Octopus Energy Group is spinning into action in France with the expansion of its ‘Fan Club’ scheme, bringing cheaper electricity to people living close to its wind turbines.
Customers in Joué-sur-Erdre in the Loire-Atlantique region near Nantes are the first to benefit from this green energy revolution, Octopus has announced.
Nearly 12,000 households living close to the three-turbine wind farm can get up to 50% off their electricity bills when the wind is blowing.
Customers will see these gusty moments in a dashboard in their Octopus Energy account.
This allows them to plan their energy-intensive chores during these windy times, unlocking hundreds of Euros of savings a year, Octopus said.
The developer aims to launch the ‘Fan Club’ in other French locations soon, making these wind-powered bill-savings available to more communities across the country.
It comes as research conducted by IPSOS reveals that 7 out of 10 French people would favour a wind farm near where they live if it means discounted electricity for them.
Octopus launched the first ‘Fan Club’ in 2021 in the UK.
Following a whirlwind success, with over 35,000 requests from UK communities asking Octopus to bring it to them, the model is now also available to customers in Texas, the US and Germany.
Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy Generation, said: “‘The ‘Fan Club’ is not only slashing energy bills but also empowering French communities to play a bigger part in the green energy revolution.
“We’re starting with one ‘Fan Club’ but are already working on the next locations so more people can save money on their bills through the power of the breeze.”
Octopus Energy Group has been growing its footprint in France over the past few years after launching an energy supplier business in 2022.
The company is targeting 1 million customers by 2026.
It also plans to channel €1bn into France’s clean energy market by 2025 – its largest renewable generation market in continental Europe.