Intelligent Octopus Flux is a smart electricity tariff for homes with solar panels and a compatible home battery.
Unlike standard Octopus Flux, you don’t have to programme your battery around different electricity rates yourself. You connect your battery to Octopus and it automatically decides when to charge, power your home and export electricity back to the grid.
There is a higher-rate period between 4pm and 7pm, when Octopus can discharge your battery and export surplus electricity. Import and export prices are matched within each tariff period.
Important: Intelligent Octopus Flux is currently temporarily unavailable to new customers. Octopus says this is due to volatile energy prices and that it will update the tariff page when applications reopen. Existing customers can continue to use the tariff. Last checked 20 September 2026.
What you need to know about Intelligent Octopus Flux
| What to know | Intelligent Octopus Flux |
|---|---|
| Tariff type | Smart variable import + export tariff |
| Peak period | 4pm–7pm |
| Other period | Remaining 21 hours |
| Import & export prices | Matched within each period |
| Battery control | Automated by Octopus |
| Solar required? | Yes |
| Home battery required? | Yes – compatible battery required |
| Smart meter required? | Yes, with half-hourly readings |
| Exit fee | £0 |
| Currently available? | No. Intelligent Octopus Flux is temporarily closed to new customers |
| Best suited to | Solar + battery homes wanting automatic optimisation |
| Last checked | 20 September 2026 |
Intelligent Flux is a variable tariff, so its rates can change. Rates can also differ by electricity region, meaning there isn’t one universal UK p/kWh figure to quote. Octopus says it provides reasonable notice when flexible tariff prices change.
How does Intelligent Octopus Flux work?
Intelligent Octopus Flux combines your electricity import and export into one smart tariff.
Once your compatible battery is connected, Octopus controls its charging and discharging schedule.
Broadly, it works like this:
Daytime / overnight → charge and manage the battery
Your battery can be charged using your solar generation and, when appropriate, electricity from the grid. Octopus decides how to manage the battery based on the tariff and available solar energy.
4pm–7pm → discharge during the peak period
Between 4pm and 7pm, Octopus can discharge surplus energy from your battery back to the grid during the tariff’s higher-priced period.
You don’t need to create your own daily charging schedule.
That’s the main difference between Intelligent Octopus Flux and standard Octopus Flux.
Who controls your battery on Intelligent Octopus Flux?
Octopus does.
By joining Intelligent Flux, you give Octopus control over when your compatible battery charges and discharges.
Octopus says it uses this control to charge when electricity is cheaper and greener and export stored electricity when it is more valuable to the grid.
You can still see what the battery is doing through the Octopus app.
You can also temporarily disconnect your battery, although Octopus warns that remaining disconnected for an extended period may mean you are no longer eligible for the tariff.
This means Intelligent Flux is better thought of as:
“Let Octopus optimise my battery for me.”
Standard Flux is closer to:
“Give me the time-of-use rates and I’ll optimise my battery myself.”
Intelligent Octopus Flux rates
Intelligent Octopus Flux does not have one fixed UK-wide rate.
It is a variable, regional tariff, so your exact import rate, export rate and standing charge depend on where you live and the prices applying to your tariff at the time.
What stays important is the structure:
| Time | Import | Export |
|---|---|---|
| 4pm–7pm | Higher peak rate | Higher peak rate |
| Other 21 hours | Lower rate | Lower rate |
The unusual part is that the import and export unit rates match within each period.
So if your peak import rate were 30p/kWh, for example, your peak export rate would also be 30p/kWh.
The actual figures on your account may be different, so always check your own Octopus tariff rates.
Using 1kWh vs exporting 1kWh
This is one of the most interesting features of Intelligent Octopus Flux.
Because the import and export rates are matched, one unit of stored electricity has broadly the same gross value whether it avoids one unit of grid import or is exported during the same tariff period.
Imagine your peak import and export price is 30p/kWh.
If your battery supplies 1kWh to your house during the peak period:
You avoid buying 1kWh at 30p = 30p saved.
If that same 1kWh is instead exported back to the grid:
You export 1kWh at 30p = 30p earned.
So unlike a tariff where import might cost 30p while export only pays 12p, Intelligent Flux doesn’t create the same large gap between the value of consuming stored electricity yourself and selling it.
That helps explain why Octopus can optimise the battery around both your home and the wider grid.
Battery efficiency, inverter limits and your actual consumption still matter, but the matched pricing is an important part of how Intelligent Flux works.
Intelligent Octopus Flux vs Octopus Flux
Both tariffs are designed around solar panels and battery storage, but the biggest difference is who controls the battery.
| Intelligent Octopus Flux | Octopus Flux | |
|---|---|---|
| Solar required | Yes | Yes |
| Battery required | Compatible battery | Battery expected for full benefit |
| Battery scheduling | Octopus does it automatically | You control it |
| Import + export | Combined | Combined |
| Peak period | 4pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Cheap charging period | Automatically optimised | 2am–5am |
| Rate periods | Two main periods | Three periods |
| Compatible battery needed | Yes | Works with wider setups |
| Currently accepting new customers | No | Yes |
| Best for | Set-and-forget optimisation | Manual control |
Standard Octopus Flux gives you three daily pricing periods, including a cheaper 2am–5am window and a higher 4pm–7pm peak period. You are responsible for setting your battery schedule around those rates.
Intelligent Flux removes much of that work.
Octopus connects directly to your battery and handles the charging and discharging.
That makes Intelligent Flux particularly appealing to someone who wants the benefits of a smart solar-and-battery tariff without repeatedly adjusting battery schedules themselves.
However, standard Flux is currently available to new customers while Intelligent Flux is temporarily unavailable.
Is Intelligent Octopus Flux worth it?
Intelligent Octopus Flux was designed for households that already have the equipment needed to move electricity through different parts of the day:
solar panels + battery + smart meter.
Its biggest advantage is convenience.
Instead of trying to decide when your battery should charge, when it should power your home and when it should export electricity, Octopus handles the optimisation automatically.
That could be particularly useful if:
- you have a compatible home battery;
- you already have solar panels;
- you don’t want to manually schedule your battery;
- you’re comfortable giving Octopus control over charging and discharging;
- you can move high electricity use away from 4pm–7pm;
- you want your import and export arrangements managed together.
Octopus specifically recommends moving high-energy activities such as washing away from the 4pm–7pm peak period where possible.
The tariff may be less attractive if you want full manual control of your battery, have incompatible hardware, need a specialist tariff for another device, or prefer to keep your import and export tariffs separate.
And currently, of course, new customers cannot join it at all.
Can Intelligent Octopus Flux actually make your electricity bill negative?
It can happen, but it shouldn’t be treated as a guaranteed outcome.
Octopus currently advertises that households with solar and storage could earn up to £300 more than they pay for electricity.
Octopus explains that between June 2024 and May 2025, 34% of Intelligent Octopus Flux customers paid less for imported electricity than they earned from exported solar electricity.
It also says the top 12% offset their complete electricity bill and standing charge and made £314 or more on top during that period.
Those are historical results from existing Intelligent Flux customers, not a guarantee of what a new household would achieve.
Your result depends on factors including:
- solar generation;
- household electricity consumption;
- battery capacity;
- battery efficiency;
- electricity region;
- tariff rates;
- weather;
- export capability;
- and how much energy is available to export.
A household shouldn’t therefore choose a solar or battery system on the assumption that Intelligent Flux will automatically produce a negative electricity bill.
Do you need solar panels for Intelligent Octopus Flux?
Yes.
Octopus currently requires a solar installation as well as a compatible home battery to use Intelligent Octopus Flux.
The solar panels do not need to have been installed by Octopus.
You’ll also need an export MPAN so exported electricity can be measured and paid for.
If you don’t already have one, Octopus says it can apply for an export MPAN on your behalf.
Which batteries work with Intelligent Octopus Flux?
You need a battery that Octopus can connect to and control remotely.
Compatible brands currently include:
- GivEnergy
- Tesla Powerwall
- SolarEdge
- Enphase
- AlphaESS
- Fox ESS
- Sigenergy
- Huawei
Compatibility can vary by battery model and software integration, and Octopus may add or remove supported systems over time. It is therefore worth checking your specific battery is supported before switching to Intelligent Octopus Flux.
Do you need a smart meter?
Yes.
You need a smart meter that Octopus can use to collect half-hourly electricity readings.
Those readings allow Octopus to distinguish how much electricity you imported or exported during each pricing period.
Without the required half-hourly data, Intelligent Flux cannot operate as intended.
Can you use Intelligent Octopus Flux with an EV tariff?
This is an important limitation.
Octopus’s current Intelligent Flux FAQ states that you cannot also register an electric vehicle on Intelligent Octopus because only one controlled device per property can currently be registered in this way.
So somebody with:
solar + battery + EV
should not automatically assume that Intelligent Flux is the best overall setup.
An alternative could be an EV-focused tariff such as Intelligent Octopus Go, paired with a compatible Outgoing export tariff, depending on your vehicle, battery setup and electricity usage.
Octopus has also launched Charge Pack, which can automatically optimise compatible home batteries while customers remain on tariffs including Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus Go, Flexible or Fixed, paired with Outgoing Octopus.
That makes the wider tariff combination particularly important for homes with both an EV and battery.
Can you control the battery yourself?
Not in the same way as standard Flux.
Intelligent Flux is designed around Octopus controlling the battery schedule, and you must add your battery as an integrated device via the app.
Octopus sets battery targets itself and says these may change through the year as solar production changes.
You can temporarily disconnect the battery in the app if required.
If having complete control over exactly when your battery charges and discharges is important to you, the standard Octopus Flux tariff would be a better alternative.
What happens between 4pm and 7pm?
This is the main peak period on Intelligent Octopus Flux.
Electricity is normally more valuable to the grid during the early evening when national demand is high and solar generation is falling.
Between 4pm and 7pm, Intelligent Flux applies its higher import and export rate.
Octopus can discharge surplus electricity stored in your battery during this period and export it to the grid.
Because your import rate is also higher, this is generally not the ideal time to run large electrical appliances unnecessarily.
Octopus specifically recommends moving high-consumption activities outside this period where possible.
Does Intelligent Octopus Flux have an exit fee?
No.
Octopus states that Intelligent Octopus Flux has no exit fees or tie-ins.
If the tariff no longer suits you, you can switch tariff or supplier without an Intelligent Flux exit penalty.
However, switching away can affect your battery optimisation and export arrangements, so check what your replacement import and export tariffs will be before changing.
What happens to Feed-in Tariff payments?
This needs particular care if you still receive Feed-in Tariff payments.
Under Octopus’s current Intelligent Flux terms, moving onto Intelligent Octopus Flux means any FiT export payments you currently receive are stopped and replaced by Intelligent Flux export payments.
Octopus’s terms also state that after switching to Intelligent Flux you cannot subsequently return to your previous export tariff terms and rate.
That doesn’t necessarily mean giving up every part of a legacy FiT arrangement, but you should check your specific generation and export payments before switching.
How do I switch to Intelligent Octopus Flux?
You cannot currently make a new switch to Intelligent Octopus Flux.
As of 20 September 2026, Octopus says the tariff is temporarily unavailable because of volatile energy prices.
When applications reopen, the usual eligibility requirements include:
- Be an Octopus Energy electricity customer
- Have solar panels
- Have a compatible home battery
- Have a smart meter providing half-hourly readings
- Have your electricity import and export with Octopus
- Connect your battery through the Octopus app
Octopus then connects to the battery manufacturer’s platform so it can intelligently manage charging and discharging.
Until Intelligent Flux reopens, Octopus currently points solar-and-battery customers towards standard Octopus Flux or Agile Outgoing Octopus.
Intelligent Octopus Flux FAQs
Is Intelligent Octopus Flux available?
Not to new customers at the moment. As of 20 September 2026, Octopus says Intelligent Octopus Flux is temporarily unavailable because of volatile energy prices.
What time is the Intelligent Octopus Flux peak period?
The peak period runs from 4pm to 7pm every day.
Does Octopus control my battery?
Yes. Intelligent Flux connects to your compatible battery and Octopus automatically manages when it charges and discharges.
Are Intelligent Flux import and export prices the same?
Yes. Octopus says the import and export unit rates are matched within each tariff period.
Is Intelligent Octopus Flux fixed or variable?
It is a variable tariff, meaning its prices can rise or fall as energy costs change.
Do I need solar panels?
Yes. Intelligent Flux is designed for homes with both solar panels and a compatible home battery.
Do I need a battery?
Yes. A compatible battery that Octopus can connect to and control is a core eligibility requirement.
Do I need a smart meter?
Yes. Your smart meter must provide Octopus with half-hourly electricity readings.
Is there an Intelligent Octopus Flux exit fee?
No. Octopus currently states that there are no exit fees or tie-ins.
What’s the difference between Flux and Intelligent Flux?
Standard Octopus Flux gives you time-of-use import and export rates but leaves you responsible for scheduling your battery. Intelligent Flux connects directly to a compatible battery and manages its charging and discharging automatically.
Can I use Intelligent Octopus Flux with Intelligent Octopus Go?
Octopus’s current FAQ says only one intelligent device can be registered per property, so you cannot currently have your EV controlled through Intelligent Octopus Go while your battery is controlled through Intelligent Flux.
Can I disconnect my battery from Octopus?
You can temporarily disconnect it through the Octopus app. Octopus warns that staying disconnected for an extended period could make you ineligible for Intelligent Flux.
Tariff rates, eligibility and terms can change. Always check the prices and tariff terms shown by Octopus Energy before switching.
Last checked: September 2026