Octopus Energy's Octopus Flux tariff has been available since March 2023, according to a guide to the tariff published by Sunsave, and its rates change every three months to reflect Ofgem's price cap1. It is a variable import and export tariff open to homes that own solar panels and a battery1.
The tariff pays different rates for electricity imported and exported at different times of day. Import and export rates are highest during the 4pm to 7pm peak period and lowest during the 2am to 5am off-peak period, with other times falling in between1. Rates also vary by region. Sunsave lists peak import rates from 36.15p per kWh in Edinburgh to 38.65p per kWh in Cardiff, and off-peak import rates from 15.49p per kWh in Edinburgh to 16.57p per kWh in Cardiff1.
| City | Peak import (p/kWh) | Off-peak import (p/kWh) | Peak export (p/kWh) | Off-peak export (p/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 37.05 | 15.88 | 27.81 | 4.39 |
| Bristol | 38.61 | 16.55 | 29.22 | 4.55 |
| Cardiff | 38.65 | 16.57 | 29.35 | 4.69 |
| Edinburgh | 36.15 | 15.49 | 27.19 | 4.42 |
| London | 37.07 | 15.89 | 28.6 | 5.24 |
| Manchester | 36.92 | 15.82 | 27.7 | 4.34 |
| York | 36.74 | 15.74 | 27.69 | 4.21 |
Sunsave puts average savings and earnings at £937 per year compared with a normal tariff, based on a home with a 4.9 kilowatt-peak system and a 5.2kWh battery, annual consumption of 3,400kWh and solar irradiance of 850kWh per kWp, exporting 65% of its solar-generated electricity1. Of that total, the home would earn £402 per year by selling electricity to the grid and save £535 per year by importing less grid electricity1. The tariff carries no exit fee1.
Eligibility requires receiving grid electricity from Octopus, owning solar panels and a battery, and having a qualifying smart meter, which Sunsave describes as either a SMETS2 model or a SMETS1 made by Secure1. The system almost always must be installed by an installer certified by Flexi-Orb or MCS, and a household must be on an Octopus import tariff, even briefly, before switching to Octopus Flux1. Sunsave states that all solar batteries fitted by a Flexi-Orb or MCS certified installer work with the tariff1.
"Octopus Flux has been around since March 2023, changing every three months to reflect Ofgem's new price cap."
Why it matters for households
For a home with solar panels and a battery, the tariff's structure means the value of a kilowatt hour depends on when it is bought, used or sold. Sunsave states that taking full advantage of the tariff requires manually setting the battery's import and export times through the inverter's app1. It also notes that the tariff does not pay as much as Intelligent Octopus Flux but is less restrictive about which battery can be used1. The £937 figure is an average across a modelled household and will differ with system size, consumption and location, given the regional rate spread shown above1.
What happens next
Sunsave states that if Octopus is connecting to a meter for the first time, it takes around 14 days to establish a remote link, and that signing up to Octopus Flux usually takes five to 11 weeks to complete1. The tariff's rates change every three months in line with Ofgem's price cap1. No further dated steps have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- Octopus Flux: is it worth it? UK, 2026, sunsave.energy