You can find the answers to our most common FAQs below.

For further information, please visit
voltaware/support.

About Voltaware

Why should I install a Voltaware sensor?

Voltaware is the least intrusive and most economically viable solution of its kind on the market. The credit card sized device, which can be easily installed by a qualified electrician in 5 minutes, will detect your electrical appliance use in real time via our ‘Voltaware Home’ app. You can view your live, daily and monthly use, as well as receive intelligent alerts on your electrical consumption. See our Product page for more information.

Does Voltaware provide everything I need? 

Once purchased, we will ship your sensor kit. Since it is self-powered with magnets, no power cable or batteries are needed. Customers will receive onboarding materials via email including guides on our app, installation and activation. To activate the sensor, users are required to download the ‘Voltaware Home’ app, on a smartphone, of iOS 10 or Android 4.4 onwards, where you will be able to provision the installed sensor.

How can Voltaware save me money?

High resolution energy insights are the best way to monitor and optimise electrical consumption. By having a better understanding of your home's energy use, you can limit wasted energy and unlock savings.

Please note that Voltaware will not directly save energy or costs. Users will only save on energy and costs if they use Voltaware’s tools for identifying potential optimisations for energy use.

Do you have any support materials?

We have a range of support materials covering installation, our app, and technical specifications available at https://voltaware.com/support/materials

How do you estimate my energy costs and why is it different from my electricity bill?

An energy meter is embedded in the sensor, and the energy metering is stored in our database at least every two minutes. We then compute the energy cost by applying the tariff you registered on your account. Please note that there is up to a 5% margin for error in these calculations but we always try to bill as close as possible to that of your smart meter. In case there is a big difference between the cost in the app, please verify that you've entered the correct tariff information and that the sensor is fitted properly. If your estimated costs continue to be significantly different from your bill, please email support@voltaware.com.

Placing an order

How can I order a Voltaware sensor?

You can only order a Voltaware Single-Phase sensor on this website. Go to Order Now to get your Voltaware sensor.

Do I need an email address to order?

Yes, your Octopus email address is required to place the order and receive the tracking information once your order has been confirmed.

Do I have to be an Octopus customer to order Voltaware?

Yes, you can only benefit from this discounted offer if you are an Octopus customer.

I've ordered online, how can I check that my order has gone through?

Once your online order has been placed successfully, a confirmation message will be displayed on your screen and you will receive a payment confirmation email at the address provided during payment.

How do I know if my order has been delayed?

If you have placed your order online, you should receive a confirmation email that includes the delivery date and a tracking number. If there is any delay beyond the date quoted in the confirmation email, please contact us at octopus@voltaware.com.

Payment

Is the payment portal secure?

At Voltaware, we take your safety and security very seriously. Our website meets all the highest industry standards, and it's designed to keep your data private and protected at all times through the use of McAfee Secure.

Which cards do you accept?

We accept all the major credit and debit cards that are able to perform payments in British Pounds (GBP). If you are using a suitable card and the payment is still not going through, please contact octopus@voltaware.com.

Why is my payment not accepted?

Please ensure that your name and billing address are entered exactly as they appear on your debit or credit card statements. If you are still experiencing any problems, please email us at octopus@voltaware.com.

I am unable to pay for the order on the platform, can I order it directly from Voltaware?

No, you are not currently able to place orders directly from Voltaware. Please reach out to us if you have any technical difficulties during the payment process by sending an email to octopus@voltaware.com.

Does Voltaware charge a subscription fee? Will it charge at some point?

Your first 24 months has no subscription fee. After this period we will email you to renew a subscription at £24 a year. If you choose not to subscribe for full energy insights, you will still have access to the app's live screen as well as monthly reports. See our full Terms and Conditions here.

Delivery

How and when will my Voltaware sensor be shipped?

The Voltaware sensor will be shipped through Royal Mail within 2 business days after your order has been confirmed.

How can I track my order?

You will receive an email with tracking details once the order has been shipped.

How can I cancel my order?

If the order has been already paid for, it can only be cancelled by requesting a refund and shipping the sensor back to us if it has already been shipped. Please contact octopus@voltaware.com for more information or consult our Refund Policy.

What should I do if my sensor is damaged?

You should email octopus@voltaware.com with pictures of the damaged sensor. Our support team will check the status of your sensor and advise further on getting a replacement. However, if the sensor has not been installed by a certified electrician and was damaged during the installation, your warranty will be invalidated. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more information.

Installation

Can I install the Voltaware sensor myself?

Although installation of the sensor may seem straightforward (see https://voltaware.com/support/materials) please ensure that it is installed by a qualified electrician. If you choose to install the sensor yourself, you will be doing this entirely at your own risk. Please consult our Terms & Conditions for more details.

Does Voltaware work with installers?

Voltaware has a list of recommended installers depending on your UK region. You will receive a list of suggested installers after your order has been confirmed. This list is updated regularly and is provided only to customers who have completed a purchase from Voltaware. Please check Installation for more information.

Does Voltaware cover installation fees?

No, Voltaware does not cover installation fees.

What happens if my Voltaware sensor fails during installation?

If you have installed the sensor yourself and it fails during the installation, the one year warranty will be invalidated. If the sensor has been installed by a certified electrician and has failed during the installation, please email us at octopus@voltaware.com with clear pictures of the sensor, explaining what happened. Our support team will review the pictures and get back to you as soon as possible.

Which are the technical support working hours?

Voltaware business hours are Monday - Friday, 9a.m. to 5p.m. (GMT).

What is the difference between Single-Phase and Three-Phase power supply?

Single-Phase systems are the most common type of power supply used in UK homes. Power is delivered to your property through two wires: a phase wire and a neutral wire. 

Three-Phase power supply is used in industrial and commercial applications. Three-Phase systems are incompatible with Single-Phase Voltaware sensors.

See our Installation page for more information.

I have two consumer units - will Voltaware work for me?

If you have two consumer units then you will only be able to install a sensor on one of the distribution boards. We recommend installation of the sensor to a distribution board with the most appliances.

Can I synchronise multiple sensors to one ‘Voltaware Home’ account?

Only one sensor can be provisioned to a ‘Voltaware Home’ account. You cannot synchronise multiple sensors to one account.

Is Voltaware compatible with solar?

Voltaware is compatible with certain solar installations. For accurate energy insights, solar production & battery storage, must be fed into the circuit before the Voltaware monitor.

If you have solar, please check with your engineer about your property's compatibility.

Application

Will Voltaware work outside of the UK?

The sensor and the Voltaware App work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection and the sensor is connected to it. However, the Octopus Smart Energy integration is optimised for the UK.

What appliances can Voltaware identify?

Voltaware identifies: AC, Dishwasher, Electric Boiler, Electric Heating, Electric Oven, Electric Shower, Electric/Induction Stove, Electric Vehicle, Fridge/Freezer, Tumble Dryer, Washing Machine, Kettle, and Standby.

Can I still use Voltaware if I am no longer with Octopus Energy?

You can keep using Voltaware and will still have access to the app's live screen, as well as monthly reports. However, you won’t have access to the Octopus Smart Energy Platform.

What happens when I move home?

You will have to uninstall the sensor and reinstall it in your new home. If you are unsure on how to do this, please send us an email at octopus@voltaware.com.

I don’t have a smartphone. Can I use the 'Voltaware Home' app on a computer?

'Voltaware Home' is only available for mobile via the Apple Store or Google Play Store. However, the Octopus Smart Dashboard is available via your standard browsers.

What are the minimum system requirements for the ‘Voltaware Home’ application?

The minimum systems requirements are iOS 10 on your iOS device, or Android 4.4 onwards.

Where can I download the ‘Voltaware Home’ application?

You can download the ‘Voltaware Home’ app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

What new features are coming to ‘Voltaware Home’?

Voltaware is always striving to develop our ‘Voltaware Home’ app in order to optimise your home’s security and energy use. New features such as VoltaScore, provide an energy efficiency score based on your historical consumption, as well as P2P comparisons and tariff information.

Can I update my property information form?

You can update your property information form in your app via My Property → Property Profile → Edit. Ensure that you update this form each time you add an appliance to your home in order to receive updated energy insights.

What do I do if the number of residents in my home changes?

If the number of residents changes in your home, simply change the value for ‘No. of people living there’ via My Property → Property Profile → Edit.

What if I have registered an appliance that I don't have?

The algorithm assumes that you provided all the correct information so when someone reports that they have an electric car, the algorithm will search for electric vehicle signatures.

During the training phase (one month), the algorithm expects to see all appliances in use. This is crucial for the algorithm to learn the particularities of each appliance. However, if you have not used an appliance over the last one month, the models are regularly retrained to ensure that no appliances are missed.

An error about a single appliance can cause a small disruption to the results, while adding five appliances which you don’t have will affect the results a lot.

The list of appliances can be changed at any time from the mobile app via My Property → Property Profile → Edit.

Why do I see the message "Sensor not connected" in the app after signing up?

This could be due to a poor Wi-Fi connection. Please ensure that your sensor is properly connected to your Wi-Fi network and that you have correctly set a tariff for your account.

Can I delete my Voltaware App account?

You can request to delete your account by sending an email to octopus@voltaware.com.

Data

How does Voltaware use my data?

Voltaware uses the electricity data measured by the sensors to improve the accuracy of the disaggregated electricity data it provides you, as well as to provide occasional alerts and recommendations regarding your energy use. Please, see our Privacy Policy for more information.

Does Voltaware share my data?

Voltaware respects your privacy. We never sell your data and will only share it with you, trusted partners, or when required by law. We fully comply with GDPR and give you control over your data.

How does Voltaware protect my data?

Your data is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), an industry-leader in security and privacy protections that includes an advanced set of access, encryption, and login features. All the information you provide us with is anonymised and stored on our secure servers. We do not access or use customer content for any purpose other than what is legally required for maintaining services and in order to provide these services to our customers and their end users. Read more about the Voltaware Privacy Policy here.

How much data does a Voltaware sensor consume per month?

Our Single-Phase sensor typically consumes around 12MB per month. This is approximately 0.2% of the data used for an average UK smartphone per month.

Voltaware Sensor

How much does a Voltaware sensor cost?

Voltaware is offering an exclusive discount of £50 for Octopus customers. The sensor kit is £149.99 and includes a two-year subscription to our services provided via the ‘Voltaware Home’ app.

What do the lights on my sensor mean? 

Blue - Not provisioned (When the sensor is emitting a blue light, it has not been provisioned). This is a normal and necessary state for the sensor post-installation. Simply follow the in app instructions to configure. 

  • If your sensor was previously working but now has a blue light, configure your device by following instructions within the app or via Account → Reconfigure sensor. If you cannot configure your sensor, please contact support@voltaware.com where our team will be able to help.

Blinking Yellow - Attempting to connect to Wi-Fi (When the sensor emits a yellow light, it's attempting to connect to the internet. If the sensor continues emitting a yellow light, ensure that the router is near the sensor)

Magenta - Connected to the Wi-Fi but no server connection (When the sensor emits a magenta light, it's signalling that a firewall is preventing the sensor from connecting to the internet )

Green - Connected to Wi-Fi and server (When the sensor emits a green light, it's connected to the internet and is able to send data to the cloud)

Will the sensor retain any events in case of a Wi-Fi breakdown?

The sensor is able to save the last 16 events when there is no internet connection. The energy consumption and production values however will be kept forever, until manually reset. However, disaggregation for that period will be lost.

How much power does a Voltaware sensor use?

The sensor power consumption is very small - less than 1 Watt - which is the equivalent of approximately 0.72 kWh per month. This is just 0.03% of the average UK household’s electrical consumption per month.

How often does the sensor send data to the cloud?

The sensor works in an event-based manner so will send an event every time there is a change in the RMS value of the current greater than 200mA. In other words, resistive appliances such as a washing machine generate events when switched on or off, however, a smaller device consuming less than 200mA will not send data to the cloud. If no 200mA event is detected for 1 minute, an event is created to ensure a good connectivity of the device and normal status of the circuit.

Tariff Compatibility

What Octopus tariffs are compatible with Voltaware?

Voltaware supports single and dual tariffs but does not currently support Octopus tariffs. However, you can view your tariff by following the instructions in the ‘How can I view my tariff?’ FAQ below.

How can I view my tariff?

To view your tariff you can manually input your tariff rates by navigating to ‘Energy Provider’, ‘Change Tariff’, and selecting the 'Other' option. This will allow you to customise your tariff rates in order to align with your Octopus plan. Furthermore, you can integrate Voltaware with your Octopus Smart Energy Dashboard here in order to visualise your tariff.

Octopus Integration

What is Octopus Smart Dashboard?

Octopus’ Smart Energy Platform allows Octopus customers to seamlessly visualise tariff rates, carbon footprint graphs and consumption reports.

Voltaware is integrated with Smart Energy and can be synced with your account as soon as you activate your sensor.

How do I sync my Octopus Smart Dashboard to Voltaware?

To sync Octopus Smart Dashboard to Voltaware, log into your Smart Energy account and pair your Voltaware sensor using the menu options to utilise advanced energy insights. Find out more about Smart Energy.

Refund & Return Policy

What is the Voltaware Return Policy? How can I return the sensor?

Although we hope that you will never need to, you have the right to cancel at any time from the moment you place your order, and up to 14 days from the day you receive your Voltaware sensor. You need to notify Voltaware of your wish to cancel your order within this time period by emailing octopus@voltaware.com. You then have a further 14 days from the date you notify Voltaware of your cancellation to return the Voltaware sensor. The return request is not eligible in the following scenarios:

  • Any damage to the box or to the sensor.
  • The sensor is not in its original condition.
  • The sensor is returned without its original package and items included with the sensor at the time of delivery.
  • The warranty period is invalidated.

If your return meets the conditions above, please send your sensor in its original package exactly as you found it at the time of delivery. For more information please refer to our Terms & Conditions.

How long is the Warranty?

For more information on our warranty policy, please find our full Terms & Conditions.

How can I get a replacement?

A replacement can only be provided in case of a failure of the product, which is covered by the warranty at no extra cost to you. If the warranty period has elapsed, you will not be refunded and will have to buy a new sensor.

Do you refund original postage charges?

You will be responsible for the postage costs in returning the equipment, unless the equipment is faulty, in which case we will pay the costs of return postage.

Please consult our Terms & Conditions for additional details.

More FAQs

If you have not found what you are looking for, please consult voltaware.com/support or email our support team.