Agile Outgoing Octopus: Half-Hourly Export Prices Explained

Agile Outgoing Octopus is a smart export tariff where the amount you’re paid for electricity changes every 30 minutes.

Instead of receiving the same rate whenever you export electricity, Agile Outgoing follows day-ahead wholesale electricity prices. When electricity is more valuable to the grid, your export rate can rise. When electricity is plentiful and demand is lower, it can fall.

That makes Agile Outgoing particularly interesting for homes with a battery, because you can store electricity when export rates are low and release it when prices are higher.

Tomorrow’s rates are published during the late afternoon or early evening, giving you time to plan when you want to export the following day.

What you need to know about Agile Outgoing Octopus

Agile Outgoing has a 12-month fixed term with a fixed pricing formula, rather than a fixed export price.

Your actual p/kWh rate still changes every half hour.

What is Agile Outgoing Octopus?

Agile Outgoing is the dynamic version of Octopus Energy’s export tariff.

With Outgoing Octopus, you receive 12p/kWh regardless of when you export.

Agile Outgoing works differently.

There are 48 separate export prices every day, with a different rate applying to each 30-minute period.

Your smart meter records how much electricity you export during each period and Octopus applies the relevant price.

That means the timing of your export becomes just as important as how much electricity you export.

How do Agile Outgoing prices work?

Agile Outgoing prices are linked to day-ahead wholesale electricity prices.

Wholesale electricity prices change throughout the day depending on the balance between electricity generation and demand.

When renewable generation is plentiful and demand is relatively low, electricity can become less valuable.

When demand rises and electricity is harder to supply, prices can increase.

Agile Outgoing reflects more of those changing market conditions than a flat-rate export tariff.

For most households, the practical approach is simple:

Check tomorrow’s prices → identify the higher-priced periods → export when electricity is worth more.

Why do Agile Outgoing rates change?

Agile Outgoing rates move because they follow the wholesale electricity market. Export prices are usually higher when the grid needs electricity and lower when there is plenty of generation available.

In practice, rates often rise during the early evening, when demand is higher and solar generation is falling. They can be lower overnight or during sunny, low-demand periods when electricity is easier for the grid to absorb.

Can Agile Outgoing prices go negative?

No. Agile Outgoing has a floor of 0p per kWh, so you should not be charged for exporting electricity. If wholesale export prices fall very low, your export rate may drop to 0p for a half-hour period, but it should not go below that.

When are tomorrow’s Agile Outgoing rates published?

The following day’s Agile Outgoing prices are published during the late afternoon or early evening.

Once the prices are available, you can see all 48 half-hour periods for the next day.

For example, tomorrow could have:

• low export prices around lunchtime;
• moderate rates during the afternoon;
• much higher rates during the early evening.

The pattern can change every day.

This is one of the biggest differences between Agile Outgoing and Prime Outgoing.

Prime gives you a predictable 4pm–7pm higher-rate window.

Agile makes you follow the actual market prices.

When is the best time to export on Agile Outgoing?

There isn’t one guaranteed best time.

Export prices are often stronger during periods of higher electricity demand, particularly around the early evening, but that won’t necessarily be true every day.

The best approach is to check the individual half-hour prices.

If you have a battery, this gives you the option to:

Store → wait → export

rather than allowing surplus solar electricity to leave your home immediately.

For example, if your solar panels are producing surplus electricity at lunchtime but Agile Outgoing prices are relatively low, you could store that electricity in your battery.

If the export rate is significantly higher later in the day, you could then discharge some of that stored electricity to the grid.

What really matters is your average export rate

If you’re comparing Agile Outgoing with the standard 12p/kWh Outgoing tariff, don’t just look at the highest Agile rates.

You also shouldn’t rely purely on the average of all 48 prices.

What matters is the average price you actually receive for the electricity you export.

For example, imagine you export:

You’ve earned £128 from 1,000kWh of export.

That gives you an effective export rate of:

12.8p/kWh

In that example, Agile Outgoing has beaten the standard 12p/kWh Outgoing tariff.

But if most of your electricity had been exported during the lower-priced periods, the result could have been very different.

This is why when you export matters more than the highest price.

Should I store electricity or export it now?

A battery gives you the option to hold electricity and export it later when Agile prices are higher.

However, waiting isn’t automatically better.

Some electricity is lost when charging and discharging a battery.

A useful way to think about it is:

Is the later export price high enough to make up for the electricity lost through the battery?

For example, imagine:

• the current export price is 10p/kWh;
• a later period pays 12p/kWh;
• your battery has around 90% round-trip efficiency.

If you store 1kWh, you may eventually have around 0.9kWh available to export.

At 12p/kWh:

0.9 × 12p = 10.8p

In that example, waiting would still produce slightly more value than exporting immediately at 10p.

But if the later price were only 11p:

0.9 × 11p = 9.9p

You would have been slightly better exporting immediately.

At around 90% battery efficiency, the later export rate needs to be roughly 11% higher just to cover the energy lost through the battery.

Battery wear and your own household electricity needs should also be considered.

Do I need a battery for Agile Outgoing?

No, you can use Agile Outgoing with solar panels without having a battery.

However, a battery gives you much more control over when your electricity is exported.

Without one, your export timing is largely determined by when your solar panels are producing more electricity than your home needs.

That will often happen during the middle of the day.

The problem is that lots of other solar systems may also be generating electricity at the same time, which can contribute to lower wholesale prices.

With a battery, you can potentially store that surplus electricity and export it later.

That makes Agile Outgoing much easier to actively optimise.

Agile Outgoing vs Outgoing Octopus

For many households, this will be the most important comparison.

Outgoing Octopus currently pays:

12p/kWh at any time

Agile Outgoing gives you:

48 different export prices every day

Agile isn’t automatically better simply because some half-hour periods pay more than 12p.

The real question is whether your average export rate ends up above 12p/kWh.

If you have no battery and most of your electricity naturally leaves your home during lower-priced periods, the flat 12p rate can be attractive.

If you can deliberately move export into higher-priced periods, Agile becomes more interesting.

Agile Outgoing vs Prime Outgoing

Prime Outgoing sits somewhere between Agile and standard Outgoing in terms of complexity.

Prime currently pays:

16p/kWh from 4pm–7pm

and:

9p/kWh at other times.

That gives you a simple daily target.

With Prime:

Export between 4pm and 7pm.

With Agile:

Check tomorrow’s prices and target the highest-value periods.

Agile gives you more flexibility, but also requires more involvement.

Prime is more predictable.

If you have a programmable battery and enjoy optimising your electricity use, Agile may appeal more.

If you would rather follow the same schedule every day, Prime is simpler.

Agile Outgoing vs Octopus Flux

Octopus Flux works differently because it combines your electricity import and export into one tariff.

Flux has predictable daily time periods, including:

2am–5am cheaper import

and

4pm–7pm peak import and export.

Agile Outgoing only deals with your exported electricity.

That means you can pair Agile Outgoing with a separate compatible Octopus import tariff.

Flux gives solar and battery owners a repeating daily schedule.

Agile Outgoing gives you dynamic export prices that change every day.

Can I use Agile Outgoing with Intelligent Octopus Go?

Yes.

Agile Outgoing can be paired with Intelligent Octopus Go, making it an interesting option for homes with:

an EV + solar panels + battery storage.

Your setup could potentially look like:

Overnight → charge your EV cheaply

Daytime → generate and store solar electricity

Higher Agile export period → export surplus battery electricity

Whether that makes financial sense depends on your import rate, Agile export prices, battery efficiency and how much electricity your household needs.

Agile Outgoing can also be compatible with other Octopus import tariffs, but it’s worth checking tariff compatibility before switching.

Do I need to be on Agile Octopus for import?

No.

Agile Octopus and Agile Outgoing are separate tariffs.

Agile Octopus determines what you pay for electricity imported from the grid.

Agile Outgoing determines what you’re paid for electricity exported to the grid.

You do not need to use Agile for both.

You can use Agile Outgoing alongside another compatible Octopus electricity tariff.

Is Agile Outgoing fixed?

Agile Outgoing has a fixed term, but your export price isn’t fixed.

Instead, the formula used to calculate your export prices is fixed for the tariff term.

The actual rate still changes every 30 minutes.

So:

Fixed formula ≠ fixed export rate

Agile Outgoing currently has no exit fee, so you can switch away if it no longer suits your setup.

Are Agile Outgoing prices capped?

Agile Outgoing export prices are uncapped.

That means there isn’t a maximum export rate such as the 16p/kWh peak rate on Prime Outgoing.

During unusual electricity market conditions, Agile prices can rise considerably.

However, unusually high rates should not be treated as normal or used as the basis for estimating your annual export income.

It is much more useful to look at the average rate you could realistically achieve over a longer period.

How do I get paid on Agile Outgoing?

Your smart meter records how much electricity you export during each half-hour period.

Octopus then applies the relevant Agile Outgoing rate to that electricity.

Your export earnings are added to your Octopus account as credit on your monthly statement.

That credit can be used to help cover your energy bills.

You can also leave credit on the account, for example, building it during sunnier months to help cover higher winter bills, or request a refund if your account is in credit.

What do I need for Agile Outgoing?

You’ll generally need:

• an Octopus Energy electricity account;
• a compatible smart meter;
• half-hourly export readings;
• an eligible solar or export setup;
• an export MPAN;
• the required installation and DNO documentation.

If you don’t already have an export MPAN, Octopus can apply for one on your behalf.

Your smart meter needs to be able to provide half-hourly export readings so Octopus knows exactly how much electricity you exported during each Agile pricing period.

What happens to Feed-in Tariff payments?

If you still receive Feed-in Tariff payments, you cannot receive both a deemed FiT export payment and Agile Outgoing payments for the same exported electricity.

You may be able to keep the generation element of your Feed-in Tariff while opting out of deemed export payments.

Your actual exported electricity would then be measured by your smart meter and paid through Agile Outgoing instead.

Check your existing Feed-in Tariff arrangement carefully before switching.

Is Agile Outgoing worth it?

Agile Outgoing is most interesting when you have control over when electricity leaves your home.

That usually means having battery storage.

Instead of accepting whichever export price happens to be available when your solar panels are generating, you can look at tomorrow’s prices and decide whether your electricity is more valuable now or later.

Agile Outgoing could suit you if:

• you have a programmable battery;
• you’re happy checking electricity prices;
• you can schedule battery discharge;
• you want access to changing wholesale export prices;
• you already use a compatible specialist import tariff;
• you’re comfortable accepting that some periods can pay less than flat-rate alternatives.

It may be less suitable if:

• you have solar panels without battery storage;
• you want predictable export income;
• you don’t want to monitor prices;
• you prefer a simple set-and-forget tariff.

If simplicity matters more, Outgoing Octopus or Prime Outgoing may be worth comparing.

How do I switch to Agile Outgoing?

If you’re already an Octopus electricity customer, you can apply for Agile Outgoing once your export setup is ready.

If you’re not currently with Octopus, you’ll need to switch your electricity supply to Octopus Energy first.

You’ll also need an export MPAN and a compatible smart meter capable of providing half-hourly export readings.

Once your export setup is connected and Octopus is receiving the required readings, you can move onto Agile Outgoing.

Agile Outgoing Octopus FAQs

What are Agile Outgoing rates?

Agile Outgoing does not have one permanent export rate.

There are 48 different prices every day, with a new rate applying every 30 minutes.

When are tomorrow’s Agile Outgoing prices released?

The following day’s rates are published during the late afternoon or early evening, allowing you to plan your export for tomorrow.

What is the best time to export on Agile Outgoing?

There is no guaranteed best time.

Check the following day’s half-hourly prices and target the periods with the highest export rates.

Do I need a battery for Agile Outgoing?

No.

However, a battery makes it much easier to control when your electricity is exported and take advantage of higher-priced periods.

Is Agile Outgoing better than 12p Outgoing?

It depends on the average rate you actually receive for your exported electricity.

If your export-weighted average is above 12p/kWh, Agile would have paid more than the current flat 12p/kWh Outgoing rate.

If it is below 12p/kWh, the flat tariff would have paid more.

Does Agile Outgoing have an exit fee?

No. Agile Outgoing currently has no exit fee.

Is Agile Outgoing fixed for 12 months?

The pricing formula is fixed for the tariff term, but the actual export price changes every 30 minutes.

Can I use Agile Outgoing with Intelligent Octopus Go?

Yes. Agile Outgoing can be paired with Intelligent Octopus Go.

Is Agile Outgoing the same as Agile Octopus?

No.

Agile Octopus is an import tariff.

Agile Outgoing is an export tariff.

Do Agile Outgoing prices ever go above 12p/kWh?

Yes.

Agile prices can rise above the standard Outgoing rate, but they can also fall below it.

That is why your average export rate over time is more important than looking at one particularly high half-hour period.

Tariff rates, eligibility and terms can change. Always check the prices and tariff terms shown by Octopus Energy before switching.

Last checked: September 2026