UPDATED: 10 JUNE 2026
Octopus Flux is paused for new customers as of March 2026. If you have solar panels and a home battery, here’s what Flux was, why it’s paused, and the best current alternatives — including how to get £50 referral credit when you switch.
Switch via Referral & Get £50 Free →Octopus Flux was a time-of-use tariff specifically designed for homes that have both solar panels and home battery storage. Unlike standard tariffs or even simpler smart tariffs, Flux had three distinct pricing periods — a cheap overnight import rate, a standard day rate, and a premium export rate during peak hours.
The core idea: charge your battery from the cheap overnight grid rate, use your solar generation during the day for free, and then sell stored or excess solar electricity back to the grid at a premium when demand — and export prices — are highest.
It was a genuinely well-designed tariff for the right home setup. The pause appears to reflect Octopus reviewing the economics given changes to wholesale export pricing — including the reduction of the standard Outgoing Octopus export rate to 12p/kWh from March 2026.
Flux operated across three periods every day:
| Period | Rate type | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight (approx. 02:00–05:00) | Cheap import | Charge your home battery from the grid at a low rate |
| Day (05:00–16:00 & 19:00–02:00) | Standard rate | Use solar generation; battery holds its charge |
| Peak (16:00–19:00) | Premium export | Export stored or solar electricity at a higher rate |
If you have solar panels and/or a home battery and want a smart tariff with Octopus, here are the options currently available:
| Tariff | Best for | Key rate (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Agile Octopus | Battery storage, flexible homes | Half-hourly market prices — can go negative at night |
| Intelligent Octopus Go | EV + solar or battery homes | 8p/kWh overnight (11:30pm–5:30am) from April 2026 |
| Cosy Octopus | Heat pump + solar homes | Cheap windows: 04:00–07:00, 13:00–16:00, 22:00–00:00 |
| Outgoing Octopus | Solar export (no battery needed) | 12p/kWh flat export rate |
| Flexible Octopus | All homes — simple billing | Standard variable, tracks price cap |
The closest current replacement for Flux functionality is Agile Octopus. Agile gives you half-hourly prices that track the wholesale electricity market — prices can fall very low (or even go negative, meaning Octopus pays you to use electricity) overnight, which you can exploit with a home battery. The trade-off: Agile requires active monitoring, as prices fluctuate significantly day to day.
If you also have an electric vehicle, Intelligent Octopus Go at 8p/kWh overnight from April 2026 gives a fixed, predictable cheap window for charging your battery and car — without the complexity of tracking Agile prices. It’s simpler and still very competitive.
For heat pump homes with solar, Cosy Octopus provides three cheap windows daily that you can use to run your heat pump and charge a battery at lower cost.
Switch to Octopus & Get £50 Free Credit →There is no confirmed timeline for Flux reopening. If you have solar and a battery and want to switch to Octopus, there is no reason to wait — switch now via the referral link, get your £50 credit, and go on to Agile Octopus or another suitable tariff. If Flux reopens, existing Octopus customers will be able to apply for it through their account.
Switching sooner also means the £50 referral credit arrives sooner — and with the July 2026 price cap rising to £1,850/yr, having credit in your account earlier is worth more. See our July 2026 price cap guide for the full picture on how the rise affects different households.
No — Octopus Flux is currently paused for new customers as of March 2026. Existing Flux customers remain on the tariff. Check octopus.energy/smart/flux/ for updates on when it reopens.
Octopus Flux was a smart tariff for homes with solar panels and home battery storage. It had three pricing periods: a cheap overnight import rate (charge your battery from the grid), a standard day rate, and a premium export rate during peak hours (sell stored or solar electricity back at a higher price). It is currently paused for new customers.
With Flux paused, the best options for solar and battery homes are:
All are available after switching via the referral link — you’ll also get £50 credit after your first Direct Debit.
Yes — Flux is designed for homes with both. The cheap overnight import rate is most useful when you have a battery to fill, and the premium export rate is most valuable when you have stored or solar energy to sell. Note: Flux is currently paused for new customers.
Not currently. Flux is paused for new customers as of March 2026. Switch via the referral link to get £50 credit and go on to Agile Octopus or another tariff. When Flux reopens, existing Octopus customers will be able to apply through their account.