What if your home had no energy bills each month, guaranteed for at least five years?
It might sound too good to be true. So, Santander put this to the test.
Working with Octopus Energy, Santander funded the transformation of a 4-bedroom family home into an Octopus Zero Bills home. The result: no monthly energy bills for a family of five.
Santander mortgage customers, Clare and Gavin, have waved goodbye to their monthly energy bills. Here’s what they had to say.
“There was a part of me was like, is this really going to work? And then, it did.”
Meet Clare and Gavin
Clare and Gavin live with their three young children in a four-bedroom home. Like many families, they were concerned about rising energy costs.
The installation aimed to test if a typical family home could eliminate energy bills. Completed in just one week, the upgrade removed their bills entirely, guaranteed by Octopus Energy for at least five years.
For a typical four-bedroom home, this could save around £172 a month. That’s about £10,350 over five years.*
The upgrade also improved Clare and Gavin’s home’s energy efficiency. Before the work, the home had an EPC rating of C. After the upgrade, it improved to A.
Watch our short film to see Clare and Gavin’s experience.
*Estimate provided by Octopus Energy based on average 2025 energy costs for 4-bedroom homes with an EPC band C.
“It means that we can plan perhaps for events, activities, trips, savings, for our children’s future.”
The Transformation
What was installed:
Air source heat pump
18 solar panels with battery storage
Upgraded radiators and controls
Gas supply removed (the home now runs on electricity only)
The result:
- Octopus Zero Bills upgrade completed in one week
- No energy bills for at least five years, guaranteed by Octopus*
- EPC rating improved from C to A
- Clare and Gavin have more money available for family activities
*Not all properties are eligible for Octopus Zero Bills. Eligibility depends on the property meeting certain criteria such as having space for a heat pump and enough roof space for solar panels. Customers must be on an Octopus Zero Bills tariff to guarantee zero energy bills. Fair usage limits, T&Cs apply. EV charging is not included.
How Octopus Zero Bills works
Octopus Zero Bills uses low-carbon technology, such as solar panels and heat pumps, to remove energy bills.
Our Tomorrow’s Homes research (PDF - 7.02 MB) found customers want homes that are simpler, cheaper to run and more efficient.
Start your journey here
We’ve partnered with Octopus to offer you the chance to register your interest for Zero Bills retrofit trials. Santander mortgage and personal current account can also access discounts* on solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.
*Santander mortgage and personal current account customers only. Cater Allen, cahoot and Business Banking current accounts aren’t eligible. T&Cs apply. Offer can be withdrawn at any time.
Register your interest for Zero Bills retrofit
Some new build homes now come with Octopus Zero Bills kit pre-installed
Octopus Zero Bills is not just for existing homes. You could buy selected new build properties that come with no energy bills for at least 10 years, guaranteed by Octopus.
These homes are designed to be highly energy efficient from the start. They include solar panels, heat pumps and smart energy systems built in as standard. This means you could move into a home that is ready to run on clean energy from day one. Check the Octopus Zero Bills map for available properties.
Speak to your mortgage broker if you’re interested in buying a Zero Bills home. Santander offer the flexibility to remove monthly energy costs from your outgoings in our mortgage affordability calculator, which means you could borrow more should you need to. Santander Zero Bills mortgages are currently only available through mortgage brokers. Subject to eligibility, affordability and lending criteria.
Octopus Energy don’t cover all regions of the United Kingdom. Santander isn’t responsible for the provision of the products and services offered by Octopus Energy and isn’t responsible for the compliance with any necessary planning or building regulations for any work completed by Octopus Energy nor for making sure they follow the required planning or building rules. If you aren’t satisfied with any of the work, products and/or services provided by Octopus Energy, please contact them directly.
Continue your home improvement journey with us
THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE SECURING OTHER DEBTS AGAINST YOUR HOME.
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE
Applications are subject to status and lending criteria. Applicants must be UK residents aged 18 or over.