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EDF Empower Fixed is a specialist electricity import tariff for households that already have solar panels, home battery storage, or both. It provides a discounted overnight rate from 1am until 4am, a standard rate through most of the day and a higher rate between 4pm and 7pm. The prices remain fixed for twelve months and there is no exit fee. Unlike Empower Fixed Exclusive, customers do not need to buy new equipment from EDF or Contact Solar. They must already have an eligible solar or battery system installed at the property. This guide was checked on 11 July 2026. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/solar/solar-tariffs))
Empower Fixed divides electricity imports into three daily periods. The overnight period runs from 1am until 4am. EDF applies a discount of 10 pence per kilowatt hour compared with the standard Empower rate. The evening peak runs from 4pm until 7pm. EDF adds a premium of 10 pence per kilowatt hour to the standard rate. The standard rate applies during the remaining eighteen hours. EDF fixes all three unit rates for twelve months. The actual prices depend on the tariff quotation provided to the customer. The public tariff description does not publish one national pence per kilowatt hour rate for every region. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/eligibilityandfeatures?tab=battery-solar-heat-pump-tariffs)) An illustrative example helps explain the structure. If the standard rate were 25 pence per kilowatt hour, the overnight rate would be 15 pence and the evening peak rate would be 35 pence. These figures are only an example. Customers must use the actual rates shown in their EDF offer.
Empower Fixed is a twelve month fixed tariff. Both the contract period and the unit prices are fixed. If the Ofgem price cap or EDF Standard Variable prices rise during the contract, the Empower rates do not normally increase. If general electricity prices fall, the customer continues paying the agreed Empower prices until the tariff ends or they leave. There is no exit fee. A household can move to another EDF tariff or switch supplier without paying a tariff cancellation charge. This provides more flexibility than many conventional fixed tariffs, particularly for customers who are still learning how their solar and battery system performs across the year. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/solar/solar-tariffs)) The standing charge is included separately in the customer's quotation. Standard Empower Fixed does not include the zero standing charge benefit advertised with Empower Fixed Exclusive.
Empower Fixed is available to households that already have solar panels, battery storage, or both installed at their home. The equipment does not need to have been supplied by EDF or Contact Solar. This is the main difference between standard Empower Fixed and Empower Fixed Exclusive. A customer purchasing new solar panels or a battery through EDF after 2 March 2026 may qualify for Empower Fixed Exclusive instead. That version includes no standing charge for twelve months and may be paired with EDF's higher exclusive export tariff. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/solar/solar-tariffs)) Someone who bought their solar panels or battery from another installer can apply for standard Empower Fixed, provided the other account and metering requirements are met. The property must be supplied with electricity by EDF. A customer moving from another supplier will normally need to join EDF Standard Variable first, establish MyAccount access and then apply for Empower Fixed.
A compatible smart electricity meter is essential. The customer must agree to half hourly meter readings and pay by Direct Debit. EDF uses the half hourly information to determine how much electricity was consumed during the overnight, standard and peak periods. The meter must continue communicating with EDF. If communication is lost and EDF cannot retrieve the required readings, the company may be unable to keep the property on Empower Fixed. The account can then be moved to EDF's single rate Standard Variable tariff. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/eligibilityandfeatures?tab=battery-solar-heat-pump-tariffs)) Customers should not rely entirely on the smart meter in home display for cost information. Some displays do not show advanced time based tariff prices correctly, even when the underlying consumption readings remain accurate. The EDF bill, MyAccount and Energy Hub should provide the more reliable record of electricity use and cost.
The three hour overnight period is primarily designed to allow a household battery to charge from the grid at a reduced price. A battery with a maximum charge rate of 3.6 kilowatts could theoretically draw up to 10.8 kilowatt hours between 1am and 4am. A system charging at 5 kilowatts could draw up to 15 kilowatt hours during the same period. The amount actually stored will depend on the battery's remaining capacity, inverter power, operating limits and conversion losses. A battery should not always be filled completely overnight. On a sunny morning, leaving some unused capacity allows the system to store solar generation that would otherwise be exported. During winter, overnight charging may be more useful because solar production is lower and household electricity demand is normally higher. The battery schedule should therefore respond to expected solar generation, household consumption and the required reserve rather than following the same setting throughout the year.
Electricity imported between 4pm and 7pm costs 10 pence per kilowatt hour more than the standard Empower rate. This period often includes cooking, lighting, entertainment, heating and other household demand. Solar production may also be declining, particularly during autumn and winter. The battery can reduce exposure to the peak rate by supplying the home during these three hours. Battery capacity and discharge power both matter. A large battery with a low inverter output may be unable to support several high power appliances at once. A smaller battery may provide enough power but run empty before 7pm. For example, a household using an average of 2 kilowatts between 4pm and 7pm would require approximately 6 kilowatt hours of usable stored energy to avoid all grid imports during the peak. A battery with 5 kilowatt hours of usable energy could cover most, but not all, of that demand. The household would still import some electricity at the higher rate unless consumption was reduced. The aim should be to avoid unnecessary peak imports without compromising safety, comfort or essential household activity.
EDF markets Empower Fixed for customers with solar panels, battery storage, or both. A battery is therefore not necessarily required to apply. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/solar/solar-tariffs)) However, a solar only household may find it more difficult to benefit fully from the tariff structure. Solar panels can reduce imports during daylight hours, especially from spring to early autumn. They may also supply part of the home's demand during the beginning of the evening peak on bright summer days. During winter, solar production may be low or finished before the peak period ends. Without a battery, the household may need to import electricity at the higher rate from 4pm to 7pm. The overnight discount is also less useful without storage unless the household has other flexible loads such as an electric vehicle, immersion heater or timed appliances. Solar only customers should compare Empower Fixed with EDF Standard Variable, Simply Fixed, FreePhase and any suitable electric vehicle tariff before switching.
The discounted overnight rate applies to all household electricity, so an electric vehicle can be charged between 1am and 4am. A 7 kilowatt charger operating throughout the full three hour period can draw approximately 21 kilowatt hours before charging losses. At 90 per cent efficiency, around 18.9 kilowatt hours may reach the vehicle battery. A car achieving 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour could gain roughly 66 miles of driving range. This may be enough for ordinary daily travel, but the three hour window is much shorter than EDF GoElectric's seven hour period from 11pm until 6am. A household with a large electric vehicle battery, high annual mileage or more than one vehicle may obtain greater savings through GoElectric. A solar and battery household with moderate vehicle charging may still prefer Empower because of its dedicated battery structure and peak avoidance incentives. The comparison should include every household load rather than considering the car separately.
Battery charging and discharging are not perfectly efficient. A battery with 90 per cent round trip efficiency returns approximately 9 kilowatt hours for every 10 kilowatt hours placed into it. If 10 kilowatt hours are bought during the discounted period, the household may receive only 9 kilowatt hours for later use. The effective cost of each usable unit is therefore higher than the advertised overnight rate. Battery cycling also contributes to gradual degradation. Modern home batteries are designed for regular operation, but warranties can include limits on years, cycles, total energy throughput or retained capacity. The difference between the overnight and peak rates is 20 pence per kilowatt hour before losses. This provides a meaningful opportunity to shift electricity, but the calculation should still account for efficiency and battery wear.
Empower Fixed is an electricity import tariff. It determines what the household pays when drawing electricity from the grid. It does not determine how much EDF pays for surplus solar electricity exported from the property. Export income requires a separate Smart Export Guarantee tariff. EDF currently offers Export 12m at 15 pence per kilowatt hour for qualifying customers. Customers purchasing new solar panels, a battery, or both through EDF may instead qualify for Export Exclusive 12m V3 at 18 pence per kilowatt hour. Both products have separate eligibility requirements. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy-efficiency/smart-export-tariff)) A household using standard Empower Fixed should not assume that it automatically receives the exclusive 18 pence rate. Import costs and export income must be assessed together. Exporting a unit for 15 pence may be less valuable than using it inside the home to avoid buying electricity at the standard or peak import price. The battery should normally prioritise household demand where the avoided import cost is greater than the export payment.
The two tariffs use a similar three period structure. Both provide an overnight discount from 1am until 4am. Both add a premium between 4pm and 7pm. Both fix prices for twelve months. Both currently have no exit fee. The key difference is eligibility and standing charges. Empower Fixed is for households that already own solar panels, a battery, or both. The equipment can have been supplied by another installer. Empower Fixed Exclusive is available after a qualifying solar or battery purchase through EDF or Contact Solar. It includes a zero standing charge for twelve months and access to EDF's exclusive export arrangement, subject to the separate export rules. ([edfenergy.com](https://www.edfenergy.com/solar/solar-tariffs)) Standard Empower Fixed is therefore the more accessible product for existing solar and battery owners, while the Exclusive tariff provides additional benefits in return for purchasing equipment through EDF.
Empower Fixed is likely to suit households that already have battery storage and can use it to avoid imports between 4pm and 7pm. It may work particularly well where the battery can charge from solar during the day, top up from the grid between 1am and 4am when necessary and retain enough energy for the evening peak. The tariff may be less suitable for homes with heavy evening electricity demand that exceeds the battery's capacity or discharge power. It may also be less attractive to electric vehicle owners who need more than three hours of overnight charging, solar only homes with no way to shift energy into the peak and customers whose battery cannot be programmed around time based prices. A proper comparison should divide annual grid imports between the overnight, standard and peak periods. Each portion should be multiplied by the corresponding quoted rate before adding the annual standing charge. Solar self consumption, battery losses and export income should then be included. EDF Empower Fixed offers existing solar and battery owners a predictable way to buy cheaper overnight electricity and reduce peak imports. Its value depends much more on battery operation and household timing than on the headline 10 pence discount alone.
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