Brand acquired

Cooperative Energy archive

Cooperative Energy ceased trading on 1 October 2019. Its customers were transferred to Octopus Energy under Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort scheme. This page is kept as a historical record.

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Founded 2010 Over 300,000 customers Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

Ceased trading · 1 October 2019

Cooperative Energy no longer supplies UK households

Acquired by Octopus Energy in 2019. The Coop Energy brand continues to operate under a white-label agreement, with Octopus supplying the energy. Customers were transferred to Octopus Energy under Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) scheme. This page is kept as a historical record. Information presented below was accurate at the time of original publication.

Founded

2010

Years on the UK market

Customers

Over 300,000 customers

Households served

About

Who is Cooperative Energy?

Registered as Cooperative Energy (a white-label brand of Octopus Energy), Cooperative Energy uses this legal name for Ofgem licence filings, contracts and any formal communications. The trading name customers see on bills is the shorter, more recognisable form.

The company is headquartered in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, where it runs its senior management, customer operations and regulatory liaison with Ofgem.

Cooperative Energy was founded in 2010. The supplier operated under a domestic-supply licence until its closure, with a track record of customer service and billing publicly documented for the years it traded.

Cooperative Energy is part of the Octopus Energy (white-label since 2019); originally Midcounties Cooperative group, which provides shared governance, financial backing and a broader pool of expertise in trading, hedging and regulatory work.

The company is regulated by Ofgem, the UK's energy regulator, and its complaint handling falls under the Energy Ombudsman alternative dispute resolution scheme.

Who owns Coop Energy?

Ownership: Privately owned
Listed: No
Parent: Octopus Energy (white-label since 2019); originally Midcounties Cooperative

Timeline

Cooperative Energy — key dates

A short timeline of the Cooperative Energy brand — founding, milestones, regulatory events and the closure that brought it to an end.

1844
The first English Co-op shop opens, founding the wider Cooperative movement.
2000
Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op merges with West Midlands Co-op.
2005
The two co-ops merge into the Midcounties Cooperative.
2010
Midcounties Cooperative begins supplying energy nationwide as Cooperative Energy (Coop Energy).
2016
Coop Energy absorbs GB Energy Supply after that supplier ceases trading.
2018
Coop Energy acquires Flow Energy.
2019
Octopus Energy buys Cooperative Energy. The Coop Energy brand continues to trade as an Octopus white-label.

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Common questions

Cooperative Energy — frequently asked questions

Acquired by Octopus Energy in 2019. The Coop Energy brand continues to operate under a white-label agreement, with Octopus supplying the energy.

Existing customers were transferred to Octopus Energy under Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) scheme — supply was never interrupted.

Your supply has not been interrupted: under the SoLR scheme, your supply is automatically handed to the successor supplier. Log in to the successor's online portal as soon as possible to set up your account, confirm your bank details and download any final Cooperative Energy statements while the legacy website is still online.

You are not required to pay any exit fee to leave the deemed tariff. Once your account is set up, compare current deals through Selectra to find a cheaper plan that fits your usage.

Yes. Customer credit balances on accounts at the date of cessation are protected under Ofgem's SoLR scheme. The successor supplier (Octopus Energy) is required to honour your credit balance. Confirm the balance in writing within the first 30 days to avoid disputes later.

Yes — outstanding debts owed to Cooperative Energy transfer to the administrator of the company's estate, not the SoLR. You may receive a written demand for the outstanding amount from the administrators. Verify any demand against your final Cooperative Energy statement before paying.

You can complain about the conduct of Cooperative Energy (mis-selling, billing errors, customer service) to the Energy Ombudsman, even after the supplier has ceased trading. For complaints about the SoLR transfer itself (delays, incorrect tariff), the route is the same — Ombudsman first, then Ofgem.