Octopus Flux Explained: 2026 Rates, Time Bands and Real Savings

What is Octopus Flux and how the three time bands work

Octopus Flux is a domestic time-of-use (TOU) tariff from Octopus Energy that prices both your import (the electricity you buy from the grid) and your export (the solar you sell back) differently across three windows every day. It launched in 2023 as Octopus's integrated import-export tariff, built for homes with solar and a battery.

Unlike the flat Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) rates most suppliers offer (Octopus’s own Outgoing tariff pays 12p/kWh, cut from 15p on 1 March 2026; other suppliers’ rates vary, as our guide to SEG export rates shows), Flux pays a much higher rate during the early-evening peak — the same window when grid demand spikes and wholesale prices soar. You're effectively being paid to lend the grid your battery for three hours a day.

The three time bands are fixed:

• Off-peak 02:00–05:00 — cheapest import (14.27p/kWh in South Scotland and 14.63p in North Scotland on 6 October 2026). Charge your battery from the grid here when there's no solar.
• Standard daytime — the mid-rate (23.77p/kWh in South Scotland on 6 October 2026). Solar self-consumption is the priority.
• Peak 16:00–19:00 — most expensive import (33.28p/kWh in South Scotland, 34.12p in North Scotland) and highest export rate (27.19p and 28.73p). Discharge your battery to the grid here.

The arbitrage is the point: a 10kWh battery charged at 14.27p and exported at 27.19p clears about £1.29 per full cycle before round-trip losses (South Scotland, 6 October 2026 rates). Use that stored energy to cover your own 16:00–19:00 load instead and every kWh avoids the 33.28p peak import — worth about £1.90 per 10kWh. In Scotland most spare grid-charged cycles fall between November and February, when the panels can't fill the battery on their own.

Current 2026 Octopus Flux rates

Flux is regionally priced — your DNO area (e.g. SP Energy Networks, SSEN, National Grid Electricity Distribution) determines the exact pence/kWh. It is a variable tariff, so Octopus can change the rates with notice; the unit rates below have applied since 1 April 2026 before VAT. Below are Octopus’s published rates for 6 October 2026 for both Scottish regions, with three English regions for comparison; check Octopus's live page for your postcode before switching.

Octopus’s published Flux rates for 6 October 2026, with no VAT (household electricity is zero-rated from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027). Standing charges are extra: 59.84p a day in South Scotland and 53.61p in North Scotland until 18 October 2026, then 61.44p and 55.28p. Always verify against your live Octopus quote before switching.

Flux in South and North Scotland: which region are you in?

Octopus sets Flux prices by electricity network region rather than by council or postcode area. Its own postcode checker puts the Central Belt towns we cover, from Livingston and Edinburgh to Glasgow, Falkirk, Dunfermline and central Stirling, in South Scotland, the SP Energy Networks area. Dundee and Perth fall in North Scotland, the SSEN area, and so do Dunblane and Kinross, just north of Stirling and Dunfermline, along with some FK8, FK9 and FK14 postcodes in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire area, so check your own postcode.

On 6 October 2026, North Scotland's Flux rates were between 0.36p and 0.85p a kWh higher for import and between 0.31p and 1.55p higher for export, with the widest gap in the 4pm to 7pm export band: 28.73p against 27.19p. Its standing charge was 6.22p a day lower up to 18 October. So a battery home that exports heavily at peak does slightly better per kWh in North Scotland, and a home that leans on grid import does slightly worse.

Octopus's published tariff data also shows both standing charges rising from 19 October 2026.

How Flux works with a solar + battery system

The strategy is simple in principle: charge cheap, export expensive, self-consume in between. Mechanically, every day looks like this:

1. 02:00–05:00 — Battery imports from the grid at off-peak (14.27p in South Scotland on 6 October 2026) and tops up to 80–100% state of charge. Three hours at most modern home battery charge rates (3–5 kW) is enough to fill 10–15kWh.
2. 05:00 – sunrise — Battery holds. House runs off battery instead of paying standard-rate import.
3. Sunrise – 16:00 — Solar covers the house. Excess solar charges the battery (or exports at Flux’s daytime export rate, 9.55p in South Scotland on 6 October 2026, if the battery is full).
4. 16:00–19:00 PEAK — Battery discharges at full output, first to cover house load (avoiding the 33.28p peak import rate), then exports the rest at 27.19p. This is where the money is.
5. 19:00–02:00 — Battery holds residual charge for evening loads, then drains down ready for the next off-peak refill.

Done properly, you eliminate almost all peak-rate import and you bank three hours of premium export every day. (The same arbitrage logic scales up — see commercial battery storage for business sites on half-hourly metering.) Done badly (running the dishwasher at 5pm, charging an EV at 6pm), you destroy the entire economic case.

Battery scheduling is either manual (you set it via the GivEnergy / SolaX / EcoFlow app — that's standard Flux) or automatic via Octopus's API (that's Intelligent Flux, which needs a battery on Octopus’s list and is currently limited to customers who bought solar and a battery from Octopus). A third route is a system that schedules itself: the SigenStor 5-in-1 runs its own AI energy-management layer that optimises charge and discharge against a time-of-use tariff without you touching an app. Whichever route you take, the battery storage install has to be sized and configured for it from day one. While Octopus limits Intelligent Flux to its own solar-and-battery customers, standard Flux with a well-set schedule, or a battery that optimises itself against the tariff, is the realistic route for most homes.

Worked savings example: 4kW solar + 5kWh battery household

Take a typical Central Belt 3-bed semi we'd install in Livingston or Edinburgh: 4kWp solar, 5kWh battery, ~3,500kWh/year household demand and about 3,440kWh a year of generation (PVGIS v5.3 for Livingston, 35° south-facing, 14% system losses). Here's the Flux maths at Octopus’ published South Scotland rates for 6 October 2026, against the same setup on Flexible Octopus (26.11p/kWh import, Direct Debit, from 1 October 2026, no VAT) with Outgoing Octopus paying a flat 12p export:

Flux uplift: about £123/year over the flat set-up (totals use unrounded figures). On an £11,500 solar + battery install that moves simple payback from roughly 15 years to roughly 13. Which battery sits behind the tariff matters as much as its size, because the peak window is only three hours long and the inverter caps how fast you can empty into it — our Sigenergy vs Tesla Powerwall comparison puts both manufacturers’ published charge and discharge figures side by side. A bigger battery can shift more of the evening load and export more in the peak window, so the uplift grows with capacity — size yours with our solar battery size calculator before you decide.

For deeper numbers on bigger systems, our Octopus Flux + battery deep-dive walks through a 6kWp + 10kWh setup line by line. You can also model your own postcode in the Ecoaim solar ROI calculator.

Octopus Flux vs Intelligent Octopus Flux

The two Flux products look nearly identical on paper but differ in one important way: who drives the battery.

Our default recommendation at Ecoaim: while Octopus limits Intelligent Flux to customers who bought their solar and battery from Octopus, standard Flux is the route for almost everyone. Octopus's Intelligent Flux list includes Tesla, GivEnergy, Sigenergy and EcoFlow; Sunsynk was not on it when we checked on 6 October 2026.

Intelligent Flux or Flux: which can you actually join?

On paper Intelligent Flux is the easier option, because Octopus runs the battery for you. Octopus's tariff data for 6 October 2026 shows a two-rate import price: 26.22p/kWh from 4pm to 7pm and 19.67p the rest of the day in South Scotland, or 26.89p and 20.17p in North Scotland, with the same standing charge as Flux. Its export rates are not in Octopus's public tariff data.

In practice the choice is usually made for you. Octopus's Intelligent Flux page limits the tariff to people who bought their solar panels and battery from Octopus, and its eligibility check describes it as temporarily unavailable. That leaves three realistic routes:

• You bought your system from Octopus and the battery is on its list: ask Octopus whether Intelligent Flux is open to you.
• Any other solar and battery home that wants peak export: standard Flux, with the battery set in its own app to charge from 2am to 5am and discharge from 4pm to 7pm, or a battery that optimises itself against the tariff.
• You would rather not schedule anything and your battery is supported: Octopus's Charge Pack add-on drives supported batteries, including GivEnergy, Sigenergy and EcoFlow, on Flexible or a fixed Octopus tariff with Outgoing Octopus, with a £12-a-month minimum payment. It cannot be combined with Flux, so it replaces Flux's 27.19p peak export rather than adding to it.

If you also drive an EV that Octopus can control, add Intelligent Octopus Go to the comparison; the next section sets it against Flux.

Octopus Flux vs Outgoing Octopus vs Intelligent Go

Flux isn't always the right Octopus tariff. The three sensible alternatives to model are:

• Outgoing Octopus (12p flat export): Best for solar-only homes — no battery, can't time-shift exports. It pays a flat 12p for every exported kWh regardless of time (cut from 15p on 1 March 2026; it is a variable tariff, so the rate can change).
• Outgoing Octopus Agile (half-hourly export): Best for large systems (8kWp+) with battery that can export aggressively when wholesale spikes. Higher ceiling, more volatile. We compare Agile and Agile Outgoing with Flux, using real prices for both Scottish regions, in our guide to the best tariffs for solar and battery homes.
• Intelligent Octopus Go (7.6p overnight import, 23:30–05:30): Best for EV-heavy households. Six hours of 7.6p overnight power, against Flux's three hours at 14.27p, suits households that charge an EV most nights, though it is currently sold only as a 12-month fix with a £50 exit fee. Pair with a separate Outgoing tariff for exports.

Rule of thumb: solar-only → Outgoing Octopus; solar + battery, no EV → Flux (Intelligent Flux is currently limited to customers who bought their system from Octopus); solar + battery + EV doing real mileage → Intelligent Go + Outgoing Octopus. We model all four scenarios against your actual half-hourly consumption as part of every Ecoaim battery quote.

Eligibility: what you need to qualify for Octopus Flux

Octopus's eligibility for Flux is strict and non-negotiable. You need all of the following:

• An installed solar PV system — minimum size isn't published, but in practice anything below 2kWp doesn't generate enough export to make Flux worthwhile.
• A home battery — Octopus's Flux eligibility list includes "a solar system and home battery".
• Octopus for import and export — new customers join Flexible Octopus and Outgoing Octopus first, then switch to Flux.
• MCS certification on the install — required to register for the Smart Export Guarantee, and Octopus asks for a copy of your installation's MCS certificate before it completes a Flux switch. Ecoaim is MCS-certified and provides the certificate as standard.
• An export MPAN — the Meter Point Administration Number that identifies your export meter to the grid. Your installer or supplier applies for this; for new installs Ecoaim handles it on day one.
• A smart meter Octopus can read half-hourly — a SMETS2, or a first-generation SMETS1 made by Secure. If you don't have one, Octopus keeps a list and contacts you when an engineer is available.
• For Intelligent Flux only: a battery on Octopus's compatibility list (see the table above), and for now a solar and battery system bought from Octopus.
• DNO approval for the system — handled at install via the G98/G99 process with your regional Distribution Network Operator. In Scotland that's SP Energy Networks or SSEN — see our SP Energy Networks G99 guide.

If you're missing any of these — particularly the export MPAN, which is the most common gap on older or unregistered installs — Ecoaim can audit your system and complete the paperwork as part of a battery upgrade or retro-fit.

How to switch to Octopus Flux (step by step)

1. Confirm eligibility — solar and a home battery working, export MPAN registered, a smart meter Octopus can read half-hourly, and your MCS certificate to hand.
2. Choose the variant — Octopus Flux (manual) for almost every home; Intelligent Octopus Flux (automatic, compatible batteries only) is currently exclusive to customers who bought solar and a battery from Octopus.
3. Apply via your Octopus account — existing customers on an Octopus export tariff apply from the Flux page. New customers first switch to Flexible Octopus for import and Outgoing Octopus for export, then return to sign up to Flux.
4. Wait for the smart meter connection — Octopus says this generally takes around 14 days. Once it has half-hourly readings it emails you to accept the Flux terms, and the tariff changes automatically. Flux has no exit fees or tie-ins.
5. Programme your battery schedule — charge 02:00–05:00, discharge 16:00–19:00. Ecoaim does this on the day of commissioning for our own installs.
6. Monitor and tune — review the first month of consumption and export. Adjust off-peak charge depth, peak discharge cap, and the timing of any heat-pump or EV loads to keep them out of the peak window.

Joining Flux with a system you already have

The steps above assume a new install. If your panels or battery are already on the roof, these are the differences that catch people out:

• A battery added after the panels: it needs to accept a time-based charge and discharge schedule from its own app. Keep the paperwork for both parts of the system, because Octopus asks for your installation's MCS certificate before it completes the switch.
• No export MPAN yet: Octopus says it can apply for one for you, so this need not hold up your application.
• A Feed-in Tariff system: Octopus says your FiT generation payments stay the same. What changes is export: you permanently opt out of deemed export and are paid the Flux export rate for every kWh your smart meter records leaving the house. If another supplier pays your FiT export, Octopus tells you when to cancel it, and if you later leave Flux your export moves to your new supplier's SEG rate.
• Solar but no battery: Octopus's Flux eligibility asks for a home battery, so a flat export tariff such as Outgoing Octopus is the simpler fit until you add one.
• A battery but no solar: Flux is not open to you, because Octopus requires solar panels; a battery tariff from another supplier, or Agile, is the alternative.

Is Octopus Flux worth it in 2026? Who it suits and who it doesn't

Flux is worth it if:

• You have at least a 4kWp solar system and a 5kWh+ schedulable battery.
• You're typically out of the house or able to avoid running big loads between 16:00 and 19:00.
• You're prepared to programme your battery yourself (Intelligent Flux, which does it for you, is currently limited to customers who bought solar and a battery from Octopus).

Flux is the wrong tariff if:

• You have solar but no battery — Octopus's Flux eligibility asks for a home battery, and flat Outgoing Octopus will usually earn you more with zero scheduling effort.
• You're at home from 4–7pm daily with high evening load (electric cooking, heat pump on full, gaming PCs etc.) and can't reschedule it.
• You charge an EV most nights — Intelligent Go's 7.6p overnight slot is cheaper than Flux's 14.27p off-peak rate for charging.
• Your system isn't MCS-registered or doesn't have an export MPAN. Sort that first (Ecoaim can help).

Getting your system Flux-ready with Ecoaim

We design every Ecoaim solar + battery install in the Central Belt to be Flux-ready out of the box. That means:

• MCS-certified install from a Livingston-based team — Octopus asks for the MCS certificate before it completes a Flux switch.
• EPVS-accredited quotation — itemised in writing, with no scope creep mid-install. See our EPVS page for what that means in practice.
• Battery sized to your half-hourly load, not a one-size-fits-all 5kWh — usually 5, 10 or 13.5kWh depending on consumption and roof yield.
• Inverter selection compatible with Intelligent Flux — Sigenergy, EcoFlow and Tesla are all on Octopus's list, though Intelligent Flux is currently limited to customers who bought their system from Octopus.
• Export MPAN registration handled on commissioning day, so your Flux application isn't held up waiting for it.
• Flux dispatch schedule programmed and demonstrated at handover.
• Straight answers on funding at survey stage — we point you at what is real: 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, SEG or Flux export income, and HES funding on the heat pump or insulation element if your project includes one. Check homeenergyscotland.org for the current funding table.
• Finance through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker rather than a lender (FRN 703401), subject to status.
• MCS-certified installation — required for the Smart Export Guarantee, and checkable on the MCS public register.

If you've already got solar but want to retrofit a battery to chase Flux economics, we run a free system audit — checking your export MPAN status, smart meter generation, and inverter compatibility — before quoting. Starting from scratch? Our guide to solar panels with battery storage explains how a system is sized around a tariff like Flux. Start with a free quote or call 03330 384 380. Already running an EcoFlow PowerOcean and wondering whether the arbitrage case justifies changing kit? We set out the honest answer — including when to stay put — in our guide to the upgrade from EcoFlow to SigEnergy.

FAQs

Sources: Octopus Energy — Flux tariff; Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee; Home Energy Scotland; MCS Certified. Tariff figures are Octopus’s published rates for 6 October 2026, with no VAT on household electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (GOV.UK) — always confirm against your live Octopus quote.