll still have gas and electricity if this happens"¹.

On timing, the page says customers are "normally" told when their account is being moved to a new supplier¹. Where a supplier goes bust, the identity of the new supplier can usually be established within a few days, and the new supplier will contact the customer to say it has taken over the supply¹. Where a supplier is being sold or is changing its name, the outgoing supplier contacts the customer with the name of the new supplier and the date the account will move¹.

The page does not give the number of Bulb customers affected, the terms of the transaction, or the price paid. Those details have not been reported here. The Citizens Advice guidance is written for England, with separate versions for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales¹.

Why it matters for households

A change of supplier does not interrupt supply. Households that were Bulb customers, and those moved to Octopus Energy through the other takeovers listed, keep receiving gas and electricity¹. What changes is who bills the account and who holds the customer relationship, from the point the account is moved.

The date that matters for a household is not the announcement month in the table but the date its own account moves, which the supplier is expected to communicate¹. Until that contact arrives, the practical position for a customer is that the existing arrangement continues.

Consumers who are unsure which company now supplies their home can check the record of takeovers since January 2022¹. General rights around consumer protection apply to the handling of the account during and after the transfer.

What happens next

Citizens Advice says customers are normally told when their account is being moved, and that a new supplier will contact them to confirm it has taken over the supply¹. For a supplier being sold or renamed, the notification covers the new supplier's name and the date of the move¹. No further steps or dates for the Bulb transfer are given in the published guidance¹.