Octopus Agile Outgoing is one of the more unusual export tariffs available to UK solar households. Instead of paying you a flat rate for every unit you send back to the grid, it tracks wholesale electricity prices in 30-minute slots across the day. That makes it potentially lucrative for the right kind of household, and a poor fit for others. This page explains how it works, who it suits, and how it compares to the rest of the Octopus export line-up in 2026.
What is Octopus Outgoing Agile?
Octopus Agile Outgoing (sometimes written as Outgoing Agile Octopus) is a variable export tariff. Octopus pays you for electricity your home sends back to the grid, typically from solar panels, and the rate you get changes every half hour based on the wholesale electricity market.
It is one of several Octopus export options. The others are the fixed Outgoing Octopus tariff (now 12p/kWh as of March 2026), a basic Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) rate, and the legacy Octopus Flux and Intelligent Octopus Flux tariffs, which closed to new customers in March 2026. Of the options still open to new sign-ups, Agile Outgoing is by far the most variable.
A smart meter is required so Octopus can read your half-hourly export data remotely. Without one, this tariff isn’t available.
How does Octopus Agile Outgoing work?
There are 48 half-hour slots in a day, and Agile Outgoing sets a different export rate for each one. The rates are derived from the wholesale day-ahead electricity market, with adjustments for transmission, balancing costs and Octopus’s own margin.
Tomorrow’s 48 prices are published the day before, typically around 4pm (occasionally a little later). Once published, they’re locked in for the following day. You can view them in the Octopus Energy app, pull them through the public Octopus API, or use a third-party tool like Octoprice or Energy-Stats UK.
Why do rates move so much across a day? Wholesale electricity is more expensive when demand is high relative to supply, and cheaper when there is plenty of generation and not much demand. In practice, that means:
- Rates often peak between 4pm and 7pm, when households come home, switch on lights, ovens and heating, and solar generation is dropping off.
- Rates tend to dip in the middle of the day, when solar output across the country is high and the grid is awash with cheap renewable electricity.
- Overnight slots are usually low, sometimes very low.
Agile Outgoing has a hard floor of 0p/kWh. You will never be charged to export. There is no upper cap on the export side, so during tight evening peaks the rate can occasionally climb well above the fixed 12p tariff. Over the 12 months to April 2026, Octopus’s own data shows Outgoing Agile averaged around 9.4p/kWh, with peaks above 30p in some half-hours and a fair amount of time spent in single digits.
Current Octopus Agile Outgoing rates
Because rates change 48 times a day and vary slightly by region, there is no single “current rate” to quote. Visit our Octopus Agile Outgoing Dashboard to see today’s and tomorrow’s export prices, along with historical pricing data.
Average rates over the last 12 months have sat in the high single digits per kWh, but that figure hides a lot of variation. A household with a battery exporting only into the best slots will earn well above the average. A solar-only household exporting whatever the panels happen to produce will typically earn below it.
Who is Octopus Agile Outgoing good for?
In practice, Agile Outgoing rewards households that can choose when to export. The clearest fit is a solar plus battery setup where the battery is large enough to soak up daytime generation and discharge it into the evening peak.
It also suits:
- Households with home automation, Home Assistant, or a battery management system that can act on tomorrow’s published prices.
- Larger systems where surplus generation comfortably exceeds self-consumption, and exports are a meaningful part of the financial picture.
- Existing Agile import customers who already check tomorrow’s prices each afternoon and would happily do the same on the export side.
Who should avoid Octopus Agile Outgoing?
Agile Outgoing is not a good default choice for solar-only households. Without a battery, exports happen exactly when the panels are generating, which is typically in the middle of the day, when Agile Outgoing rates are at their weakest. You’d be exporting into low-rate slots and missing the evening peaks entirely. The fixed Outgoing Octopus rate at 12p will usually outperform it.
It’s also probably not the right fit for anyone who wants simple, set-and-forget export income, or who won’t actively manage or automate export timing. If that sounds like you, fixed Outgoing Octopus or a basic SEG tariff with another supplier will likely be a better experience.
Eligibility and how to switch
To sign up for Agile Outgoing you’ll typically need a SMETS2 smart meter (or upgraded SMETS1) capable of half-hourly export readings, solar panels (or another small-scale generator), an MCS or Flexi-Orb installation certificate, and an active Octopus Energy import account. As with fixed Outgoing Octopus, you generally need to be on an Octopus import tariff. If you import from another supplier, the basic SEG route at that supplier is usually your alternative.
There are no exit fees on any Octopus export tariff. Octopus does apply a 30-day rejoin restriction on its smart tariffs, so if you leave Agile Outgoing you can’t sign back up the next day. Switching is otherwise straightforward through the Octopus app or website.
Octopus Agile Outgoing vs other export options
Here’s how the three currently available export options stack up at a glance:
| Tariff | Pricing | How often it changes | Smart meter required | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus Agile Outgoing | Variable, half-hourly, tracks wholesale | Every 30 minutes (48 prices a day) | Yes | Solar + battery, active optimisers |
| Outgoing Octopus (fixed) | Flat 12p/kWh (as of March 2026) | Almost never. The previous change was September 2022 | Yes | Most solar households wanting simplicity |
| Smart Export Guarantee (basic SEG) | Flat, varies by supplier (often 4–8p) | Set by individual suppliers | Usually yes | Solar households not on Octopus import |
A note on the legacy Flux tariffs. Octopus Flux and Intelligent Octopus Flux were both closed to new customers in March 2026, with no direct replacement announced. Existing Flux customers can still use them. For everyone else, the realistic 2026 choice is between Agile Outgoing and fixed Outgoing Octopus.
FAQ
Do I need solar panels for Octopus Agile Outgoing?
In practice, yes. Agile Outgoing is designed for households exporting electricity to the grid, which almost always means solar PV, and you’ll need an MCS or Flexi-Orb installation certificate to register.
Do I need a battery to make Octopus Agile Outgoing worthwhile?
For most households, yes. Without a battery, your exports happen when the sun is shining, which usually maps to the lowest Agile Outgoing rates of the day. A battery lets you hold daytime generation back and release it into the higher-rate evening peak. Solar-only homes are usually better served by the fixed 12p Outgoing Octopus tariff.
Can I have Agile Outgoing without being an Octopus import customer?
Generally no. Agile Outgoing is offered to existing Octopus import customers. If you import from another supplier, your export option is normally a basic SEG tariff at that supplier. It’s worth checking current Octopus terms directly, as eligibility rules occasionally shift.
When are next-day Agile Outgoing rates published?
Tomorrow’s 48 half-hour rates are typically published around 4pm the day before, occasionally a bit later in the afternoon. Once published they are fixed for the following day.
What time of day does Agile Outgoing pay the most?
Most often during the 4–7pm evening peak, when national demand is highest. The morning peak from around 7–10am can also be reasonable. Middle-of-the-day and overnight slots are usually the weakest.
Is Agile Outgoing better than fixed Outgoing Octopus?
It depends on your setup. With a battery and the discipline (or automation) to schedule exports into peak slots, Agile Outgoing can comfortably beat 12p. Without a battery, fixed Outgoing Octopus tends to win, because solar-only exports land in low-rate slots.
Are there exit fees on Octopus Agile Outgoing?
No. None of Octopus’s export tariffs charge exit fees. You can switch between them or leave entirely without penalty, though the 30-day smart tariff rule may apply if you want to rejoin.
Can Agile Outgoing rates ever be negative?
No. Agile Outgoing has a floor of 0p/kWh. You will never be charged to export. The import side of Agile Octopus can go negative, but the export tariff cannot.