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 first integrated import-export tariff and has become the default starting point for UK homes with solar + battery in 2026.

Unlike the flat Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) rates most suppliers offer (typically 15p/kWh), 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 (~14–16p/kWh). Charge your battery from the grid here when there's no solar.
• Standard daytime — typical mid-rate (~28–30p/kWh). Solar self-consumption is the priority.
• Peak 16:00–19:00 — most expensive import (~36–40p/kWh) and highest export rate (~22–26p/kWh). Discharge your battery to the grid here.

The arbitrage is the point: a 10kWh battery charged at 15p and discharged at 24p banks 90p per cycle. Stack 300 of those cycles a year and you've added ~£270 to your solar earnings before the panels do anything.

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. Rates also refresh quarterly to track wholesale energy prices. Below are typical 2026 figures for Scotland (SP Distribution) and a southern English region for comparison; check Octopus's live page for your postcode before switching.

Indicative 2026 mid-year figures, illustrative purposes. Always verify against your live Octopus quote before switching — rates change quarterly and standing charges apply on top (~50p/day).

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 (~15p) 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 15p if the battery is full).
4. 16:00–19:00 PEAK — Battery discharges at full output, first to cover house load (avoiding 38p import), then exports the rest at ~24p. 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. 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, restricted to a shorter battery list). For most Ecoaim installs we recommend Intelligent Flux when the customer has a compatible battery; it tends to outperform any human schedule because it reacts to grid signals.

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. Here's the realistic Flux maths against the same setup on a flat Outgoing Fixed tariff (15p export):

Flux uplift: ~£322/year over a flat SEG-style tariff. On an £11,500 solar + battery install that drops payback from ~13 years to ~10. With a 10kWh battery the uplift roughly doubles because both the arbitrage cycle volume and the peak-import-avoidance grow.

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: pick Intelligent Flux if you've installed a Tesla Powerwall 3 or a GivEnergy system. Pick standard Flux if you've got an EcoFlow PowerOcean, a Sunsynk hybrid, or any other quality battery that doesn't appear on Octopus's compatibility list.

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 Fixed (15p flat export): Best for solar-only homes — no battery, can't time-shift exports. You get a guaranteed 15p for every exported kWh regardless of time.
• Outgoing Octopus Agile (half-hourly export): Best for large systems (8kWp+) with battery that can export aggressively when wholesale spikes. Higher ceiling, more volatile.
• Intelligent Octopus Go (7p overnight import): Best for EV-heavy households. Six hours of 7p overnight charging beats Flux's three hours at 15p for anyone driving 200+ miles a week. Pair with a separate Outgoing tariff for exports.

Rule of thumb: solar-only → Outgoing Fixed; solar + battery, no EV → Flux or Intelligent Flux; solar + battery + EV doing real mileage → Intelligent Go + Outgoing Fixed. 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.
• MCS certification on the install — required to register for the Smart Export Guarantee and any Octopus export tariff. 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 SMETS2 smart meter — half-hourly settlement is required. SMETS1 meters can be upgraded; older non-smart meters need replacing free of charge by your supplier.
• For Intelligent Flux only: a battery on Octopus's compatibility list (Tesla Powerwall, GivEnergy, some SolaX).
• 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 working, export MPAN registered, SMETS2 smart meter. Most Ecoaim installs from 2021 onward tick all three.
2. Choose the variant — Octopus Flux (manual) or Intelligent Octopus Flux (automatic, compatible batteries only).
3. Apply via your Octopus account — existing customers apply from the tariff page once solar + export MPAN are linked. New customers join Octopus on a standard tariff first, then upgrade.
4. Wait two to four weeks for Octopus to confirm export MPAN and SMETS2 readings and complete the switch. No exit fees apply on most standard Octopus tariffs.
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.

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 either programme your battery yourself or run a Flux-compatible model on Intelligent Flux.

Flux is the wrong tariff if:

• You have solar but no battery — flat Outgoing Fixed will 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 drive 200+ EV miles a week — Intelligent Go's 7p overnight slot will beat Flux's economics 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 — the entry ticket to every Octopus export tariff.
• EPVS-accredited quotation — fixed price, itemised, 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 when you want the automated variant — typically GivEnergy or Tesla Powerwall.
• Export MPAN registration handled on commissioning day, so you can switch to Flux the same week.
• Flux dispatch schedule programmed and demonstrated at handover.
• Home Energy Scotland grant and loan guidance built into the survey for eligible Scottish homeowners — up to £6,000 interest-free for solar PV. Check homeenergyscotland.org for current scheme details.
• Ideal4Finance 0% APR finance options for eligible customers (subject to status, FRN-compliant).
• 4.4-star Trustpilot rating from verified UK customers — see our reviews page.

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. Start with a free quote or call 03330 384 380.

FAQs

Sources: Octopus Energy — Flux tariff; Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee; Home Energy Scotland; MCS Certified. Tariff figures are indicative 2026 mid-year and refresh quarterly — always confirm against your live Octopus quote.