Shell Energy was the home energy brand of oil and gas company Shell, and at its peak it supplied around 1.4 million UK households. It began life as First Utility, one of the biggest challenger suppliers of its time.
In December 2023, Shell sold its UK household energy business to Octopus Energy, and Shell Energy no longer supplies gas and electricity to homes. If you were a Shell Energy customer, this page explains where your account went and who to contact.
Shell Energy customers are now with Octopus Energy. Around 1.3 million customers were moved across between January and March 2024. Shell Energy Broadband customers went to TalkTalk.
| Company detail | Shell Energy |
|---|---|
| Supplies homes? | No, not since 2024 |
| Energy customers moved to | Octopus Energy |
| Broadband customers moved to | TalkTalk |
| Sale completed | 1 December 2023 |
| Customers moved | Around 1.3 million, between January and March 2024 |
| Previously known as | First Utility |
| Former owner | Shell |
Jump to a section:Contact detailsWhat happened?Shell Energy's historyFAQs
Shell Energy's customer service lines have closed. Contact the company that now looks after your account.
| If you had... | Contact |
|---|---|
| Shell Energy gas or electricity | Octopus Energy 0808 164 1088 hello@octopus.energy Octopus information for Shell customers |
| Shell Energy Broadband | TalkTalk 0345 172 0088 |
For more on your new energy supplier, including its tariffs and customer reviews, see our Octopus Energy review.
In September 2023, Shell announced it was selling its UK and German household energy business to Octopus Energy. The deal completed on 1 December 2023.
Octopus then moved around 1.3 million Shell Energy customers onto its own platform between 30 January and 28 March 2024. Around 500 Shell Energy staff were also offered jobs with Octopus, many based at its office in Coventry. Shell Energy's broadband customers were sold separately, and most moved to TalkTalk.
What happened to your account? Octopus honoured existing fixed tariffs, credit balances carried over automatically, and Direct Debits moved across at the same amount and on the same date. Once a fixed deal ended, customers moved onto Octopus's own tariffs.
If you've been with Octopus since the move and haven't picked a new tariff, you may be on its standard variable tariff, which is priced at the Ofgem price cap. That is the maximum a supplier can charge, not necessarily the cheapest deal available to you, and there are no exit fees on a variable tariff.
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| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2008 | First Utility launches, going on to become the biggest challenger to the 'Big Six' suppliers and an early pioneer of smart meters. |
| February 2018 | Shell completes its purchase of First Utility. |
| March 2019 | First Utility is rebranded as Shell Energy and switches customers to 100% renewable electricity. |
| October 2019 | Shell Energy buys the customers of Green Star Energy, around 200,000 accounts. |
| September to October 2021 | During the energy crisis, Ofgem appoints Shell Energy to take on customers of failed suppliers including Green Supplier Limited, Pure Planet, Colorado Energy and Daligas. |
| September 2023 | Shell agrees to sell its UK and German household energy business to Octopus Energy. |
| 1 December 2023 | The sale to Octopus completes. |
| January to March 2024 | Around 1.3 million customers move to Octopus Energy. Broadband customers move to TalkTalk. |
Shell Energy supplied 100% renewable electricity to its household customers from 2019. Octopus Energy, which now supplies former Shell customers, also provides 100% renewable electricity on all of its tariffs.
| Supplier | Coal | Gas | Nuclear | Renewable | Other | CO2 (g/kWh) | Nuclear Waste (g/kWh) |
|---|
Not as a household energy supplier. Shell sold its UK household energy business to Octopus Energy in December 2023, and all customers had moved to Octopus by the end of March 2024.
Octopus Energy took over Shell Energy's household gas and electricity customers. Shell Energy Broadband customers mostly moved to TalkTalk.
Credit balances moved across to Octopus automatically, so they were unaffected by the switch. If you think your balance is wrong, contact Octopus Energy on 0808 164 1088.
The fuel discount at Shell service stations was a Shell Energy customer perk. With Shell Energy no longer supplying homes, you should check with Shell directly whether any fuel offers are still available to you.
Yes. If you're on Octopus's variable tariff, there are no exit fees, so you can switch whenever you like. If you've since moved to a fixed tariff, check whether an exit fee applies. You can switch penalty-free in the final 49 days of any fixed deal.
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Last updated: 29 September 2026. Switches typically complete within five working days, and there's no interruption to your supply.
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