Best Octopus Tariffs for Solar Owners UK (

Octopus Energy offers more tariff options for solar households than any other major UK supplier — but choosing the wrong one can cost you hundreds of pounds a year. The right choice depends on whether you have a battery, an EV, or both, and how much time you want to spend managing your system. This guide compares every relevant Octopus tariff in 2026 so you can match your setup to the tariff that earns the most.

What You Need Before Switching

A smart meter is essential. Every Octopus tariff for solar owners requires a SMETS2 smart meter capable of recording half-hourly export data. Without one, Octopus cannot settle your SEG payments or apply time-of-use import pricing. If you do not have a SMETS2 meter, Octopus will arrange a free installation when you sign up. You also need a valid MCS certificate — this confirms your solar installation meets the standard required to claim Smart Export Guarantee payments under Ofgem rules.

Outgoing Octopus — Best for Solar-Only Households

Outgoing Octopus is the simplest export tariff and currently pays 12p/kWh for every unit you export to the grid. The rate was reduced from 15p/kWh in March 2026 but remains one of the highest fixed SEG rates available from a large UK supplier. Unlike variable tariffs, the rate is the same 24 hours a day, every day — no app-watching, no scheduling required.

If you have solar panels but no battery or EV, Outgoing Octopus paired with a standard import tariff (such as Octopus Tracker) is the lowest-effort, highest-certainty route to getting paid for your surplus generation. You can stack it with any Octopus import tariff, which makes it flexible as your household energy setup evolves.

For context, the standard Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee does not set a minimum rate — suppliers must only pay above zero. The 12p/kWh Outgoing Octopus rate compares very favourably against the baseline SEG rate of 4.1p/kWh that Octopus offers on its mandatory minimum tariff. If you want a predictable figure for your export income when modelling whether solar panels are worth it, Outgoing Octopus gives you exactly that.

Outgoing Agile — Best for Battery Owners Who Can Time Exports

Outgoing Agile is a variable export tariff that changes every 30 minutes, following wholesale electricity prices. Tomorrow's rates are published each afternoon around 4pm. Between April 2025 and April 2026, the average Outgoing Agile rate was 9.4p/kWh — below the fixed Outgoing Octopus rate — but peak periods regularly reach 15–20p/kWh in the 4pm–7pm evening window and can spike above 30p/kWh during periods of high grid demand.

The arithmetic works in your favour only if you have a battery that lets you store daytime solar generation and discharge it during high-value export windows. Without storage, your panels export whenever the sun shines — which rarely coincides with the peak-demand slots that push Agile prices highest. If you are considering adding a home battery, pairing it with Outgoing Agile is a compelling reason to do so.

Intelligent Octopus Flux — Best for Solar + Battery (When Available)

Intelligent Octopus Flux is the premium tariff for households with both solar panels and a compatible battery. Import and export rates track wholesale prices in 30-minute slots, so you always pay and receive the same price per unit at any given moment. During peak demand windows (typically 4pm–7pm), export rates can reach 29p/kWh or more; overnight off-peak import rates fall as low as 5p/kWh.

The key advantage over standard Flux is automation: Octopus uses your generation forecast, grid demand predictions, and wholesale prices to automatically charge your battery when electricity is cheap and discharge (or export) when it is valuable. Compatible batteries in 2026 include Tesla Powerwall, GivEnergy, SolarEdge, FoxESS, Enphase, and Sigenergy. Standard Flux works with most other battery brands but requires you to set charge and discharge schedules yourself.

Important caveat: Intelligent Octopus Flux was paused for new sign-ups in March 2026 due to wholesale price volatility. Check directly with Octopus whether it has reopened before planning around it. Standard Flux was similarly affected. If you are setting up a new solar-plus-battery system today, confirm current availability before choosing this route.

Intelligent Octopus Go — Best for Solar + EV Households

Intelligent Octopus Go provides a fixed overnight rate of approximately 7p/kWh (some regions are lower) during a smart-managed window that typically runs from 11:30pm to 5:30am. Your entire home — not just the car — benefits from the cheap overnight rate, which makes it an excellent option for topping up a home battery during winter nights when solar output is low.

From April 2026, Octopus introduced a 6-hour daily cap on smart-controlled cheap charging. The first six hours of smart-scheduled EV charging in any 24-hour period qualify for the off-peak rate; anything beyond that is billed at the standard daytime rate. For most EV drivers this cap is not a practical constraint, but households with larger battery vehicles should factor it in.

You can pair Intelligent Go with Outgoing Octopus as your export tariff, giving you cheap overnight EV charging plus a decent fixed return on your daytime solar surplus. This combination suits the solar-plus-EV household well and requires minimal day-to-day management. If you are choosing or upgrading your home charger, see our guide to the best home EV chargers in the UK for compatible smart charger options.

Agile Octopus — Best for Flexible Demand Shifting

Agile Octopus is a 30-minute variable import tariff where prices follow the wholesale electricity market in real time. Rates are published each afternoon for the following day, letting you shift high-consumption appliances — dishwashers, washing machines, immersion heaters — to cheap slots. During periods of high renewable generation, prices can fall to zero or go negative, meaning Octopus pays you to consume electricity.

For solar owners, Agile is most useful as an import strategy during cloudy stretches or evenings when you are drawing from the grid. It does not offer built-in solar export pricing — you would need to pair it with a separate Outgoing Octopus or Outgoing Agile export tariff. Agile suits households that are willing to monitor the app and actively schedule demand; it delivers less value for those who prefer a set-and-forget approach.

Which Tariff Combination Wins for Your Setup?

Matching the tariff to your hardware is the key decision:

Solar only (no battery, no EV): Outgoing Octopus for export, Octopus Tracker or a standard fixed tariff for import. Simple, predictable, no app management needed.
Solar + battery: Intelligent Octopus Flux (if available) for automated arbitrage; or Outgoing Agile for export paired with Agile import if you want to manage charge/discharge times yourself. The battery makes variable export pricing worthwhile.
Solar + EV: Intelligent Octopus Go for cheap overnight charging plus Outgoing Octopus for export. Low maintenance, solid returns on both sides.
Solar + battery + EV: Intelligent Octopus Flux (when available) is the strongest option, giving automated battery management and EV charging optimisation in one. As a fallback, Intelligent Go import plus Outgoing Agile export lets you capture peak export prices manually.

Switching Process and Contract Terms

Switching to an Octopus tariff takes around four weeks if you are moving from another supplier; changes between Octopus tariffs are faster. Most Octopus tariffs have no exit fees and no minimum contract term, so you can change if your circumstances shift — for example, when you add a battery or buy an EV. You will need your MPAN number, smart meter details, and MCS certificate to complete the sign-up. Octopus applies export payments monthly, calculated from smart meter half-hourly data.

For a full picture of what your panels will actually earn, including SEG income projections by system size, read our guide to the best Smart Export Guarantee rates in 2026.