Solar and batteries
A home battery without solar on Octopus: does it pay?
How a home battery without solar panels can save money on Octopus by charging cheaply overnight, and what to check first.
Edited by Rob Gibbs. Published: . Guidance reviewed: .
Short answer
Yes, it can. A battery without solar saves money by charging on a cheap overnight or low-price rate and running the home at peak times. The saving per kWh is the gap between the cheap and dear rates, minus battery losses, so it works best on tariffs with a wide gap, such as Intelligent Go, Go, Agile or Flux.
How the saving works
Each night the battery fills at the cheap rate and empties during the day or evening instead of buying at the dear rate. Over a year, the saving is roughly usable capacity × days used × (dear rate − cheap rate), less charging losses.
Tariffs that suit a battery
The wider the gap between cheap and dear rates, the more each cycle earns:
- Intelligent Go and Go: a long cheap overnight window, if you also have an EV.
- Agile: very cheap and sometimes negative half hours, if you or your battery’s software follow the prices.
- Flux and Intelligent Flux: built for batteries, with export at the evening peak.
Add-ons that manage it for you
Charge Pack lets Octopus run a compatible battery on top of your existing tariff, with a guaranteed monthly credit. It needs Outgoing Octopus export, so check that pairing works for you.
Questions people ask
Can I export from a battery without solar?
Export tariffs are designed around eligible generation. Check the current terms before planning to sell stored grid electricity.
How big a battery do I need?
Enough to cover your use between the end of the cheap window and the evening peak. Larger batteries only help if you can use or sell the extra energy.
Tariffs in this guide
Related guides
- How big should your solar and battery system be?How to size solar panels and a home battery for your usage, the battery sizes Octopus installs, and how sizing affects which tariff pays best.
- What happens to your smart meter when you switch to OctopusWhether your smart meter keeps working when you switch to Octopus, why some older meters go dumb, and what to do about it.
- What is Octopus Energy? Tariffs and how it differsA plain-English introduction to Octopus Energy: who it is, the kinds of tariff it offers, and how to find the right one for your home and region.
- How to see and download your smart meter dataWhere to find your half-hourly smart meter data from Octopus: in the app, through the free API, and with this site’s private usage tools.
- Import, export and generation meters (and MPANs) explainedThe difference between import, export and generation readings for solar homes, why export needs its own MPAN, and what each one is used for.
- Octopus Power Pack: vehicle-to-grid charging explainedWhat Octopus Power Pack is, the vehicle-to-grid car and charger it needs, and how it differs from an ordinary EV tariff.
Primary sources
- Solar and battery support — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-08-27. Supplier guidance on solar self-consumption, battery use and import/export tariff pairing.
- Smart Tariffs terms and conditions — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-08-24. Smart-tariff eligibility, rate windows, compatibility and publication caveats.
- What is Charge Pack and how does it work? — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-10-30. Charge Pack eligibility, compatible tariffs and batteries, the £12 monthly minimum and session compensation.