Outgoing Octopus: is it worth it?

Octopus is one of the top export tariff providers around, so it’s only right to consider two of its best options.

Outgoing Octopus comes in two forms, which allows you to take either an active or passive role while earning a substantial amount of export income.

In this guide, we’ll explain how Outgoing Octopus can work with your solar & battery system, how much you can earn, and whether it’s the best tariff for your home.

If you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

What is Outgoing Octopus?

Outgoing Octopus is an export tariff offered by energy supplier Octopus that comes in two forms.

There’s the basic edition, simply known as ‘Outgoing’, which is technically variable but hasn’t changed since September 2022, and ‘Outgoing Agile’, which shifts every half-hour to match wholesale price fluctuations.

To sign up for either tariff, you need to own a solar panel system and receive your grid electricity from Octopus.

Outgoing Agile was launched in 2019, while Outgoing was made available to customers just after the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) started in January 2020.

This UK government scheme made it possible for new solar homes to profit from the electricity they sent to the grid – an ability they lost when the Feed-in Tariff stopped accepting applications in 2019.

However, neither of these rates are Octopus’s official SEG tariff. That honour goes to its 4.1p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate, known simply as ‘SEG tariff’.

And neither of them are among Octopus’s highest-paying export tariffs, which are Intelligent Octopus Flux and Octopus Flux – though these have slightly more stringent restrictions.

Outgoing Octopus: the key details

Outgoing Octopus has been around since 1 April 2019, when it launched Outgoing Agile – the day after the Feed-in Tariff closed to new customers.

Outgoing Agile hasn’t changed its approach in all that time, while Outgoing – which began life in January 2020 – has undergone just two price shifts, both in 2022.

Though both tariffs offer variable rates, they offer completely different customer experiences. Outgoing hasn’t changed rates in years, while Outgoing Agile offers 48 rates per day.

Outgoing vs Outgoing Agile

These tariffs are extremely similar. They’re both variable, come with all the same eligibility criteria, and don’t charge an exit fee – but Outgoing offers a flat rate, whereas Outgoing Agile changes every 30 minutes.

We’ll go into more detail about each tariff’s attributes – and their pros and cons – below.

Outgoing explained

If you sign up to Outgoing, you’ll get the same amount of money for every kWh of electricity you send to the grid, whenever during the day or week you export it.

This makes it a decent option for households that enjoy consistency and not having to tweak their battery schedule every day.

How does it work?

Though it’s classed as a variable tariff, Outgoing has been set at the same 15p per kWh rate since September 2022.

And you’ll be paid this amount for every kWh of electricity you sell to the grid.

Whether you export it on a Monday or a Friday, at midnight or midday, in the height of summer or the depths of winter, in Cornwall or in Edinburgh, the rate won’t change.

To sign up, you just need to own solar panels and be on an Octopus import tariff.

What rates does it pay?

Outgoing pays a flat rate of 15p per kWh to all households, regardless of the time of day or their location in the country.

Octopus raised its Outgoing rate from 5.5p to 7.5p per kWh in February 2022, then doubled it to 15p per kWh in September 2022. It’s been the same ever since. 

At first, this was considerably more than the 8.69p per kWh market average for bundled tariffs – that is, tariffs that require you to get another service from the supplier to qualify, such as grid electricity.

But 2022 was a while ago now, and the average bundled tariff rate is now 13.45p per kWh.

Its 15p per kWh rate still makes Outgoing one of the best export tariffs around that doesn’t require you to get your system installed by the same supplier – but there’s more competition now.

There are currently a few other suppliers that offer similar or higher rates, which is great news for solar homes.

How much can you earn?

You can earn £179 per year with Outgoing.

This is based on you using a 4.6kWp solar panel system and a 5.2kWh battery (which are standard sizes), consuming 3,400kWh per year (which is the UK average), receiving a solar irradiance of 850kWh per kWp, and exporting 34% of your solar-generated electricity.

And that’s not all when it comes to solar savings. You’ll also cut your energy bills by reducing the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid.

This can help a solar home on Outgoing to save £882 per year, compared to a household on the October 2025 energy price cap that hasn’t switched to solar. This amount could be even higher, depending on which import tariff you choose.

Best import tariff to combine it with

The best import tariff to combine Outgoing with is Agile Octopus.

This tariff is like Outgoing Agile, in that its rates for every half-hour are revealed the day before. This means households can save money by planning their electricity usage around the peaks and troughs.

The average Agile customer saved £440 in 2023, compared to a standard tariff, according to Octopus.

And homes with a solar & battery system can save even more, by using their battery’s store of electricity when prices are at their highest.

There are a couple of other possibilities you can explore, though you’ll have limited options, since you have to combine Outgoing with an Octopus import tariff.

You could go with a standard fixed tariff like Octopus Fixed 12m, which will lock in your rates for 12 months. 

Or there are variable tariffs like Flexible Octopus, which must stay lower than the price cap, though it will change every three months to reflect its movements.

Choosing either of these should save you money, compared to staying on the price cap – but you can save more on Agile Octopus, as long as you’re able to consistently alter your usage depending on the next day’s rates.

Should you sign up for Outgoing?

Outgoing is one of the best export tariffs around, with a consistently high, flat rate that doesn’t require extra thought once you’ve signed up – but there are better options if you’re willing to get a battery and set its schedule.

As well as Outgoing Agile, Octopus offers two other time-of-use export tariffs – Octopus Flux and Intelligent Octopus Flux – that allow you to earn more income.

All three of these tariffs come with peak rates above 15p per kWh, usually between 4pm and 7pm. If you ensure that the majority of your exports take place in these times, you can maximise your earnings.

You can save and earn a total of £956 per year with Octopus Flux, and £1,048 per year with Intelligent Octopus Flux, compared to a non-solar home on the October 2025 price cap.

There are also some great options offered by other export tariff providers, all of which you can find in our regularly updated guide to the best export tariffs.

Outgoing Agile explained

Outgoing Agile comes with a rate that changes every 30 minutes to match wholesale electricity prices.

It’s the export version of Agile Octopus, an import tariff that adjusts how much you pay for your grid electricity every half-hour.

You’ll find out each day’s prices on the day before, then get paid a different amount depending on which 30-minute periods you export electricity in.

With a battery, you can choose when to send electricity to the grid, and potentially boost your earnings by selling when the price is high.

How does it work?

Every day around 4pm, Octopus releases the Agile prices for every half-hour between 11pm and 11pm the next day – making this tariff more variable than most.

Your smart meter will then track when you export electricity to the grid, and pay you the corresponding amount for each 30-minute period.

So for example, if the 6pm-6:30pm rate is 20p per kWh, and you export 2kWh, you’ll be paid 40p – but if you export another 2kWh between 12:30am and 1am, when the rate is 5p per kWh, you’ll only get 10p.

When demand is high, prices will climb, but when it’s low, they can plummet. There’s no upper cap on pricing, and Octopus also doesn’t let the rate fall below zero – so you’ll never have to pay to export.

The tariff’s pricing always rewards customers who export to the grid during times of peak consumption – usually between 4pm and 7pm.

Octopus has built Outgoing Agile in this way to lower its costs and support the rise of solar homes in the UK.

Energy companies pay generators more during these times, so they’d rather buy it from households at a slightly reduced rate.

Each kWh of renewable electricity exported on Outgoing Agile saves the supplier money, earns solar homes some export income, and lowers peak demand – which makes life easier for grid operators.

It’s a win-win-win – though maybe not for the generators.

This tariff also helps Octopus to get closer to its goal of reaching net zero by 2040.

What rates does it pay?

Outgoing Agile paid an average rate of 9.81p per kWh between 14 November 2024 and 13 November 2025.

It varied enormously, though. The highest rate was 94p per kWh, while the lowest was zero.

As a rough rule of thumb, you’ll usually be paid around 15-20p per kWh during the 4-7pm peak period, 10-15p per kWh in the 7am-10am morning peak, and 5-10p per kWh at other times.

The worst times to sell your electricity are usually 12am-5am and 10am-3pm, according to our analysis.

Octopus works out the rates for each day with a special formula.

This involves multiplying the wholesale price for every half-hour by an amount that allows Octopus to cover the cost of transmission and any lost electricity – with a margin inserted to ensure it makes a profit.

The supplier then factors in the various fees it pays to use the grid, and to fund all the installation and maintenance involved in keeping it running properly.

You would be paid more if you sold your electricity directly to the grid – but then you’d have to pay the same fees that generators do.

How much can you earn?

You can earn £117 per year, based on Outgoing Agile’s average rate from 14 November 2024 to 13 November 2025 – which was 9.81p per kWh.

However, if you have a battery, you can decide when to export your solar electricity.

This allows you to potentially make much more than the average, as long as you remember to regularly schedule your battery.

And don’t worry: unlike Agile Octopus, which sometimes pays customers to use electricity, Outgoing Agile doesn’t go below zero – so exporting will never take money away from you.

What are the eligibility requirements?

You must have a smart meter installed at your home, be signed up to an Octopus import tariff, and have solar panels installed.

You’ll also need to have a document that confirms your system was fitted by a certified installer, such as one accredited by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or Flexi-Orb.

It’s not a requirement to have a battery, but it is recommended, as it’ll boost your earnings potential.

Best import tariff to combine it with

Your best option for Outgoing Agile is to combine it with Agile Octopus.

Octopus recommends pairing these mirror-image time-of-use tariffs, which both reveal their rates the day before, and both change every 30 minutes.

This allows households with a solar & battery system – or just a battery – to import electricity when it’s cheapest, and sell it when the rates are at their highest.

If you’re prepared to do the maths every day, set your battery to a profitable schedule, then be fairly strict about when you use electricity, you can earn hundreds of pounds per year and significantly cut your energy bills.

For example, on 13 November 2025, you could fill your battery between midnight and 5am for 3p per kWh, on average.

If your solar panels were able to generate enough electricity during the day, you could rely on that to power your home, then turn to your battery after the sun goes down.

If you still have an excess amount of electricity in your battery between 4pm and 7pm, you could export it for around 18p per kWh. If not, you can continue using this low-cost energy instead of paying the grid for more.

And then at midnight, if you still have electricity left in your battery, you could sell it for around 8p per kWh – which is still way more than you paid for it.

As ever, getting a larger battery can allow you to save and earn more. The most profitable approach is to purchase as much off-peak electricity as possible, use some of it to power your home, and sell the rest to the grid.

However, keeping track of two ever-changing tariffs can be a time-consuming endeavour, and changing your household’s daily behaviour to maximise your returns can be tricky.

Should you sign up for Outgoing Agile?

Outgoing Agile can help you to earn hundreds of pounds per year by selling electricity to the grid.

If you pair it with Agile Octopus, you can make even more, especially if you set up a system using software like IFTTT.

This smart home app allows you to program automatic responses to events, like your export rate rising above a certain point, though you’ll still need to regularly monitor and finetune its behaviour.

Overall, Outgoing Agile puts more responsibility on households than a normal export tariff, as making mistakes or forgetting to schedule your battery can have a substantial impact on how much you earn.

And it comes without the major advantages of Intelligent Octopus Flux: higher rates, consistency, and less pressure. Prices stay the same every day, reaching about 30.69p per kWh, and Octopus runs your battery for you.

However, to qualify for these benefits, you do need to have solar panels and an eligible battery.

How can you sign up for Outgoing Octopus?

Solar homes should be able to sign up for Outgoing Octopus quickly and easily.

If you don’t already get your electricity from Octopus, the first step is to sign up for an Octopus import tariff.

Then you’ll just need to grab your MCS or Flexi-Orb certification details, make a scan of your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) notification letter, and use those documents to fill in the online application form.

Octopus should take about two days to process your application, and will then request an export MPAN from your DNO.

This should come through one to four weeks later, at which point Octopus will begin the roughly five-day process of enrolling you onto Outgoing Octopus.

When that’s done, you’ll just have to send the supplier an initial meter reading, and you’ll start making money from your exports.

How long does it take?

Once you’ve submitted your online form, it should take two to five weeks to get signed up to Outgoing Octopus.

Considering this process can take up to 11 weeks with some providers, this is a relatively short timeframe.

Is it worth signing up for Outgoing Octopus?

It’s certainly worth signing up for Outgoing Octopus, because it can earn you hundreds of pounds per year – but there are better options for most homes.

Whether you opt for the constantly changing Agile tariff or the flat Outgoing option, you can sell your excess electricity to the grid for a decent rate.

And you can boost your earnings by signing up to Agile Octopus for your import tariff, allowing you to buy cheap electricity, then use it or sell it back to the grid for a higher price.

All of these benefits make Outgoing Octopus one of the top export tariffs on the market, but if you’re willing to meet slightly more stringent criteria, you can earn significantly more export income.

By adding a battery to your system – which you should do anyway, as it’s the best way to maximise your solar returns – you can take advantage of Octopus Flux’s reliably higher rates.

And you can lock in even better rates with Intelligent Octopus Flux, which just requires you to get an eligible battery from one of the several manufacturers.

If you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

Outgoing Octopus: FAQs