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Outgoing Octopus is a smart export tariff that pays households for electricity sent to the grid from solar panels or another eligible renewable system. It offers a simple flat payment for many solar homes. The tariff currently pays 12 pence per kilowatt hour. This guide was checked on 10 July 2026.
Electricity generated at home is used inside the property first. When production exceeds demand, the surplus passes through the meter and enters the local network. Octopus measures that exported energy and credits the account at the Outgoing Octopus rate. The payment is based on metered export. A home exporting 2,000 kilowatt hours over a year at 12 pence per kilowatt hour would receive ยฃ240, provided every unit qualified. Outgoing Octopus is an export tariff only. It sits beside a separate import tariff, which determines what the household pays when drawing electricity from the grid. Import costs and export earnings need to be considered together.
Outgoing Octopus pays a flat 12 pence for every eligible kilowatt hour exported, regardless of the time. The rate changed from 15 pence to 12 pence on 1 March 2026. Octopus explains that wholesale electricity prices had fallen from the levels seen after the energy market disruption of 2022. Import prices also include policy, network and other costs not returned through export payments. The tariff is variable, so the 12 pence rate is not guaranteed for a fixed period. Octopus can change it, but says customers will receive notice before a revised rate takes effect.
The main attraction is predictability. Solar generation can be exported whenever available without checking half hourly prices or reserving battery energy for a particular period. That simplicity is useful for homes without battery storage. Solar panels often produce their greatest surplus around midday, when demand is modest. Outgoing Octopus pays the same rate for those units as for evening exports. A battery owner can also use the tariff, but should compare it with products that reward export between 4pm and 7pm. Storing energy creates losses and contributes to battery cycling, so a higher evening rate does not always produce a better result.
The applicant must be a domestic customer with an eligible generation system capable of exporting electricity. Accepted technologies include solar photovoltaic panels, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro combined heat and power. A compatible smart meter and dedicated export Meter Point Administration Number are required. The customer must consent to half hourly readings so Octopus can measure exported electricity. Octopus normally needs to be the property's electricity import supplier. A household wanting Octopus to manage export while buying electricity elsewhere can examine the Octopus Smart Export Guarantee, although its payment rate is lower.
New Octopus customers generally establish their import account before applying. Octopus then checks the documents and asks the local distribution network operator to create an export Meter Point Administration Number where one does not exist. Octopus describes its initial processing stage as taking about two days. Creation of the export number can take between one and four weeks. Enrolment onto the Octopus system may then take around five days. Missing documents, meter communication problems or network delays can extend the process. Payments cannot begin until the export supply is enrolled and Octopus receives usable meter data.
Most applicants provide an MCS or Flexi Orb certificate confirming that the renewable installation followed an approved certification route. They may also need evidence that the local network operator accepted the system. Octopus offers another route for installations without MCS or Flexi Orb certification. It currently asks for an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Building Regulations Certificate of Compliance where applicable, and a distribution network acceptance letter. Octopus charges ยฃ250 for this assessment. In Scotland, the Building Regulations certificate listed for this route is not required. Owners should still ensure that the system is safe, correctly notified and authorised to export.
Households receiving historic Feed in Tariff generation payments can usually keep the generation element. They cannot receive both a deemed Feed in Tariff export payment and Outgoing Octopus payment for the same electricity. Joining requires the old export payment to stop. Where another supplier administers the Feed in Tariff, the customer should coordinate the change because a gap can arise between the old payment ending and the new export account starting.
Outgoing Octopus works with many Octopus import products, including Flexible Octopus, fixed tariffs, Octopus Go, Intelligent Octopus Go, Cosy Octopus and Snug Octopus. It can also be used with Intelligent Drive Pack. It cannot be added to a combined import and export product such as Octopus Flux or Intelligent Octopus Flux, because those tariffs include their own export arrangement. Compatibility should be checked whenever the import tariff changes.
Export credits normally appear alongside import charges on the monthly account. When earnings exceed import charges, the balance becomes account credit. Customers with current meter readings can request a cash refund online. Octopus pays only for eligible renewable export. Electricity from a standby generator, unsupported technology or another source that does not meet the rules may not qualify. The same exported unit cannot also attract payment from another tariff.
Outgoing Octopus suits households that value a simple flat rate and do not want to manage export schedules. It can be attractive for solar homes without batteries and electric vehicle owners combining export payments with a specialist import tariff. The right comparison uses annual export, import costs, standing charges and the value gained by using solar electricity inside the home. Self consumption often avoids buying a unit at a higher import price, making it more valuable than exporting that unit for 12 pence. Outgoing Octopus offers clarity rather than complex optimisation. Its value depends on reliable metering, suitable certification and a comparison of the complete household energy arrangement.
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