Which Batteries Actually Work Well With Octopus Agile and Flux?
Best Batteries for Octopus Agile and Flux: 2026 Compatibility List
Almost any battery can trade Octopus Agile by hand. Only a short list of brands can be controlled by Octopus on Intelligent Octopus Flux. Here is the live compatibility picture, the current rates, and how to choose a battery with the tariff in mind rather than afterwards.
The short answer
Any battery whose inverter lets you set charge and discharge times can trade Octopus Agile, Prime Outgoing or standard Octopus Flux by hand. Only Intelligent Octopus Flux (IOF) needs a brand Octopus can connect to. Octopus’s FAQ names Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, SolarEdge and GivEnergy; its sign-up picker also lists AlphaESS, EcoFlow, Fox ESS, Hanchu ESS, Huawei, Sigenergy and SunPower. On 23 September 2026 IOF is limited to homes that bought solar and a battery from Octopus, while standard Flux is taking sign-ups again. Avoid buying new GivEnergy or Huawei hardware. Owners of Solis, Sunsynk, Growatt, SolaX, Luxpower and BYD systems can still earn on Agile, Flux and Prime Outgoing manually or with a third-party control app.
⚡ Agile, Flux, Intelligent Flux and Prime Outgoing compared
These tariffs share a brand but ask different things of your battery. Agile is a price. Import rates follow wholesale electricity in half-hourly slots, are capped at 100p/kWh, carry a peak uplift between 16:00 and 19:00, and can go negative when wind and solar flood the grid. Octopus cut all Agile import rates by 3.5p/kWh from 1 April 2026 after levies were removed from bills. Your battery simply follows whatever schedule you, or an app, set.
Flux is a price plus a schedule. Three fixed daily bands: a cheap import window from 02:00 to 05:00, a premium peak from 16:00 to 19:00 for both import and export, and a standard rate in between. You press the buttons in your inverter app, and Octopus says standard Flux works with all solar and battery systems.
Intelligent Octopus Flux is a price plus a scheduler. Octopus takes control of a compatible battery, charges it from the cheapest, greenest energy (grid and solar) and discharges it into the 16:00–19:00 peak. Import and export rates are matched, so your bill is unaffected by whether the battery was filled from your roof or the grid.
Prime Outgoing is an export tariff, not a battery tariff. It pays 16p/kWh from 16:00 to 19:00 and 9p at all other times on a 12-month fixed term, so it rewards evening export without any half-hourly tracking.
| Tariff | What it is | Who controls the battery | Battery brand restriction | Status, 23 Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agile Octopus + Outgoing Agile | Half-hourly import; separate half-hourly export | You, or a third-party app | None | Open |
| Octopus Flux | Three-band import and export, fixed windows | You | None; needs solar + battery | Sign-up page live again after the March 2026 pause. Confirm eligibility in your account |
| Intelligent Octopus Flux | As Flux, but Octopus schedules the battery | Octopus | Listed brands only; needs solar + battery | Temporarily unavailable; limited to Octopus-installed solar and battery |
| Outgoing Octopus | Flat 12p/kWh export | n/a | None; no battery needed | Open; needs Octopus as import supplier |
| Prime Outgoing | 16p peak / 9p off-peak export, 12-month fixed | You | None; a battery helps | Open |
That control distinction is the whole article in one line: Agile tests your attention, Intelligent Flux tests your battery’s compatibility. For a wider comparison that includes Cosy Octopus for heat-pump homes, see our Flux vs Cosy Octopus guide.
💷 Octopus rate card: September 2026
Every stored unit is measured against what you would otherwise pay. Ofgem’s price cap electricity rate was 26.11p/kWh for July to September 2026 and rises to 26.32p/kWh from 1 October to 31 December 2026, with a 54.83p daily standing charge (Great Britain averages, Direct Debit). Ofgem also notes there is no VAT on electricity between 1 October 2026 and 31 March 2027. Source: Ofgem.
| Rate | 2026 figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Agile import | Changes every 30 minutes; typical evening peak 25–40p | Capped at 100p/kWh; overnight can dip to single digits or go negative on windy nights, but many nights sit nearer 10–20p. All rates 3.5p lower since 1 April 2026 |
| Outgoing Agile (export) | About 9.4p average over the 12 months to April 2026; 20–40p in peaks | Rewards timing; punishes forgetfulness |
| Outgoing Octopus (export) | 12p/kWh flat | Cut from 15p on 1 March 2026; needs Octopus as import supplier |
| Prime Outgoing (export) | 16p/kWh 16:00–19:00, 9p otherwise | 12-month fixed term, no exit fee |
| Octopus SEG (export) | 4.1p/kWh | The only Octopus export rate that works with another supplier’s import |
| Flux peak export | Up to 29.32p/kWh, 16:00–19:00 | Varies by region. Off-peak import is around 15p, not the 7–8p of Go tariffs. You schedule the battery |
| Intelligent Flux peak export | Up to 32.17p/kWh, 16:00–19:00 | Octopus schedules it; import and export rates matched |
Octopus closed Flux and Intelligent Flux to new customers in March 2026, and SolarBriton’s July 2026 guides recorded that pause. This page is newer. On 23 September 2026 Octopus’s standard Flux page shows a live sign-up, while its Intelligent Flux page still calls the tariff temporarily unavailable and says it is currently exclusive to customers who bought solar and a battery from Octopus. Availability has flipped twice this year, so treat any article, including this one, as a snapshot and check Octopus’s Flux and Intelligent Flux pages before you budget around a rate.
Meanwhile Octopus has launched Charge Pack, an add-on that pays a guaranteed minimum of £12 a month for roughly two grid-support sessions a week, with up to 24 hours’ notice. It works with Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus Go, Flexible or fixed import tariffs plus Outgoing Octopus for export. Agile is not on its list of eligible import tariffs, and it cannot be combined with third-party services such as Axle. It supports AlphaESS, EcoFlow, Enphase, FoxESS, GivEnergy, HanchuESS, Huawei, Sigenergy and SolarEdge today, with Tesla, Solax, LuxPower, Solis, Goodwe, Duracell and Hinen listed as coming soon. It is a useful bonus, not a substitute for Intelligent Flux.
🧮 How much does a battery earn on Agile and Flux?
Here is a worked example you can rerun with your own numbers. Assume a 10 kWh battery, about 90% round-trip efficiency (roughly 9 kWh usable per cycle) and about 300 useful cycles a year.
- Agile-style arbitrage: fill at an average 10p in cheap slots and avoid evening slots averaging 30p. Cost to fill: £1.00. Value of 9 kWh at 30p: £2.70. That nets about £1.70 a cycle, or roughly £500 a year at the top end. Not every night is cheap and not every evening spikes, so plan on £350–£550.
- Flux arbitrage: fill at around 15p (£1.50) and export 9 kWh at roughly 27–29p depending on region (£2.43–£2.61). That nets £0.93–£1.11 a cycle, or roughly £280–£330 a year. Flux’s real edge is a high, predictable evening price for your solar, not a wide grid-to-grid spread.
Add solar and the stack builds. SolarBriton’s virtual power plant guide puts smart-tariff arbitrage for a solar-plus-battery home at roughly £800–£950 a year on schemes like Octopus Go or Flux, with £120–£300 of VPP income on top, for a combined ceiling of about £1,000–£1,250 a year. Octopus’s own advertising evidence is a useful reality check: between June 2024 and May 2025, 34% of Intelligent Flux customers earned more from export than they paid for import, and the top 12% cleared £314 or more after wiping out their full bill. That is the best decile, not the average.
Estimated annual battery value by setup
Bar length is the midpoint of each range. Sources: published 2026 UK installer estimates (flat-tariff uplift), the worked example above, and SolarBriton’s VPP guide. Your result depends on battery size, region and wholesale prices.
Prime pays 16p in the peak and 9p otherwise, so it beats Outgoing Octopus’s flat 12p only when more than three-sevenths (about 43%) of your exported kWh land between 16:00 and 19:00. A battery that holds solar until the evening clears that easily. A solar-only home exporting at midday does not, so stay on the flat rate.
⏰ What a typical Agile day looks like
Every Agile strategy is one picture: store when the line dips, avoid or sell when it spikes. The shape below is illustrative rather than a live price feed: cheap overnight, a solar-driven midday sag (sometimes below zero), and a sharp 16:00–19:00 climb driven by the peak uplift.
A typical Agile price day (illustrative p/kWh)
Shaded bands: a typical overnight charge window (02:00–05:00) and the evening export/discharge peak (16:00–19:00).
On genuinely windy nights or sunny middays, Agile import can hit zero or go negative, and a battery charging then is paid to fill up. That is the moment manual Agile traders live for, and the moment an automated scheduler earns its keep while you are at work.
✅ Intelligent Octopus Flux compatible batteries (2026 list)
Octopus connects to your battery through the manufacturer’s cloud, so only brands with a live integration qualify. Octopus’s own pages differ slightly. The Intelligent Flux FAQ names four current integrations (GivEnergy, Enphase, SolarEdge and Tesla Powerwall), while the sign-up dropdown lists AlphaESS, Ecoflow, Enphase, Fox ESS, GivEnergy, Hanchu ESS, Huawei, Sigenergy, SolarEdge and SunPower, with Tesla absent. Octopus warns that specs and APIs change and that it cannot guarantee compatibility. Its eligibility checker in your account is therefore the source of truth, not this article and not the installer pages that still claim Solis or SolaX work.
| Brand | Intelligent Flux status, Sept 2026 | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall | Named in Octopus FAQ | Not in the sign-up dropdown, so confirm your model in-account. Powerwall 3 is the model installers now fit. Charge Pack support is listed as coming soon |
| Enphase IQ Battery | FAQ + dropdown | AC-coupled, so the easiest retrofit onto existing solar |
| SolarEdge | FAQ + dropdown | Natural fit if your PV is already SolarEdge |
| Fox ESS | Dropdown | Octopus’s own solar-and-battery packages use Fox ESS and Powerwall 3 and label both as best with Intelligent Flux. Confirm your exact model |
| Sigenergy, AlphaESS, EcoFlow, SunPower | Dropdown | Confirm your exact model in-account before paying a deposit |
| GivEnergy | Listed, but don’t buy new | GivEnergy Ltd entered administration on 9 April 2026 and no further hardware warranties will be honoured, so your installer is the first port of call. The app runs through a separate company that is not in administration. See our GivEnergy administration explainer |
| Huawei | Dropdown; exited UK | Announced its UK residential exit in 2025, with no new units through UK distributors from January 2026. Existing systems only |
| Hanchu ESS | Mixed signals | In the dropdown and on Charge Pack, but the FAQ still lists it as coming soon. Confirm before buying |
| Solis, Luxpower, SolaX | Not listed | Manual on Agile and Flux. All three are on Charge Pack’s coming-soon list |
| Sunsynk, Growatt, BYD | Not listed | Hugely popular on UK roofs, and manual on Intelligent Flux; not on Charge Pack’s lists either |
Some of the best-value hardware in the country, the kit behind thousands of cheap, competent installs, cannot join the automated tariff. That is not a verdict on battery quality. It is a verdict on integrations, and the Charge Pack coming-soon list suggests Octopus is building more of them.
🥇 Best batteries for Octopus Agile and Flux
Buying with the tariff in mind changes the shortlist. The prices below are indicative 2026 installed ranges from UK installer guides; get three MCS quotes for your roof. Batteries installed in Great Britain currently qualify for 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, which your installer should confirm. Our home battery storage guide covers costs and payback in more depth.
| Battery | Capacity | Indicative installed price | Tariff fit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 3 | 13.5 kWh | £7,000–£9,500 | Named in Octopus’s FAQ; big enough to serve most of the three-hour peak | Larger homes, EV households, set-and-forget owners |
| Sigenergy SigenStor | 6–54 kWh, modular | About £4,500–£9,600 for 6–18 kWh | In the sign-up dropdown; stacking modules grows your peak window | Homes that want to start small and expand |
| Enphase IQ Battery 5P | 5 kWh per unit | About £4,000–£5,500 per 5 kWh unit | Live integration; AC-coupled retrofit onto any existing array | Adding storage to solar you already own |
| Fox ESS (H3 or EP range) | 5–12 kWh | From about £5,000 for 10 kWh | In the dropdown; strong value per kWh | Budget-conscious solar-plus-battery quotes |
| Growatt ARK (or Sunsynk, Solis stacks) | 5–10 kWh | About £3,500–£5,500 | Not on the list: a manual Agile and Flux player | Engaged owners happy to schedule, or run a control app |
Size matters more than brand on Flux. The peak window is three hours long. At a common 3.68 kW single-phase export limit, exporting flat out for the whole window takes about 11 kWh, so a 5 kWh battery empties in well under two hours while a 13.5 kWh Powerwall can serve nearly all of it. If export income is the goal, buy the largest battery your roof and budget justify, and check our SEG and export tariff comparison to see why the peak window is where the money lives.
Which route fits you?
- You want Octopus to run it (Intelligent Flux): buy an Octopus-installed package, or confirm eligibility in your account first. Powerwall 3, Enphase, SolarEdge, Fox ESS and Sigenergy are the strongest candidates.
- You like watching prices (Agile): any programmable battery works. Add a control app if you do not want to trade daily.
- You want predictable export (Prime Outgoing or standard Flux): any battery, scheduled once. Check the 43% break-even before choosing Prime over flat 12p.
- You already own Solis, Sunsynk, Luxpower or Growatt: stay manual, or use a third-party app, and watch Charge Pack’s coming-soon list.
🛠️ Solis, Sunsynk, Luxpower, Growatt: using Octopus without the list
If your quote says Solis, Luxpower, Sunsynk, Growatt or SolaX, you have not bought a dud, you have bought a manual job. The playbook is short. Charge in the cheapest overnight or negative-price slots. Discharge into your own evening load first. Export the surplus on Prime Outgoing (16p at peak), Outgoing Agile if you enjoy watching prices, or flat 12p Outgoing Octopus if you do not. And when standard Flux is open to you, any brand can join it and run the windows itself.
Third-party control apps such as Predbat (free, Home Assistant based), Wonder Watt and 1app.energy can read Agile prices and drive supported inverters automatically. Check each tool’s supported-inverter list before relying on it. None replaces Intelligent Flux, but they turn a daily chore into a weekly glance.
One trap catches manual traders and EV households alike: a battery cannot tell an EV charger from a kettle. If a smart-charging slot starts while the battery is in normal discharge mode, the battery feeds the car and reaches the 16:00 peak nearly empty. Octopus explains the mechanism in its help centre, and our guide to Octopus draining your solar battery covers fixes.
🔌 The small print before you connect anything
- One device per property. Intelligent Flux registers a single device, so it is the battery or an EV, not both. Decide which load moves more money.
- One battery. A second, unlinked battery stays under your manual control while the first is Octopus-driven.
- A 20% floor. Octopus’s FAQ says controlled batteries are set to a 20% minimum, which may vary through the year. Know that before you count on evening backup.
- Stay connected. Octopus warns that keeping your battery disconnected for an extended period can cost you eligibility. It does not publish an exact limit.
- No double-dipping. Charge Pack cannot be combined with third-party battery services such as Axle. Check the terms before stacking any VPP on a battery Octopus controls.
- Paperwork first. You need a smart meter sending half-hourly readings, an export MPAN, your MCS or Flexi-Orb certificate, and an existing Octopus import and export tariff (Outgoing Octopus for export) before you switch.
- Variable rates, no exit fees. Flux and Intelligent Flux are variable tariffs, so rates can change with notice, and Octopus says there are no exit fees or tie-ins.
- Your DNO limit does not move. Optimising your export changes nothing about your connection agreement’s export cap.
None of that is scary. All of it is easier to read now than to discover in a January bill.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Which batteries are compatible with Intelligent Octopus Flux?
Octopus’s FAQ names four current integrations: Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, SolarEdge and GivEnergy. Its sign-up dropdown also lists AlphaESS, EcoFlow, Fox ESS, Hanchu ESS, Huawei, Sigenergy and SunPower. Octopus cannot guarantee compatibility because manufacturer APIs change, so check your exact model in your Octopus account. On 23 September 2026 the tariff is also limited to homes that bought solar and a battery from Octopus.
Do I need a special battery to use Octopus Agile?
No. Agile is only half-hourly pricing, so any battery whose inverter lets you set charge and discharge windows can use it manually, or through a third-party control app. A brand restriction applies only to Intelligent Octopus Flux, where Octopus controls the battery directly.
Is Octopus Flux open to new customers in September 2026?
Octopus paused Flux and Intelligent Flux to new customers in March 2026. On 23 September 2026 the standard Flux page shows a live sign-up, while the Intelligent Flux page says the tariff is temporarily unavailable and currently exclusive to customers who bought solar and a battery from Octopus. Availability has changed twice this year, so check Octopus’s tariff pages before you budget around either tariff.
Can I use Flux or Agile with a Solis, Sunsynk, Growatt, SolaX or Luxpower battery?
Yes for Agile and standard Flux, because both are manual: Octopus says standard Flux works with all solar and battery systems, and Agile only needs a smart meter. You cannot join Intelligent Octopus Flux, because none of these brands is on Octopus’s compatibility lists. Solis, SolaX and LuxPower are on Octopus’s coming-soon list for its Charge Pack add-on, and third-party apps such as Predbat can automate supported inverters.
Should I still buy a GivEnergy battery?
Not for new purchases. GivEnergy Ltd entered administration on 9 April 2026, and the administrator has said no further hardware warranties will be honoured. Existing systems keep working and the app runs through a separate company, GivEnergy Software Ltd, which is not in administration. GivEnergy is still on Octopus’s compatibility lists today, but that could change.
Is Prime Outgoing better than Outgoing Octopus at 12p?
Only if enough of your export happens between 16:00 and 19:00. Prime pays 16p in that window and 9p otherwise, so it beats a flat 12p when more than about 43% of your exported kWh fall in the peak. Homes with a battery that holds solar until the evening usually clear that; solar-only homes exporting at midday usually do not.
🏁 The verdict: buy the battery for the control you want
The question in the title has two honest answers. For Agile, almost any battery with a programmable inverter works well, because the tariff rewards attention, not brand badges. For Intelligent Flux, the list is short and contractual: Tesla Powerwall, Enphase and SolarEdge are the safest names, Fox ESS and Sigenergy are in the sign-up dropdown, GivEnergy and Huawei are listed but no longer worth buying new, and everyone else trades by hand.
Buy in this order. First decide who should control the battery. If the answer is Octopus, check eligibility in your account and remember that Intelligent Flux is currently open only to Octopus-installed systems. Then size the battery to the three-hour peak. Finally, let warranty, installer quality and price break the tie between brands that passed. Do that and the tariff stops being a lottery ticket and becomes a payslip for your battery, printed every evening between 16:00 and 19:00.
📚 Related guides and sources
- Octopus Energy solar export tariff 2026: all rates compared
- Get paid by Tesla, Octopus or Axle to share your solar battery
- Octopus Flux vs Cosy Octopus for solar homes
- Octopus Energy: Flux, Intelligent Octopus Flux, Intelligent Flux FAQs, Charge Pack, Outgoing and Prime Outgoing
- Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges
