Octopus Flux: solar and battery import and export

Octopus Flux was built for homes with solar panels and a battery. It combines import and export pricing so an existing customer can charge a battery cheaply overnight, use stored energy through the day and export during the evening peak.

The important caveat is fit rather than a simple open-or-closed label. Flux is the manual solar-and-battery route to check now, but it still depends on solar panels, a home battery, an export MPAN, smart-meter connection and a battery schedule that makes sense for your home. Octopus currently asks applicants to have both import and export with Octopus already, using Outgoing Octopus to set up export first if needed.

Check access before changing your setup

Standard Flux is the manual solar-and-battery import/export route. For Intelligent Flux, do not treat a supported battery brand or an Octopus installation as confirmation that you can join. Ask Octopus to confirm access for your installation and account before changing import, export or battery-control plans.

Start with the live Octopus Flux page, the current Intelligent Octopus Flux page for the latest automated-tariff availability, and the export rates guide for a plain-English comparison of export choices.

If you want battery automation alongside a separate import tariff, compare Charge Pack as a different option, not a Flux tariff. It needs an eligible import tariff, Outgoing Octopus export, a working smart meter and a supported battery, with no competing battery optimiser. Check the live Charge Pack requirements before changing your setup.

How Flux works

Flux has three daily periods for import and export:

• Off-peak, 02:00-05:00: a lower import period designed for charging your battery from the grid.
• Day periods: the standard-rate parts of the day, when solar generation and battery use do most of the work.
• Peak, 16:00-19:00: a higher import and export period, when a well-managed battery can avoid importing and may export surplus energy.

The idea is simple, but the outcome is not automatic. Flux depends on having enough battery capacity, enough solar generation and a system that can be scheduled sensibly. The more you import during the evening peak, the weaker the case becomes.

Manual Flux versus Intelligent Flux

Standard Flux asks you to manage the battery strategy yourself and is the live manual route to check. You normally need to decide when to charge from the grid, how much reserve to keep and whether to export in the evening or save energy for your own home.

Intelligent Octopus Flux is the more automated route, but only for compatible battery systems and eligible homes when Octopus is accepting it. It may suit people who want Octopus to optimise charging and exporting, while standard Flux suits people who are comfortable tuning their own setup.

Check whether your battery brand appears in the live Intelligent Flux selector, then confirm exact-model compatibility and current joining restrictions with Octopus. A listed brand is not an offer for every account. Confirm app access, installer support and any warranty or control conditions before letting another company schedule battery charging and exporting.

GivEnergy support-risk check

GivEnergy appears in Octopus's Intelligent Flux battery selector, but the tariff's joining restrictions still apply. A listed brand is not a promise that every GivEnergy system has the same support, warranty or cloud-access position.

The Energy Storage Association's GivEnergy FAQ says GivEnergy Ltd entered administration on 9 April 2026, while some wider group companies, including GivEnergy Software Ltd, were not under that appointment at the time of the FAQ. It also says existing systems are expected to continue working, app and portal access is not currently expected to be affected, and support or warranty questions should start with the installer, energy company, wholesaler or card provider where relevant.

• Do not assume GivEnergy has disappeared from Intelligent Flux just because the administration story exists. Check Octopus's live eligibility and availability flow first.
• Do not assume eligibility removes the need to check installer support, warranty paperwork, cloud access, app access and who owns the support route if something fails.
• Do not tamper with a battery or inverter if there is a fault. Use a qualified installer or the seller support route.
• Keep Octopus billing evidence separate from inverter or battery-app graphs. Apps can explain behaviour, but the smart-tariff terms say Octopus billing uses smart-meter and half-hourly reading data.

For billing evidence, keep Octopus smart-meter data separate from inverter, battery or solar-app screenshots. Those apps can help you understand what happened, but Octopus's smart-tariff terms say billing depends on compatible smart-meter and half-hourly reading data, not third-party app data.

What to check if you are already on Flux

• Your actual import pattern. Check whether you are still avoiding the evening peak, not just whether the export headline looks attractive.
• Battery behaviour. A battery that fills too early, empties before peak time or cannot grid-charge cleanly may not deliver the tariff's intended benefit.
• Export setup. Make sure your export MPAN, half-hourly readings and export payments are behaving as expected before changing tariff.
• Smart-meter evidence. If your app, inverter and bill disagree, use the apps as evidence but check the Octopus bill and half-hourly meter data before blaming the tariff.
• Current alternatives. Compare Outgoing Octopus, standard Flux, Intelligent Octopus Flux if Octopus confirms you can join, Agile-style import timing and any EV tariff needs before changing setup.

Who should avoid treating Flux as the answer?

• New switchers who have solar but no suitable battery, export MPAN or half-hourly smart-meter setup.
• Solar-only homes without a battery, where a separate export tariff may be simpler.
• Homes with high 16:00-19:00 demand that cannot be shifted or covered by the battery.
• EV households where Intelligent Go, Go or another EV tariff is the bigger bill driver.

Bottom line

Flux is again the live manual route to check for solar-and-battery households, but it is not a generic solar answer or a promise of savings. Check the live Octopus Flux and export pages, compare import and export pairing, and only choose a battery-control route once you know who is scheduling the battery and what billing evidence Octopus will use.