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Prime Outgoing Octopus is a smart export tariff for households that can move a large share of their electricity export into the early evening. It pays 16 pence per kilowatt hour between 4pm and 7pm and 9 pence per kilowatt hour during the rest of the day. The tariff is mainly aimed at homes with solar panels and battery storage. It provides a clear evening reward without asking the customer to follow forty eight changing prices every day. This guide was checked on 10 July 2026.
Prime Outgoing is an export tariff. It determines what Octopus pays for electricity leaving the property, while a separate import tariff determines what the household pays when drawing electricity from the grid. The smart meter records imports and exports separately. Solar electricity may be used in the home, stored in a battery or exported. Only the energy that crosses the meter into the public network receives an export payment. Prime uses two daily export rates. The higher rate applies from 4pm until 7pm. Every other period receives the lower rate. This is simpler than Agile Outgoing, where prices follow the day ahead wholesale market and change every thirty minutes.
Octopus currently pays 16 pence per kilowatt hour for export between 4pm and 7pm. Export during the remaining twenty one hours receives 9 pence per kilowatt hour. Prime Outgoing is a twelve month fixed term tariff with its rate formula locked for that term. There is no exit fee, so customers can leave before the term ends without paying a tariff cancellation charge. The export tariff has no separate daily standing charge. The household still pays the standing charge attached to its electricity import tariff.
Standard Outgoing Octopus currently pays a flat 12 pence per kilowatt hour at any time. Prime pays less for most of the day, but pays 4 pence more during the evening peak. This creates a useful break even point. If about 43 per cent of total exported electricity is sent between 4pm and 7pm, the average Prime payment is 12 pence per kilowatt hour. Above that proportion, Prime should earn more than flat Outgoing based on the published rates. Below it, the flat tariff may pay more. Suppose a home exports 2,000 kilowatt hours a year. If half is exported during the peak and half outside it, Prime would pay ยฃ250. Flat Outgoing would pay ยฃ240. If only 400 kilowatt hours were exported during the peak, Prime would pay ยฃ208. The flat tariff would still pay ยฃ240. Timing is therefore as important as total export.
Solar panels usually produce their largest surplus around the middle of the day. Without storage, much of that energy may reach the grid before 4pm and receive only 9 pence per kilowatt hour. A battery can store daytime solar generation and release it during the evening. The battery normally supplies the home first. Only electricity remaining after household demand is met passes to the grid. Scheduling needs care. Exporting too aggressively at 4pm can leave the property importing expensive electricity before 7pm. The household should retain enough stored energy to cover its own evening use before exporting the remainder. Battery losses and wear also matter. A battery never returns every unit placed into it, and repeated cycling contributes to degradation. The extra export income must justify the lost energy and additional cycling. A battery is not an official requirement for every Outgoing application, but Octopus presents Prime as being particularly suitable for solar households with battery storage that can shift export into the evening period.
Agile Outgoing follows half hourly day ahead wholesale prices. It can produce high payments during valuable periods, but rates vary and are uncapped. Customers need to monitor upcoming prices or automate their battery schedules. Prime replaces that uncertainty with two known rates. It may suit someone who wants to target the evening peak without following daily wholesale prices. Agile may reward a technically engaged household with flexible storage and good automation. Prime may suit people who prefer a repeatable daily schedule. The better option depends on actual export timing rather than the headline rate alone. Flat Outgoing remains the simpler alternative. Its 12 pence rate applies whenever electricity is exported, so the customer does not need to reserve battery capacity for a particular part of the day.
Applicants need to be Octopus Energy customers. A new customer normally joins on an import tariff first, then applies for an Outgoing export product after the account is established. The property needs a compatible smart meter that can provide half hourly export data. Octopus says this includes almost all second generation smart meters and most first generation models, although customers should obtain confirmation where compatibility is uncertain. An export Meter Point Administration Number is also required. This is a separate identity for exported electricity. Octopus can request one from the local distribution network operator when the property does not already have it. Octopus describes its own application processing as taking about two days. Creation of the export number can take between one and four weeks, followed by around five days for enrolment. Missing documents or meter communication problems can extend the process. Applicants will normally provide an MCS or equivalent certificate and evidence that the distribution network operator accepted the installation. Octopus also provides an alternative route for some installations without an MCS or Flexi Orb certificate. This requires an Electrical Installation Certificate, a network acceptance letter and, outside Scotland, a Building Regulations Certificate of Compliance.
Prime Outgoing can only be combined with eligible Octopus import tariffs. Standard import products are generally compatible, while combined import and export products such as Octopus Flux use their own export arrangement. Octopus advises customers to check its current compatibility table before changing either side of the account. This is important for homes with electric vehicles or heat pumps. The value of a cheap import window on Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus Go or Cosy Octopus may be greater than a small difference in export income. A proper comparison adds import charges, export credits and standing charges across a full year. Looking at the 16 pence rate in isolation can lead to the wrong decision. A household could earn slightly more from evening export but lose a much larger amount by moving away from an import tariff that suits its vehicle charging, heating or battery use.
Households receiving historic Feed in Tariff generation payments can usually retain the generation element. They cannot receive deemed Feed in Tariff export payments and Prime Outgoing payments for the same electricity. Joining normally requires the old export payment to stop. Octopus also notes that customers who began receiving Feed in Tariff payments within the previous twelve months may not yet be able to switch their export arrangement. Owners of older solar systems should compare deemed export with measured export before changing. Deemed export may remain valuable where actual exports are relatively low because much of the generated electricity is consumed inside the home. A change should not be made solely because Prime has a higher advertised peak rate. The customer needs to compare the annual payment under both arrangements and understand whether returning to the former export terms would be possible.
The correct comparison uses half hourly export records from a full year where available. Add all exports recorded between 4pm and 7pm, multiply them by 16 pence, then multiply the remaining exports by 9 pence. Compare that total with the same annual export multiplied by the flat Outgoing rate of 12 pence. This reveals whether the home already has a suitable export pattern. Battery owners should also examine the electricity needed to refill the battery. Charging from the grid and later exporting may look profitable when comparing only the import and export rates, but conversion losses reduce the amount returned. Solar electricity stored for evening use also has an alternative value. Using it inside the home can avoid buying electricity at the import rate. That saving may be worth more than exporting the same unit for 16 pence.
Prime Outgoing is best suited to a solar household with battery capacity, reliable evening scheduling and enough surplus energy to export after meeting its own needs. It offers a predictable peak payment without the daily attention required by Agile Outgoing. It is less suitable for homes without storage, properties that export mainly around midday, or households whose battery is normally depleted by evening demand. Flat Outgoing may be more rewarding in those cases. The key calculation is the percentage of annual export that can genuinely reach the grid between 4pm and 7pm. If that figure is comfortably above 43 per cent, Prime deserves close consideration. If it is below that level, the flat 12 pence tariff may provide better value with less battery cycling.
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