Is a home battery worth it on Intelligent Octopus Go?
Intelligent Octopus Go gives a very low rate from 23:30 to 05:30 and lets Octopus schedule your car’s charging. It needs an electric car or plug-in hybrid with a compatible car or charger; a battery on its own does not qualify.
The tariff in brief
| Price pattern | Cheap 23:30–05:30 (smart charging can add other cheap slots for the car). |
|---|---|
| Who can get it | Needs an electric car or plug-in hybrid with a compatible car or charger (IOG terms, clause 2.3.1.3). A battery alone does not qualify. |
| Octopus product code | INTELLI-VAR-24-10-29 |
| London unit rates | 6.9p / 37.9p per kWh |
| London standing charge | 44.4p per day |
Octopus public API, fetched 25 October 2026. Import prices shown with the normal 5% VAT (VAT is off bills from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
A day on this tariff in London
All 48 half-hours
| Time | p/kWh | Time | p/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 6.9p | 12:00 | 37.9p |
| 00:30 | 6.9p | 12:30 | 37.9p |
| 01:00 | 6.9p | 13:00 | 37.9p |
| 01:30 | 6.9p | 13:30 | 37.9p |
| 02:00 | 6.9p | 14:00 | 37.9p |
| 02:30 | 6.9p | 14:30 | 37.9p |
| 03:00 | 6.9p | 15:00 | 37.9p |
| 03:30 | 6.9p | 15:30 | 37.9p |
| 04:00 | 6.9p | 16:00 | 37.9p |
| 04:30 | 6.9p | 16:30 | 37.9p |
| 05:00 | 6.9p | 17:00 | 37.9p |
| 05:30 | 37.9p | 17:30 | 37.9p |
| 06:00 | 37.9p | 18:00 | 37.9p |
| 06:30 | 37.9p | 18:30 | 37.9p |
| 07:00 | 37.9p | 19:00 | 37.9p |
| 07:30 | 37.9p | 19:30 | 37.9p |
| 08:00 | 37.9p | 20:00 | 37.9p |
| 08:30 | 37.9p | 20:30 | 37.9p |
| 09:00 | 37.9p | 21:00 | 37.9p |
| 09:30 | 37.9p | 21:30 | 37.9p |
| 10:00 | 37.9p | 22:00 | 37.9p |
| 10:30 | 37.9p | 22:30 | 37.9p |
| 11:00 | 37.9p | 23:00 | 37.9p |
| 11:30 | 37.9p | 23:30 | 6.9p |
For a home that qualifies, the six-hour cheap window is long enough to fill even a large battery at a low inverter power, and the gap between the night and day rates is the widest of any tariff here — which is why EV households see the biggest battery savings.
What a battery saves on Intelligent Octopus Go: four modelled homes
London prices, typical-household profiles (Elexon Profile Class 1 shape), battery 95% usable, 90% round trip. “Most to pay” is the 10-year price ceiling with capacity fading to 80%. Only homes with an electric car can join this tariff.
| Home | Bill, no battery | 5 kWh saves | 10 kWh saves | 13.5 kWh saves | Most to pay for 10 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical home, 2,500 kWh a year | £1,004 | £497 | £652 | £652 | £5,929 |
| Home all day, 3,500 kWh | £1,337 | £497 | £878 | £909 | £7,989 |
| Electric car, 2,700 + 2,000 kWh | £1,210 | £497 | £704 | £704 | £6,409 |
| Heat pump, 2,700 + 3,500 kWh | £2,193 | £497 | £963 | £1,192 | £8,761 |
For comparison, the typical home pays £1,004 a year on Intelligent Octopus Go without a battery; Flexible Octopus in London is 27.9p per kWh.
Intelligent Octopus Go in every region
| Region | Standing charge, p/day | Cheapest rate | Dearest rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Eastern England | 54.26 | 6.9p | 38.1p |
| B East Midlands | 53.28 | 6.9p | 36.4p |
| C London | 44.41 | 6.9p | 37.9p |
| D Merseyside and North Wales | 70.08 | 6.9p | 39.2p |
| E West Midlands | 59.44 | 6.9p | 36.7p |
| F North East England | 63.74 | 6.9p | 36.7p |
| G North West England | 47.09 | 6.9p | 37.6p |
| H Southern England | 49.85 | 6.9p | 38.2p |
| J South East England | 54.82 | 6.9p | 38.3p |
| K South Wales | 57.08 | 6.9p | 37.9p |
| L South West England | 58.30 | 6.9p | 38.1p |
| M Yorkshire | 63.90 | 6.9p | 36.4p |
| N South and Central Scotland | 64.51 | 6.9p | 36.8p |
| P North Scotland | 58.04 | 6.9p | 37.8p |
Frequently asked questions
Is a home battery worth it on Intelligent Octopus Go?
In Fortyeight’s model of a London home, a 10 kWh battery on Intelligent Octopus Go saves about £652 a year for a typical 2,500 kWh home and up to £963 for the heavier users modelled. To pay back in 10 years it would need to cost under £8,761 at best. Your own data will differ.
Who can get Intelligent Octopus Go?
Needs an electric car or plug-in hybrid with a compatible car or charger (IOG terms, clause 2.3.1.3). A battery alone does not qualify.
What are the cheap hours on Intelligent Octopus Go?
Cheap 23:30–05:30 (smart charging can add other cheap slots for the car). Times are UK clock time, as published by Octopus in October 2026.
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