Best Electricity Tariffs for Solar Owners
What is the best electricity tariff for solar panels?
Solar panel owners should switch from flat-rate tariffs to time-of-use tariffs. Best options: Octopus Go (7.5p/kWh overnight — ideal for EV + solar), Octopus Flux (peak export at 24p — ideal for battery + solar), or Octopus Agile (half-hourly pricing — for advanced users). Separately, choose the best SEG tariff for exports (can be a different supplier). The right tariff combination adds £200–£520/year to your solar savings — the single easiest way to increase returns.
Tariff Options for Solar Owners
Your electricity tariff (import) and SEG tariff (export) can be with DIFFERENT suppliers. Optimise each separately:
Import tariffs ranked for solar owners:
| Tariff | Best For | Overnight Rate | Day Rate | Peak Rate | Key Feature | |--------|---------|---------------|---------|-----------|-------------| | Octopus Flux | Battery owners | ~10p | ~26p | ~36p | Peak export 24p | | Octopus Go | EV owners | 7.5p | ~24.5p | N/A | Cheapest overnight | | Octopus Agile | Advanced users | Variable | Variable | Variable | Half-hourly pricing | | Standard variable | No battery/EV | N/A | ~24.5p | N/A | Simple, no optimisation |
SEG tariffs ranked (export income):
| Supplier | Fixed SEG Rate | Best For | |----------|---------------|----------| | British Gas | 5.6p | Highest fixed rate | | E.ON Next | 5.5p | Close second | | Octopus (Flux export) | 8–24p variable | Battery owners on Flux | | EDF | 5.0p | Good fixed rate |
Source: Supplier published rates March 2026.
Which Tariff Suits Your Setup?
Solar only (no battery, no EV): - Import: Standard variable or Octopus Go (if you can shift some consumption overnight) - Export: British Gas SEG (5.6p) or E.ON (5.5p) - Extra savings vs flat tariff: £0–£100/year
Solar + battery: - Import: Octopus Flux (export stored solar at 24p during peak, recharge at 10p overnight) - Export: Flux export rates are built into the tariff - Extra savings vs flat tariff: £300–£520/year
Solar + EV (no battery): - Import: Octopus Go (7.5p overnight EV charging) - Export: British Gas SEG (5.6p) separately - Extra savings vs flat tariff: £200–£400/year (mainly from cheap EV charging)
Solar + battery + EV: - Import: Octopus Flux (peak export + cheap overnight for both battery and EV) - Export: Flux export rates built in - Extra savings vs flat tariff: £400–£700/year
Source: Tariff modelling; solar + battery + EV optimisation.
How to Switch
Switching tariffs is free and takes 5 minutes:
- Compare tariffs at octopus.energy, britishgas.co.uk, or eon.co.uk
- You need a smart meter for all time-of-use tariffs (free from your supplier)
- Import tariff and SEG tariff can be with different suppliers — optimise each independently
- No exit fees on most variable tariffs — switch whenever a better deal appears
- GivEnergy inverters have built-in Flux/Go modes — switch tariff and the inverter auto-optimises
- Check rates every 6 months — suppliers adjust SEG and import rates regularly
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