First Bus and Octopus partnership
First Bus and Octopus partnership
We’re excited to offer First Bus colleagues a range of benefits to harness cleaner energy at home – and save money!
We're here to support First Bus' ambition to hit net-zero in 2035, and this partnership aims to help First Bus colleagues go even further and reduce their carbon footprints at home. Check out our exclusive offers for First Bus colleagues below. We've also lined up some great competitions, which you can jump to using the side navigation.
Ready to explore EV salary sacrifice? Use the side navigation to jump to the quote tool and access codes.
Octopus Energy referral scheme
We’re over the moon to be able to offer First Bus colleagues some exciting benefits when you sign up to Octopus Energy. Whether you’re thinking of switching to Octopus Energy (or even if you're already an Octopus Energy customer), you can find out more about this benefit on ‘First Xclusives’ (in the Wellbeing Centre).
Low carbon tech offer
Keen to get the latest low-carbon technology installed at home? We've got some great offers:
- £500 off heat pump installs
- £500 off solar panel installs
Want to claim either of these offers? Contact First Bus to be sent a discount code (firstmyrewards@firstbus.co.uk).
Heat Pump installation process:
Heat pumps can be installed from just £500 with the £7,500 government grant including installation and more. They're better for the planet than gas, with 80% less dirty emissions, without compromising on cost or comfort.
- Fill out our quick online form and we'll provide you with a fixed price quote. You can speak to our team about any questions you have, and if you choose to accept your quote, we'll take a £200 fully refundable advance payment and book your home survey.
- During the home survey, our experts will check the heat loss of your home and discuss where your heat pump could go. We'll use this time to finalise your heating design and double-check that a heat pump is suited for your home.
- We'll then send you an assessment of the home survey in a final sales agreement. Our team will be available to answer any questions you may have. If you accept the agreement, our install coordinators will be in touch to arrange and manage your installation. We'll then take your final payment after the installation is complete.
- After installation, our dedicated aftercare team will be available by phone or email, 7 days a week, to help with any queries you have. Your heat pump comes with a 5 year warranty and 2 year warranty for the other products we install (like your hot water cylinder and radiators). Find out more about our service plans.
Solar panel installation process:
- Get your solar system designed and installed from just £3,880 with Britain's most trusted energy supplier. At Octopus, we don't just supply energy, we generate it too. We've combined expertise and experience from across the energy industry to ensure you're always in safe hands. Get peace of mind with the UK's most awarded energy supplier. 5-star customer service, £0 call-out fees and a helpline available 7 days a week after installation.
- Just enter your postcode to explore estimated installation costs.
- Request a tailored quote from our solar experts, including everything you need for a standard installation.
- We'll sort everything, from installation to setting you up on Britain's most generous export tariff.
- Solar system explorer
- Solar FAQs
Smart energy tariffs
- Not sure which smart tariff is best for you? Take our smart tariff quiz here to find your perfect match.
Alternatively, you can check them out individually using the links below:
- Intelligent EV (Octopus EV exclusive rate)
- Octopus Tracker
- Outgoing Octopus
- Octopus Go
- Octopus Flux
- Intelligent Octopus Flux
- Cosy Octopus
- Agile Octopus
- Octopus Energy FAQs
EV salary sacrifice 🚗
Below are the access codes you'll need to log into the quote tool. Please use the access code relevant to the frequency in which you're paid. If you’re not sure about this speak to your leadership team.
- Monthly paid: FIRSTMONTHLY44211
- 4 weekly paid: FIRST4WEEKLY44830
- Weekly paid: FIRSTWEEKLY57573
Want more of a run down? Check out this handy video explainer to using the quote tool.
The Octopus EV salary sacrifice scheme is an employee benefit that allows you to give up some of your gross monthly pay for a new EV, and can save up to 40% on the monthly cost thanks to saving on National Insurance and Income Tax.
Through the scheme, you can get your car, charger and energy all in one cracking deal from Octopus. Save up to 40% through salary sacrifice, and get your insurance, servicing and tyres thrown in too.
What's included?
Eligibility
If your salary sacrifice deductions including the electric vehicle scheme would take you below the National Minimum Wage, unfortunately, you won’t be eligible for the electric vehicle aspect of the scheme. This is due to HMRC rules which are outside of our control. So we can manage this effectively, to be eligible for the electric vehicle salary sacrifice, your base salary (or equivalent if paid hourly) will need to be £30,000 or above per annum.
Webinars
Join one of our dedicated webinars to learn more about our EV salary sacrifice and low-carbon tech products.
All things EV salary sacrifice
Thursday 16th January at 10am
Tuesday 21st January at 2pm
All things low-carbon tech
Friday 17th January at 1pm
Thursday 23rd January at 1pm
Competitions
Join the electric revolution and you're in with a chance to win! The first 40 First Bus colleagues who order a car on salary sacrifice go into a draw to win:
- 1st place - £150 canopy of stars voucher (if you win and you're based in Northern Ireland, you can opt to switch to a Virgin Experience voucher) & £20 Electroverse public charge credit
- 2nd place - £100 Electroverse public charge credit
- 3rd place - £50 Electroverse public charge credit
Quote tool competition
Here's another chance to win. Anyone who logs onto the quote tool during first 3 weeks of the launch will go into the draw to win the following:
1st place - £50 Huggg voucher (24 options inc: Flower crate from Gluttonous Gardener, Charcuterie cheese box from Fodabox, Ultimate indulgence gift box from the Gifting Team)
2nd place - £30 Huggg voucher (28 options inc: Pasta kit & side from Pasta Evangelist, House plant from Bloom & Wild, Hotel Chocolat gift box)
3rd place - £15 Huggg voucher (19 options inc: Pasta kit for two from Pasta Evangelist, Candy Kitten gift box, Growbar from Gluttonous Gardener)
Sustainability quiz competition
This one is open to all First Bus colleagues (hooray!), simply answer 3 sustainability questions and those who get the answers right go into a draw to win:
- 3 x £15 Huggg gift cards (64 brands options inc: Ticketmasters, Cineworld, ASOS, Argos, Currys)
These competitions end on the 27th of January 2025.
Northern Ireland
- There is currently no Octopus Energy presence in Northern Ireland, which means Octopus Energy services will contract home charger installations to their third parties who handle the installation process in Northern Ireland.
- Colleagues unable to take part in solar & heat pump discounted installation.
- Colleagues are unable to join Octopus Energy green tariffs.
- Cars are insured for 60 days a year in the Republic of Ireland (a total of 60 days across a 365 day period).
- Colleagues must arrange their own breakdown cover and VE103 form if taking the car across the border.
- We’ll be giving Northern Ireland staff an additional £100 of public charge credit, since they’re unable to access the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff.