Green energy supplier Octopus has this week announced a new partnership with Amazon's Alexa device, which will provide consumers with the chance to take advantage of time of use energy tariffs using voice automation.

In what the companies describe as a first of a kind service, consumers will be able to use the Alexa hub to adjust energy usage based on half-hourly price changes offered by Octopus' recently launched time of use tariff.

Octopus said users of its new Agile tariff will be able to ask Alexa a range of questions about their energy use, enabling them find out when electricity is cheapest or more expensive and plan accordingly, thereby potentially saving money and curbing carbon emissions.

Launched last year, the Agile Octopus tariff incentivises customers to use power during off-peak times, with the company calculating that tariffs which vary based on time of day can save customers up to £229 compared with standard tariffs.

Advocates of the approach argue that it can also curb carbon emissions by reducing the need to power up fossil fuel power stations to meet peaks in power demand.

The approach can also help drive the development of smart home services. Last December, Octopus integrated Agile with If This Then That (IFTTT), a platform that allows users to link various devices and apps together through input triggers and output actions to automate energy usage. By linking with intelligent devices, including smart plugs and appliances such as Hive, Tado and Philips Hue, Octopus customers can automatically adjust energy usage based on half-hourly price changes.

The company said the integration with Amazon Alexa adds to this functionality and allows customers to use voice controls to assess when the best time is to use power and schedule usage accordingly.

"Our integration with Amazon Alexa lets customers interact with their energy in an entirely new way," said Greg Jackson, CEO at Octopus Energy. "By integrating with a service used by millions, we hope to popularise the energy efficient smart homes needed sustainable future and save customers money in the process. Smart homes are fundamental to the transition to a carbon free energy system. By ensuring consumers see energy consumption as dynamic, and in providing the right technology, we aim to reimagine how people think about how they use energy."

In related news, rival green energy specialist Bulb announced last week that it is launching a new an 'earn-what-you-export' energy tariff for households with smart meters.

Pre-empting government plans for an export guarantee for households selling power back to the grid, the company revealed it is looking to work with up to 50 members for a trial who can sign up to receive payments from the company for any power that they export.