Best energy tariff for a home battery in the UK (2026)

The quick answer

No solar, normal usage: an overnight EV tariff such as Intelligent Octopus Go or Octopus Go. The gap between the night rate and the day rate is the biggest, so every kWh the battery moves saves the most.

Solar panels or a large battery (10 kWh+): Octopus Flux. It pays a high price for power you send to the grid between 4pm and 7pm, so spare stored power earns money instead of sitting unused.

Electric heating or a heat pump with high daytime use: Cosy Octopus. It has cheap windows in the morning and afternoon, so the battery can charge and empty twice a day.

Standard single-rate tariff: a battery saves almost nothing without solar, because there's no cheap power to store. Switching tariff is the first step.

Why the price gap is everything

Your saving per kWh is roughly the day rate minus the night rate (allowing for about 10% lost when charging). A tariff with a 7p night rate and a 27p day rate saves around 19p for every kWh the battery shifts. A 10 kWh battery used fully every day can then save several hundred pounds a year.

On a tariff where the cheap rate is only a few pence below the day rate, the same battery saves far less, even if it's used twice a day.

Intelligent Octopus Go and Octopus Go

Six hours of cheap power overnight (Intelligent Go 23:30–05:30, Go 00:30–05:30), long enough to fully charge most home batteries.

Intelligent Go is designed for EV owners, so check you're eligible. Octopus Go is open to more homes with a smart meter.

Best for: most battery owners without solar.

Octopus Flux

Flux has a cheap import window overnight (02:00–05:00) and pays a premium export price in the 4–7pm peak. The battery charges cheaply at night, powers the home, and sells what's left at the evening price.

Best for: homes with solar, or anyone with a 10 kWh+ battery that their home doesn't fully use in the evening. On bigger batteries this often gives the biggest saving.

Cosy Octopus

Several cheap windows a day, so the battery can fill and empty twice. The cheap rate is higher than on Go, so it suits high-use homes with heat pumps or electric heating more than a typical home.

Octopus Agile

Prices change every half hour and are sometimes very low or even negative. A smart battery can charge at the cheapest times, but evening peaks can be expensive and savings vary month to month. Best for people happy to monitor their energy.

Economy 7 and other suppliers

Economy 7 has seven cheaper hours overnight, but the gap between night and day is usually smaller than on EV tariffs.

British Gas, EDF, E.ON Next, Scottish Power and OVO all offer EV or overnight tariffs too. Our calculator includes their published cheap rates, which we check every week.

Can a battery pay for itself from month one?

On the right tariff, yes. Our calculator compares each battery's monthly finance payment with its monthly saving. Batteries whose saving covers the payment get a 'Cost-neutral from month 1' badge. This is most common on Octopus Flux, with solar, or in high-use homes.

Check your own numbers

Rates change often and vary by region. Enter your postcode in our free savings calculator to see live Octopus prices for your area, the saving for every battery we sell and the monthly finance cost compared with your saving.

Always check eligibility and current terms with the supplier before switching. This guide is general information, not financial advice.