The Best Electricity Tariffs for your Renewable Energy Home
There are so many home electricity tariffs on offer nowadays, it’s hard to see the wood for the trees.
If you have solar panels, battery storage, an electric car – maybe even a heat pump – what’s the best electricity tariff to be on that will save you the most money?
Do you have to remain with your current energy supplier, or can you switch? Can you have different tariffs from more than one supplier at the same time?
Read our handy tariff guide to demystify this confusing area.
by David Lewis | first published 23 February 2024 | last updated 2 December 2025
UNDERSTANDING HOME RENEWABLE ENERGY TARIFFS
Introduction
In this section, we are going to cover the type of electricity tariffs that are relevant for each of the four home energy technologies below. Further down the guide we will compare and contrast the best tariffs currently available in the market.
THE BEST EV TARIFF
THE BEST ELECTRIC VEHICLE TARIFFS TO CONSIDER
Here is a table of the EV tariffs that offer the best rates at time of writing:
SUPPLIER | TARIFF NAME | OFF-PEAK RATE PER KWH | OFF-PEAK CHARGING HOURS | PEAK RATE PER KWH | STANDING CHARGE |
E.ON Next | Next Drive Smart | 6.5p | 6 hours, from 00:00 to 06:00 | 29.6p | 60p |
So Energy | So EV | 6.5p | 5 hours, from 00:00 to 05:00 | 29.29p | 53.51p |
Good Energy | EV Charge | 6.6p | 5 hours, from 00:00 to 05:00 | 30.31p | 53.11p |
Octopus Energy | Intelligent Octopus Go | 7p | 6 hours, from 23:30 to 05:30 | 30.92p | 43.82p |
Scottish Power | EV Saver | 7.2p | 5 hours, from 00:00 to 05:00 | 28.91p | 51.81p |
E.ON Next | Next Drive | 7.5p | 6 hours, from 00:00 to 06:00 | 29.6p | 60p |
Octopus Energy | Octopus Go | 8.5p | 5 hours, from 00:30 to 05:30 | 30.92p | 43.82p |
EDF Energy | Go Electric | 8.99p | 5 hours, from 00:00 to 05:00 | 25.96p | 63.18p |
British Gas | EV Power | 9p | 5 hours, from 00:00 to 05:00 | 30.92p | 51.12p |
OVO Energy | Charge Anytime | 14p | 24 hours a day | 26.35p | 53.68p |
FLAT RATE MONTHLY TARIFFS
A new type of EV tariff has emerged in recent months: the flat rate monthly subscription.
These tariffs have been designed for people who like to know exactly where they stand and to avoid any unexpected costs.
Octopus Energy and OVO Energy are the main suppliers, as follows:
- Octopus Energy > Intelligent Drive Pack > £30 a month
- OVO Energy > Charge Anytime – Standard > £27.50 a month > Up to 8,000 miles a year
- OVO Energy > Charge Anytime – Premium > £37.50 a month > Up to 12,000 miles a year
- OVO Energy > Charge Anytime – Standard Plus > £59.50 a month > Up to 16,000 miles a year
- OVO Energy > Charge Anytime – Premium Plus > £79.50 a month > Up to 24,000 miles a year
THE BEST HEAT PUMP TARIFF
GOOD ENERGY
Good Energy offers their Heat Pump tariff with two off-peak periods – equalling 7 hours of low-cost rates in total – as follows:
So, as long as you programme your heat pump to come on between 5am and 9am – or 1pm to 4pm – you only pay 13p per kWh.
Outside of those times, the unit rate is about 30.08p per kWh.
The eligibility criteria are generous; any heat pump will work. The standing charge is roughly 60p per day, depending on where you live.
SCOTTISH POWER
Scottish Power’s dedicated heat pump tariff is called Heat Pump Saver:
Rather than two or more off-peak periods for your heat pump, Scottish Power has just one 5-hour slot from 11am to 4pm. Their rate is 14p per kWh.
Outside of those hours, you get charged a day rate of about 29.59p per kWh.
The tariff is compatible with any heat pump. The standing charge is about 51.81p per day.
OCTOPUS ENERGY
Octopus has a dedicated heat pump tariff called Cosy Octopus. The tariff has 3 different rates, so it’s a bit confusing, but this table breaks it all down:
So effectively you get three low-rate, 14.02p per kWh ‘Cosy’ periods during the day.
The standard rate of 28.59p is fine, but the peak rate at 42.89p is very high. The 4pm to 7pm period is when you are likely to be using quite a bit of electricity in the home, so you need to be aware of this high rate and how it will impact your bills.
The rates in the table above are approximate and will vary depending on where you live. The standing charge is about 43.82p per day.
To be eligible for Cosy Octopus, you need a smart meter and a heat pump (air or ground source) or an electric boiler.
EDF ENERGY
EDF’s dedicated heat pump tariff is called Heat Pump Tracker and also has two off-peak periods – totalling 6 hours of low-cost rates – as follows:
With this tariff, you should programme your heat pump to run principally between 4am and 7am and 1pm to 4pm.
The rate system is a bit confusing. The rate you pay is 10p per kWh less than the standard rate in your area. This will work out roughly as 16.35p per kWh.
Outside of those times, the unit rate will be about 26.35p per kWh.
You can get this tariff whatever model of heat pump you have. The standing charge is about 53.68p per day.
EDF Heat Pump and Save Tracker
There is another version of this tariff for people who buy their heat pump through EDF.
The main difference is that you pay no standing charges if you sign up to the tariff, having first got EDF to install your heat pump.
E.ON NEXT
E.ON Next has a dedicated heat pump tariff called Next Pumped. Here are the average charging periods and rates:
There are four different periods, with the greatest savings available in the off-peak period from 10pm to 6am.
You need to avoid the expensive peak 4pm to 7pm period as much as possible.
Eligibility criteria are straightforward – basically, you can have any type of heat pump (or electric boiler) you like, and you need a smart meter. The standing charge is in the region of 49p per kWh.
THE BEST SOLAR EXPORT TARIFF
THE SMART EXPORT GUARANTEE
The government has set up a scheme with energy suppliers called the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Under this scheme you get paid for exporting solar electricity to the grid.
However, the rate at which you get paid for this exported energy varies considerably from supplier to supplier. Here are some of the best solar export tariffs currently available:
There are other SEG tariffs available, but many of them force you to get renewable energy equipment installed by the supplier in order to secure the rate. We don’t think that’s fair, and you will often be over-paying for the renewable technology just to get on the tariff.
There are also Octopus Flux tariffs – see below – which come with export payments. These are complex tariffs and require battery storage, so we include them in our Best Battery Storage Tariff section below.
THE BEST BATTERY STORAGE TARIFF
Tariffs with Off-Peak Rates
Most tariffs that have an off-peak rate, during a specific time-slot, are ideal for battery storage charging.
- For example, an electric vehicle tariff like Intelligent Octopus Go – which gives you an off-peak rate of 7p per kWh from 11:30pm to 5:30am – allows you to programme your battery to charge up at 7p per kWh during those low-rate hours, as well as your car. But you can only get Intelligent Octopus Go if you have an EV.
- Alternatively, if you have a dedicated heat pump tariff, e.g. from Good Energy, you can charge your battery at 13p per kWh from 1pm to 4pm and/or from 5am to 9am. These off-peak slots can also be used to charge your battery. But, again, you need to have a heat pump to secure this tariff.
So, if you have either an electric vehicle or a heat pump, or both, look first at the tariffs listed higher up in this guide in the ‘Best EV Tariff’ and ‘Best Heat Pump Tariff’ sections. Nearly all of these tariffs will give you cheap-rate slots to charge your battery as well.
OCTOPUS FLUX
Octopus’ ‘Flux’ range of tariffs are not easy to wrap your head around. This is how Octopus describe their standard Octopus Flux tariff:
An import and export tariff optimised to give you the best rates for consuming and selling your energy and support the grid during peak periods.
To get on the tariff, you need to have solar panels and battery storage – any makes will do.
There are three rates and time slots for importing electricity, and three rates and time slots for exporting electricity, as laid out in this table (exact rates depend on your postcode):
So, what do you do in practice?
- You need to programme your battery to charge in the 3-hour slot between 2am and 5am. It will fill up with electricity at roughly 16.34p per kWh.
- Then, you programme your battery to discharge between 4pm and 7pm, and you’ll be paid 29p for every kWh exported.
The reason you should discharge your battery between 4pm and 7pm is that you don’t want to import any electricity at that time, as Octopus will charge you a high rate of 38.14p per kWh.
Outside of the 2am to 5am and 4pm to 7pm slots, you pay 27.24p for any electricity imported and get paid 10.08p for any electricity exported.
To summarise in simple terms: the Octopus Flux tariff is allowing you to import at a cost of 16.34p between 2am and 5am, and export for a reward of 29p between 4pm and 7pm, thereby making a profit of about 12p per kWh.
INTELLIGENT OCTOPUS FLUX
The ‘Intelligent’ version of Octopus Flux works slightly differently.
First, there is no cheap, off-peak battery charging window: you pay about 22.48p per kWh to charge your battery at any time of the day – except from 4pm to 7pm when the charging rate is 29.97p.
Second, you still get a generous export rate of 29.97p between 4pm to 7pm, but get a very high export rate of around 22.48p per kWh outside of those hours. By contrast, on standard Octopus Flux, the non-peak export rate was 10.08p per kWh.
Third, to be eligible for Intelligent Octopus Flux, you must have a compatible battery from one of the following manufacturers:
Who is Intelligent Octopus Flux suitable for?
The Intelligent Octopus Flux tariff is a smart, import-export plan tailored for homeowners with solar panels and compatible battery storage, allowing automated optimisation of charging during low-cost periods, and discharging during the peak 4pm to 7pm window.
This setup benefits eco-conscious households with moderate to high electricity use, potentially yielding up to £300 in annual profits or more (e.g. £1,019 average including £830 exports for a 4.6 kWp solar system and 5.2 kWh battery), as Octopus handles scheduling via the app for seamless billing without manual intervention.
However, if you have a heat pump too, it may reduce advantages, as variable off-peak times might not suit consistent daytime heating needs, favouring tariffs like Cosy Octopus instead.
Electric vehicle owners face limitations, too, with the tariff restricting to one smart device per home, blocking EV integration and making Intelligent Octopus Go preferable for overnight charging.
Ultimately, it suits solar-battery focused users, prioritising grid-balancing automation over multi-tech flexibility.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Trying to work out which is the best electricity tariff for a home with renewable energy systems installed is a real minefield.
Some tariffs are perfect for one technology, but don’t suit another. Others force you to buy technology from the supplier to get the better rate, but then you will probably end up over-paying for the equipment itself.
We hope the guide above can give you some pointers with respect to key areas to consider for each technology. For a full audit of your current set-up – and future plans – together with tariff recommendations, please get in touch with our Energy Team.
