Intelligent Octopus Flux: Frequently Asked Questions

Intelligent Octopus Flux takes the stress out of scheduling your battery. By giving Octopus control of your battery, we can make sure you get the most from your solar and reduce your net energy costs.

Import rates on Intelligent Octopus Flux are even lower than Octopus Flux, so we’ll make sure your battery charges when the price is lowest and the grid is greenest.

Intelligent Octopus Flux has a peak rate between 16:00 - 19:00, where we will export your surplus energy back to the grid.

The battery charging is split into 3 parts:

1. Day time charging. Your battery will charge from excess solar, or from the grid if it’s not sunny.
2. Afternoon discharge. Your battery will discharge to the grid to take advantage of Intelligent Octopus Flux’s high export rates.
3. Overnight top up. Your battery will be topped up a little overnight, but we’ll be sure to leave room so that you can charge through solar in the day.

No. We take the hassle out of smart control to help customers get maximum benefit from the tariff. Unlike Intelligent Octopus Go, we don’t provide the ability for customers to set their charge level and when it’s needed by. Instead, we set target points based on the battery, which may vary throughout the year as we accommodate changes in solar production.

No, we will control your battery so you don't have to worry about it. We'll make sure your battery charges when the price is lowest, and exports your surplus energy when the export price is highest.

You can always check the status of your battery in the app. For example, if it's charging via solar or if it's discharging to your home or the grid.

You're also able to set a minimum charge level for the battery in the Octopus app. The default is 20%.

If you need to, you can suspend Intelligent Octopus Flux via the app so we're no longer smart charging your battery. By giving Octopus control of your battery, we can make sure you get the most from your solar and reduce your net energy costs. So we recommend keeping Intelligent Octopus Flux enabled as often as possible.

Currently (11th October 2023), all batteries controlled through Intelligent Octopus Flux are set to a minimum of 20%. This may vary throughout the year.

Our charging plan won’t impact your battery any more than regular charging. Batteries are designed to handle this pattern of charging.

The brand of your battery is usually printed on the front of your battery unit. You can also find this information on your MCS or Flexi-Orb certificate. Alternatively, your installer should also be able to pass this information to you.

Intelligent Octopus Flux is a smart time-of-use tariff with peak and off-peak pricing, where import and export rates always match.

During the peak period customers will benefit from a high export rate, where the importing rate will also be high.

Outside of the peak period, customers will benefit from a low import rate for their battery and home energy, where the export rate will also be low.

Intelligent Octopus Flux is a variable tariff, which means that the price you pay can rise and fall with the cost of wholesale energy. We'll always give you reasonable notice of any changes to the pricing of flexible tariffs.

Intelligent Octopus Flux rates are changing on 1 April 2024. Rates vary by region. You can find out more about your Intelligent Octopus Flux rates on this page.

Like all our Smart tariffs, you will be billed monthly based off your half-hourly data.

There's no exit fees or tie-ins, so if Intelligent Octopus Flux doesn't work for you, you're free to switch tariffs or change suppliers with no penalties at any time.

You can sign up to Intelligent Octopus Flux on our dedicated page. You can also sign up in the Octopus Energy App. From the homepage, tap on the Intelligent Octopus card in the “Explore our labs” section, then follow the instructions from Home Batteries.

You'll need to have:

• A smart meter providing us with half-hourly readings.
• A solar system and home battery that we can connect to (current integrations: GivEnergy).
• Already be on an import and export tariff, both with Octopus Energy.
• An iPhone (iOS v15.0 or later) and/or Android (v7 or later).

By already being on an export tariff with Octopus Energy, you can switch quickly without having to go through the usual checks.

We need access to half-hourly meter readings to bill you correctly.

Register your interest for a smart meter here.

Once you've registered your interest, our team will be in contact when we have an appointment in your area.

Please note: though they’re generally suitable for most properties, in some instances we might not be able to install smart meters (e.g. in some really rural areas with poor signal, or in some properties with a communal meter cupboard). Very occasionally, we are unable to install a smart meter for reasons outside of our control. To name one example, if you live near a Royal Air Force Base, we may not be able to install a smart meter because they can interfere with their communications. To be clear, situations like this are pretty rare! If we can’t fit a smart meter for you, we’ll be in touch to let you know, and you’ll be free to switch away from us at any time.

Just so you know, if you have a SMETS1 meter, it doesn't need to be upgraded to SMETS2. All SMETS1 meters should now on the same system.

Currently, our Intelligent Octopus Flux tariff is only compatible with GivEnergy batteries.

Upon signing up, after accepting the tariffs T&Cs, you will be prompted to login to your GivEnergy account by entering your associated email and password. We'll then be able to connect to your battery directly.

No, not yet. You can only have one battery connected to Intelligent Octopus Flux. If you have a second battery that isn’t linked with the other, then you will need to manually control it yourself.

No, currently you are only able to register one device per property.