Octopus Flux Explained for Solar and Battery Owners

Octopus Flux is an Octopus Energy tariff for homes with both solar panels and a home battery. It has three price periods a day, for importing and exporting alike: a cheap overnight window, a higher-priced late afternoon peak, and a standard rate the rest of the time. The idea is simple: fill the battery cheaply overnight, then use or export stored energy when prices are highest.

How the three periods work

• Cheap period, 02:00 to 05:00: the lowest import price of the day. This is when the battery is typically topped up from the grid, particularly in winter when solar alone will not fill it.

• Peak period, 16:00 to 19:00: the highest prices, for both import and export. This is when you want the house running from the battery, and when any spare stored energy is worth most if exported.

• Day rate, all other times: a standard price in between.

Flux rates are variable. Octopus reviews them periodically, so the gap between the cheap and peak rates, which is what a battery earns from, can change. We do not quote rates here because they change; check Octopus's own pages for the current figures.

Who can get it

According to Octopus, to join Flux you need:

• solar panels and a home battery;

• a smart meter that Octopus can connect to and read;

• both your import and export tariffs with Octopus Energy.

Tariffs change and can be closed to new customers, so check the current terms on Octopus's website before you count on any particular tariff.

What it means for your system

A tariff like Flux only works well if the battery can be told what to do and when. In practice that means a battery and inverter whose charging and discharging can be scheduled, either by you in the app or by an automated integration where the equipment supports one. It also means the battery needs enough capacity, and the inverter enough power, to cover the household through the 16:00 to 19:00 peak.

Whether Flux suits you better than another time-of-use tariff, or a simple export tariff, depends on your usage, your battery size and how much you export. There is no single right answer, and it is worth comparing before you switch.

Related guides

If you are deciding on a battery, see what size solar battery you need and are solar batteries worth it. If you already have solar, read can you add a battery to existing solar panels.

Thinking about a battery to make the most of a time-of-use tariff? Request a solar and battery quotation.

Tariff details checked against Octopus Energy's Flux page on 19 October 2026. Tariff terms change; we review this article regularly.