Solar and batteries
Solar panels with Octopus Energy: getting the most from them
How to set up solar panels with Octopus: getting paid for export, choosing an import tariff, and when a battery or EV changes the answer.
Edited by Rob Gibbs. Published: . Guidance reviewed: .
Short answer
Register your panels for export, then choose an export tariff and an import tariff that pair well. Without a battery, flat Outgoing Octopus plus a standard import tariff is simple and usually sound. With a battery or an EV, the cheap-overnight import tariffs and the time-varying export tariffs become worth comparing.
Step one: export registration
Ask Octopus to set up an export MPAN and send your installation evidence. Until that is in place, electricity you export is not paid for.
Use it or sell it?
Each kWh you use yourself saves the full import price; each kWh you export earns only the export rate, which is usually lower. Running the washing machine, dishwasher or hot water in the middle of the day is usually worth more than exporting.
Choosing tariffs by setup
A rough starting point:
- Panels only: Flexible or Fixed import with Outgoing Octopus export.
- Panels and a battery: Flux, Intelligent Flux, or a cheap-overnight import tariff with Outgoing export.
- Panels and an EV: Intelligent Go for import, then check which export tariffs pair with it.
Questions people ask
Do I need a battery to benefit from solar with Octopus?
No. You save on everything you use directly and get paid for export. A battery raises how much generation you use or sell at peak prices.
How long do solar panels take to pay back?
It depends on system cost, generation, how much you use yourself and your rates. The payback calculator uses today’s regional rates.
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.
- 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.
- 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 Charge Pack: the home battery add-on explainedWhat Octopus Charge Pack does with your home battery, which tariffs and batteries it works with, what you earn and who should skip it.
- Keeping gas on a fix while electricity is on Intelligent GoCan your gas stay on a fixed tariff while your electricity moves to Octopus Go or Intelligent Go? How the two fuels work separately.
- Octo Assist: how to get help with an Octopus billWhat Octopus’s Octo Assist fund offers customers struggling to pay, how to apply, and what else to do first.
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.
- Export tariffs terms and conditions — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-08-27. Export contract, metering, MPAN, half-hourly data and generation eligibility requirements.