Intelligent Octopus Flux 2026Who can get it, what it pays, which batteries qualify
Intelligent Octopus Flux is, Octopus says, “currently exclusive to customers who bought solar panels and a battery from us”. Standard Flux is open. Here are the rates for the South of England, the batteries Octopus lists, and what the published rates are worth.
- Intelligent Octopus Flux is currently exclusive to customers who bought solar and a battery from Octopus (Octopus, 7 October 2026); standard Octopus Flux is open
- Octopus’s eligibility checker lists Fox ESS and Sigenergy batteries but not GoodWe
- Standard Flux, Southern England: 14.61p off-peak, 24.34p day, 34.08p peak; export 4.74p, 10.08p and 29.00p
- Charged off-peak and used at the peak, a 5 kWh battery is worth up to about £293 a year on the published rates (£210 if exported)
- That is a ceiling: it needs daily cycling, a compatible battery and a tariff that is open to you
What Intelligent Octopus Flux is
Intelligent Octopus Flux is an Octopus Energy import-and-export tariff for homes with solar panels and a home battery. Octopus says it charges your battery when the grid is greenest, that its import rates are even lower than standard Flux, and that the peak rate runs from 16:00 to 19:00, the time Octopus chooses to discharge the battery and export surplus energy to the grid. It also says you need solar panels to be eligible, and that the tariff relies on the UK smart meter network. Source: Octopus Energy, Intelligent Octopus Flux (read 7 October 2026).
Can you get it? What Octopus says today
As of 7 October 2026 Octopus says that, because energy prices are volatile, Intelligent Octopus Flux is currently exclusive to customers who bought solar panels and a battery from Octopus, and that it will update the page if that changes. Octopus adds that standard Octopus Flux is available now; its product listing describes Flux as designed exclusively for solar and battery owners. So if you bought your solar and battery from another installer, Intelligent Octopus Flux is not currently open to you; standard Flux is. Check the page before you plan around either.
Which batteries does it work with?
Octopus’s eligibility checker asks you to select your battery brand and lists AlphaESS, Ecoflow, Enphase, Fox ESS, GivEnergy, Hanchu ESS, Huawei, Sigenergy, SolarEdge and SunPower (read 7 October 2026). GoodWe is not on that list. A tariff your battery cannot use is no use to you, so check the brand before you buy the battery, not after — and note that even a listed brand cannot join while the tariff is exclusive to Octopus’s own customers.
The rates: Flux and Intelligent Flux, Southern England
| Tariff | Import (pence per kWh, inc VAT) | Export (pence per kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Flux (standard) | 14.61 off-peak (02:00–05:00); 24.34 day; 34.08 peak (16:00–19:00) | 4.74 off-peak; 10.08 day; 29.00 peak |
| Intelligent Octopus Flux | 20.14 for most of the day; 26.85 at the 16:00–19:00 peak | See Octopus’s page |
| Ofgem price cap, for comparison | 26.32 | — |
| Outgoing Octopus (flat export) | — | 12.00 |
Octopus public product API, region H (Southern England), read 7 October 2026; windows are UK local time. Standing charge on both Flux tariffs: 45.44p a day. Rates change; Octopus’s own page is the live source. Sources: Octopus Energy public product API, region H (read 7 October 2026); Ofgem energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026; Octopus Outgoing, region H (OUTGOING-VAR-24-10-26, from 1 March 2026).
Is Intelligent Octopus Flux worth it?
Octopus’s own headline is that a home with solar and storage could earn up to £300 more than it pays for electricity. That is Octopus’s claim, not ours. You can test the shape of it with the published standard Flux rates. Charge a 5 kWh battery in the 02:00–05:00 window at 14.61p and, with 90% round-trip efficiency, use it at the 16:00–19:00 peak instead of buying at 34.08p: that is worth about £293 a year if you do it every day and the home uses all the energy. Exporting it at the 29.00p peak export rate instead is worth about £210 a year. Both are before the 45.44p-a-day standing charge, so treat them as ceilings.
That is real money against a battery’s price, but it needs a tariff that is open to you, a battery that qualifies, and a home that uses or exports the energy every day. On a battery cycled that hard, remember that the manufacturer’s throughput floor arrives sooner: our guide to how long a solar battery lasts shows by how much.
What to ask an installer before you buy
- Is this battery brand on Octopus’s eligibility list today? (GoodWe is not.)
- If you do not buy from Octopus, which Octopus tariff is actually open to you?
- What does the battery’s warranty say about daily cycling and its energy floor? A tariff that makes you cycle every day uses the floor up faster.
- What is the battery’s usable size, and will your home use that much each day?
- Is the smart meter and its connection in place, since the tariff relies on the smart meter network?
Our solar and battery storage page shows what a combined system costs and earns with a transparent model, and what a battery adds on its own — before you build a plan around any tariff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Intelligent Octopus Flux still available?
Octopus says it is currently exclusive to customers who bought solar panels and a battery from Octopus. Standard Octopus Flux is available now, and Octopus says it will update its page if that changes.
What is the difference between Octopus Flux and Intelligent Octopus Flux?
Octopus says Intelligent Flux has import rates even lower than standard Flux and charges your battery when the grid is greenest. In Southern England on 7 October 2026 its import rate was 20.14p for most of the day against 24.34p for standard Flux, and its peak rate was 26.85p against 34.08p.
What are the Intelligent Octopus Flux rates?
In Southern England on 7 October 2026 the import rates were 20.14p for most of the day and 26.85p between 16:00 and 19:00. Rates change, so check Octopus’s page.
Is Intelligent Octopus Flux worth it?
On the published standard Flux rates a 5 kWh battery cycled daily is worth up to about £293 a year before the standing charge; Octopus’s own headline is up to £300. It is a ceiling that needs a tariff open to you and a battery on Octopus’s list.
Which batteries work with Intelligent Octopus Flux?
Octopus’s checker lists AlphaESS, Ecoflow, Enphase, Fox ESS, GivEnergy, Hanchu ESS, Huawei, Sigenergy, SolarEdge and SunPower. GoodWe is not on the list as of 7 October 2026.
Do I need solar panels for Intelligent Octopus Flux?
Yes. Octopus says you will need solar panels to be eligible.
Related
Choosing a Battery With a Tariff in Mind?
We check whether your battery is on the eligibility list and which tariff is actually open to you, before you buy.
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