Octopus tariff changes: March 2026

Octopus quietly shook up their tariff lineup in early March 2026. Three of their most popular smart tariffs switched from variable to fixed pricing, and one was pulled altogether. It caught a lot of customers off guard.

What changed

On 5 March 2026, three tariffs moved from variable to 6-month fixed deals:

• Octopus Go is now a 6-month fixed tariff with a £25 exit fee if you leave before the term ends. The off-peak window (00:30 to 05:30) and rate structure remain the same.
• Intelligent Octopus Go has the same change: 6-month fixed with a £25 exit fee. The smart charging features, off-peak window (23:30 to 05:30) and rate structure are unchanged.
• Cosy Octopus is also now 6-month fixed with a £25 exit fee. The three-rate structure and time windows remain the same.

Separately, Octopus Flux (the solar and battery tariff) was closed to new customers in March 2026 with no replacement announced. Existing Flux customers may still be on the tariff, but new signups are no longer possible.

What stayed the same

Three tariffs are unaffected:

• Flexible Octopus remains a variable tariff with no exit fees.
• Agile Octopus continues with half-hourly pricing and no exit fees.
• Octopus Tracker still follows daily wholesale rates with no exit fees.

You can still switch freely between Flexible, Agile and Tracker without any penalty.

Why?

Octopus hasn't said much. On their Go and Intelligent Go pages, the only explanation is: "Energy prices are particularly volatile right now, so we're only offering fixed rates at the moment." That "at the moment" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It hints the variable versions could come back, but there's no timeline.

Reading between the lines, it's about wholesale price risk. Gas prices have been unpredictable, and gas-fired power stations still set the price for much of the UK grid. Locking customers into 6-month terms lets Octopus hedge their costs more effectively. It protects them from sudden wholesale spikes, and in theory protects customers too.

Flux is harder to explain. The tariff relied on guaranteed premium export rates during the 4-7pm peak. Presumably those rates became unsustainable given where the wholesale market is sitting. Octopus hasn't given a public reason for pulling it.

What does it mean for customers?

If you're on Go, Intelligent Go or Cosy already: Your existing terms continue until your current period ends. When it's time to renew, you'll be offered the new 6-month fixed deal. The actual rates haven't changed dramatically; it's the contract structure that's different.

If you're thinking about joining: The tariffs still work the same way. Go still gives you cheap overnight electricity. Intelligent Go still does smart EV charging. Cosy still has the three-rate structure for heat pumps. You're just committing for six months now, with a £25 fee if you leave early. Worth noting that £25 is low by industry standards. British Gas typically charges £50-75 per fuel, OVO £75-95.

If you were considering Flux: Agile is now the main option for solar battery owners looking to maximise export income. The Agile export tariff offers half-hourly export rates linked to wholesale prices, which can be very favourable during peak demand periods. It's more variable than Flux was, but it's the best alternative currently available. See the solar guide for more detail.

How we've updated this site

All the tariff guides, comparison pages and the FAQ on this site have been updated. The tariff comparison tool pulls live rates from the Octopus API daily, so those numbers are always current regardless of what Octopus changes behind the scenes.

If Octopus brings back the variable versions, reopens Flux or launches something new, we'll update the site. We keep a close eye on it.