🔌 What Is Octopus Flux?

Octopus Flux is a smart import/export electricity tariff from Octopus Energy designed for homes with solar panels and a battery.
It gives you time-based pricing, meaning you can charge your battery when electricity is cheapest and export to the grid when prices peak, increasing savings or export earnings.

Typically Flux has:         

• Super-cheap import rates overnight (e.g., ~02:00–05:00)

• Peak export windows later in the day (e.g., ~16:00–19:00)

• Daytime rates between the two
  This structure lets battery owners “buy low, sell high.” Octopus Energy

Flux requires:

• Solar panels

• A compatible battery, See below

• A smart meter with half-hourly readings
  to accurately measure imports and exports. Octopus Energy

• If you do not have one you can ask for it to be supplied.

🤖 Manual vs Automatic: Flux vs Intelligent Octopus Flux

🔹 Octopus Flux (Manual)

• You decide when the battery charges/discharges.

• You manually set schedules in your inverter or battery app based on tariff timings.

• Works with many battery brands (Tesla Powerwall, GivEnergy, SolarEdge etc.). Heatable

This setup is great if you’re comfortable optimising schedules yourself to match price windows.

🔹 Intelligent Octopus Flux (Automatic)

This is Octopus’s hands-free version of Flux:

• Octopus takes control of your battery’s charge and discharge cycles.

• It uses real-time price data and automated algorithms to optimise import, export and battery use without you manually scheduling anything. Octopus Energy+1

Benefits:
✅ No need to fiddle with schedules
✅ Works around solar generation, low-price periods, and high-price export windows
✅ May maximise savings and export earnings

⚡ Compatibility & Integrations

🔋 Tesla Powerwall

• Tesla Powerwall is supported on Octopus’s smart tariffs including Intelligent Flux.

• You can connect your Powerwall to the Octopus Energy app to join Intelligent Flux.

• Once connected, Octopus takes over battery optimisation to align with tariff pricing. Octopus Energy

Note: When fully connected under Intelligent Flux, you won’t control the battery from the Tesla app — Octopus manages it instead (you can disconnect later if you want). Octopus Energy

🔋 GivEnergy

• GivEnergy has a direct API integration with Octopus’s pricing platform.

• With Intelligent Octopus Flux, GivEnergy systems automatically charge/discharge to take advantage of pricing without manual scheduling. GivEnergy+1

This seamless link means the tariff basically works “out of the box” with GivEnergy batteries — no extra software needed.     

🔋 Sunsynk

• Sunsynk supports Octopus Flux pricing via its Sunsynk Connect platform.

• You can select Flux live prices inside the Sunsynk dashboard and set state-of-charge (SOC) import/export targets accordingly. Sunsynk

⚠️ The integration is noted as beta, and some features (like home load visibility during export) might not be fully refined yet. Sunsynk

For full automation, some people also use Home Assistant or similar automation platforms to integrate Sunsynk with Flux pricing and control

charge/discharge schedules automatically. YouTube

🧠 How Automation Works in Practice

Here’s the big picture:

🔹 With Manual Flux

1. Overnight (cheap) — Charge battery from grid

2. Daytime — Use solar first, then charge battery or export surplus

3. Evening peak — Discharge battery to home or export to the grid

4. Repeat daily manually or via scheduler Octopus Energy

This works well but needs a schedule configured.

🔹 With Intelligent Flux (Auto)                 

1. Octopus algorithm watches wholesale prices and forecast data

2. It charges battery:

   • From solar during excess generation

   • Or cheap grid if needed to prepare for peak

3. It discharges:

   • During high-price export windows

   • Or to supply your home when that’s cheapest overall

4. You sit back — Octopus automatically handles charge/discharge timing. Octopus Energy

No manual scheduling — Octopus effectively turns your battery into a “virtual grid participant” that balances your home and helps the national grid too.

📈 Summary: How It All Works Together