1Komma5 vs Octopus Energy

1Komma5 and Octopus Energy are both virtual-energy-plant startups pushing the development of renewable energy. They develop own cloud platforms for grid management and demand optimization that integrate with smart home components (batteries, chargers, heat pumps, etc.). Both companies use business models in which customers participates in grid balancing and use excess generation for distributed storage.

However, 1Komma5 (founded in 2021) is a German company. It offers a one-stop-shop solution for the installation and maintenance of a complete smart home energy suite. Customers with electric vehicles are offered free electricity. Its distributed generation management platform heavily relies on artificial intelligence to forecast load and generation.

Octopus Energy (2015) is a British provider that, in addition to green electricity, also offers gas, charging services, heat pumps and more. In 2025, it became the largest household electricity provider in the UK by number of meters, overtaking British Gas. Octopus offers flexible tariffs, such as hourly or daily tariffs, allowing to optimize energy consumption schedule. It offers its Kraken platform to other energy providers, thus participating in hundreds of renewable projects across the globe.