The best energy tariffs for solar in 2026 pair a good export rate with an import rate that fits your home. Export tariffs paid anything from 4.1p to 18p per kWh, so taking your supplier's default can cost a typical 4.4kW home over £200 a year. Add an EV and overnight rates of 6.49p to 9.5p become available; add a battery and time-of-use tariffs like Octopus Flux start to pay. All rates below were checked in September 2026 and change often, so treat them as a snapshot.
- 26.32p per kWh and 54.83p a day: the price cap from October to December 2026
- 4.1p to 18p per kWh: the spread of export rates on offer
- 6.49p to 9.5p per kWh: overnight rates on EV tariffs
- £208 a year: the gap between the lowest and highest export rate on 1,500kWh
Start with your setup
There is no single best tariff, because the right choice depends on what you have. This is how we would narrow it down for a home in England.
| Your home | Import tariff to look at | Export tariff to look at | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar only, out most of the day | Your supplier's standard or fixed tariff | The highest flat export rate you can pair with it | You export most of what you generate, so the export rate matters most |
| Solar and a battery | Octopus Flux or Intelligent Octopus Flux, or a cheap overnight tariff | Flux includes export; otherwise a flat or peak-time export rate | The battery can buy cheap, store solar and sell or use it at the evening peak |
| Solar and an EV | Intelligent Octopus Go, E.ON Next Drive, EDF or British Gas EV tariffs | A flat export rate that can pair with it | Overnight charging at 6.49p to 9.5p beats almost any solar maths |
| Solar and a heat pump | Cosy Octopus | A flat export rate that can pair with it | Cheap heating windows through the day, with a peak to avoid |
| Solar, battery and EV | An EV tariff with a long cheap window | A flat export rate | The battery fills overnight too, so the whole house runs on cheap power into the evening |
Export tariffs compared
These are the main export options for homes in England. Most of the higher rates need you to import from the same supplier. Rates checked September 2026; figures for suppliers other than Octopus are from a comparison dated 29 June 2026, linked below.
| Supplier and tariff | Export rate | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| EDF Export Exclusive 12m | 18p | EDF electricity customer |
| EDF Export 12m | 15p | EDF electricity customer |
| British Gas Export and Earn Plus | 15.1p | British Gas customer |
| Good Energy Solar Savings | 15p | Good Energy customer |
| Octopus Prime Outgoing | 16p from 4pm to 7pm, 9p at other times | Octopus customer, 12-month fixed |
| Outgoing Octopus | 12p | Octopus customer, variable |
| Agile Outgoing Octopus | Half-hourly, tracks wholesale prices | Octopus customer, suits batteries |
| ScottishPower SmartGen | 6p | No supplier requirement |
| Octopus Smart Export Guarantee | 4.1p | MCS or Flexi-Orb certificate and a smart meter |
Outgoing Octopus fell from 15p to 12p on 1 March 2026, which shows how quickly these rates move. Some suppliers also run higher rates only for systems they installed themselves, such as E.ON Next Export Premium at 17.5p. Our Smart Export Guarantee guide explains how export payments work.
Import tariffs that suit solar homes
EV tariffs
- Intelligent Octopus Go: 8p per kWh from 1 October 2026 (8.4p before), with at least six cheap hours from 11:30pm to 5:30am for the whole house. Needs a compatible car or charger.
- E.ON Next Drive Smart: 8.5p from midnight to 6am, with no exit fees. Needs a supported car or charger and a smart meter.
- EDF EV tariffs: from 6.49p, with off-peak extended to 11pm to 6am from April 2026.
- British Gas EV tariff: 9.5p from midnight to 5am.
- Octopus Go: cheap rate from 12:30am to 5:30am; currently offered on fixed rates only, with a £50 exit fee.
The day rates on these tariffs can sit above the price cap rate; E.ON Next Drive Smart charged 32.363p outside its cheap window. With solar covering part of the day, that matters less than it would for a home without panels.
Battery tariffs
Octopus Flux is built for solar and battery homes. It has three periods: cheap import from 2am to 5am, a standard day rate, and a peak from 4pm to 7pm when both import and export prices are highest. You need solar, a battery, a smart meter and both your import and export with Octopus. You set the battery schedule yourself. Rates vary by region, so check your postcode.
Intelligent Octopus Flux works on the same idea but Octopus controls the battery for you. As of July 2026 compatible brands included AlphaESS, Enphase, Fox ESS, GivEnergy, Sigenergy, SolarEdge and Tesla, among others. See our best solar batteries comparison for how those batteries differ.
Heat pump tariffs
Cosy Octopus has three cheaper windows (4am to 7am, 1pm to 4pm and 10pm to midnight) and a 4pm to 7pm peak. National average rates in September 2026 were about 15.2p cheap, 31p standard and 46.5p peak. The 1pm to 4pm window pairs neatly with solar in spring and autumn.
Worked example 1: what the export rate is worth
Take a 4.4kW system with a 5.8kWh battery in Birmingham, where a south-facing roof produces about 972kWh per kWp a year.
- Yearly generation: 4.4 x 972 = about 4,277kWh.
- With the battery, assume the household uses 65% of that and exports 35%: 4,277 x 0.35 = about 1,497kWh exported.
- At 4.1p: 1,497 x £0.041 = £61.
- At 12p: 1,497 x £0.12 = £180.
- At 15.1p: 1,497 x £0.151 = £226.
- At 18p: 1,497 x £0.18 = £269.
Moving from the lowest to the highest rate is worth about £208 a year on the same panels. Without a battery you would export more, perhaps 60% of generation, and the gap grows past £350. That is why the export tariff is the first thing to fix after installation.
Worked example 2: is a peak-time export tariff better?
Prime Outgoing pays 16p between 4pm and 7pm and 9p at other times, against 12p flat on Outgoing Octopus. Which wins depends on what share of your export you can push into the evening window. Call that share x:
- Break-even is where 16x + 9(1 minus x) = 12, so 7x = 3 and x is about 43%.
- If your battery can time 43% or more of your exports into 4pm to 7pm, Prime pays more. Below that, the flat 12p wins.
- Example: 600kWh of the 1,497kWh at peak is 40%. That earns 600 x 16p + 897 x 9p = £96 + £80.73 = £176.73, slightly less than £179.64 on the flat rate.
Most solar-only homes export at midday, so a flat rate usually suits them better. A large battery that is set to discharge in the evening can tip it the other way.
Compare the whole bill: a high export rate tied to an expensive import tariff can leave you worse off. Add up import cost, standing charge and export income for a year on each option before you switch.
Before you switch: the practical checklist
- Smart meter. You need one sending half-hourly readings. Suppliers fit them free.
- Export meter number. Your supplier registers an export MPAN; some do this for you as part of the sign-up.
- MCS certificate. Needed for export payments. See MCS certification explained.
- Pairing rules. Check the import and export tariffs you want can be combined.
- Exit fees and fixed terms. Octopus Go currently carries a £50 exit fee; many export tariffs are variable and can drop at short notice.
- Timing. Allow a couple of weeks for a new tariff to go live, longer if a smart meter has to be fitted.
We register every system with the network operator and help you set up export payments as part of the installation. If you are still sizing a system, the solar savings calculator uses these tariffs to show likely returns, and our solar and battery packages page shows prices from £9,295 for 4.4kW with a 5.8kWh battery.
Honest caveats
- Every rate here can change. The price cap moves each quarter and suppliers change export rates with little notice.
- Regional differences are real. Time-of-use rates in particular vary by postcode.
- The self-use percentages in the worked examples are assumptions for illustration. Your real split depends on when you are home and how big your battery is.
Sources (rates checked September 2026): Ofgem price cap; Outgoing Octopus, Prime and Agile Outgoing; Octopus Smart Export Guarantee; Intelligent Octopus Go; Octopus Go; Octopus Flux; Cosy Octopus with national averages from Agile Buddy (Octopus API data); E.ON Next Drive Smart; EDF EV tariffs; British Gas EV tariff. Other suppliers' export rates and the Outgoing Octopus change, Heatable SEG comparison (29 June 2026) and Heatable Octopus tariffs guide. Intelligent Octopus Flux batteries, Sunsave (1 July 2026).
