UPDATED: MAY 2026
Octopus Flux is designed for homes with solar panels and a home battery. It lets you import electricity cheaply overnight to charge your battery, then export stored energy at a premium rate during peak hours — making the most of both your generation and your storage.
Switch via Referral & Get £50 Free →Octopus Flux is 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 has 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.
Full details and current rates are available at octopus.energy/smart/flux/.
Flux operates across three periods every day:
| Period | Rate type | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Flux is most valuable for homes that have both of the following:
You also need a SMETS2 smart meter — Octopus requires this to measure your import and export at each time period accurately.
If you have solar panels but no battery, you can still export to the grid with Octopus’s standard export tariff, but you won’t benefit from the cheap overnight charging that makes Flux particularly attractive. Similarly, a battery alone without solar limits your ability to generate surplus for premium export.
You can get the £50 referral credit when switching to Octopus Energy via my link — and then apply for Flux as an existing customer once your smart meter is confirmed. The two things are independent:
You’ll join on a standard tariff and get £50 credit after your first Direct Debit. Use my Octopus Energy referral link — you must click the link, not type the URL, for the credit to register.
If you don’t have a SMETS2 smart meter, Octopus can install one for free. Make sure your battery and solar export setup is compatible with Octopus Flux.
Once your smart meter is live and your export meter is registered, apply for Flux through your Octopus account dashboard. Octopus will confirm eligibility and switch your tariff.
Switch via Referral & Get £50 Free →
| Tariff | Best for | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Flux | Solar + battery homes | Solar panels, home battery, SMETS2 meter |
| Intelligent Octopus Go | EV owners | Compatible EV or smart charger, SMETS2 meter |
| Cosy Octopus | Heat pump / electric heating | Heat pump or electric boiler, SMETS2 meter |
| Agile Octopus | Flexible households, battery storage | SMETS2 meter, willingness to track prices |
| Flexible Octopus | All homes, simple billing | No special requirements |
Octopus Flux is a smart tariff for homes with solar panels and home battery storage. It has 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). The combination of cheap imports and premium exports is what makes it valuable for solar-plus-battery homes.
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. Without both, a simpler tariff like Flexible Octopus or Agile Octopus may suit you better.
You can apply for Flux when you join, but you’ll need a SMETS2 smart meter and an export meter registered with Octopus. If your smart meter isn’t yet connected, you’ll start on a standard tariff and switch to Flux once it’s live. Switch via my referral link to get the £50 credit in the meantime.
During the day, your solar panels generate electricity for free — you use it directly or store excess in your battery. During the cheap overnight window, you can top up your battery from the grid at a low rate. During peak hours (typically 16:00–19:00), you export stored or solar electricity back at a premium rate, earning more than you would on a standard export tariff. The net effect is that you import cheaply and export expensively — maximising the value of your setup.
For homes with solar and a reasonably sized battery (typically 5kWh or more), Flux can be very worthwhile — you benefit from cheap overnight imports and premium peak exports that aren’t available on standard tariffs. For smaller batteries or homes with minimal solar generation, the gains may be more modest. Check the current rates at octopus.energy/smart/flux/ and compare against your usage profile.