Octopus Energy solar panels: prices, kit and tariffs (September 2026)

Octopus Energy designs and installs solar panels and home batteries itself, and links them to its own export and time-of-use tariffs. On 24 September 2026 its published prices started at £6,663 for two panels without a battery, and its most popular system, 12 panels with a 10 kWh battery, cost £11,115. It fits 455 W JA Solar panels, Enphase or Fox inverters, and Fox, Enphase or Tesla batteries. Octopus's main draw is the link to its tariffs; the way to judge its price is to compare it with an independent MCS installer's quote for the same system.

Everything below comes from Octopus's own website and price data on 24 September 2026. Solar Report has no commercial relationship with Octopus Energy or any other supplier: we are not paid for this review.

What Octopus installs

Octopus fits one panel and a short list of inverters and batteries. The battery you choose decides the inverter.

In a power cut, a standard system switches off for safety; Octopus says the Powerwall 3 can keep your home running on battery backup. Our Fox ESS brand page covers the Fox EVO range and its warranty conditions.

Octopus solar and battery prices

Octopus publishes starting prices, not a full price list. You get a tailored quote after a remote survey. Prices include VAT, which is 0% on solar panels and batteries supplied and installed in your home until 31 March 2027 and is scheduled to become 5% from 1 April 2027.

Octopus's own pages gave two different sets of battery-only prices on the same day, so ask for the price in writing on your quote.

Worked example: putting the £11,115 system on a comparable basis. Twelve panels of 455 W make 12 × 455 W = 5,460 W, or 5.46 kWp. The price per kWp, battery included, is £11,115 ÷ 5.46 = about £2,036 per kWp. For comparison, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) reports a mean installed cost of £1,651.40 per kW for domestic retrofit solar systems of 4 to 10 kW in 2025/26, including VAT but without a battery. A panels-only system of the same size at that mean would cost 5.46 × £1,651.40 = about £9,017. Octopus's package, battery included, is £11,115 − £9,017 = about £2,098 more, so on this rough check the battery works out at roughly £2,100. This is not a price Octopus quoted and not a like-for-like comparison: the DESNZ figure is an average of what households paid, and your roof, scaffolding and wiring change the price of any quote. Our solar panel cost guide explains what a fair price includes.

Homes Octopus can and can't fit

Octopus's FAQ says it needs:

• a home you own;
• a pitched roof in good condition, with slate, clay or concrete tiles (not flat or thatched);
• room for at least two panels and safe access for scaffolding.

It said it could not install on flats or on properties with a three-phase supply, and it won't fit panels on a roof that needs repair. If it can't fit your home, it may suggest an "Octopus Trusted Partner". An independent installer may be able to take on the roofs Octopus turns down.

Tariffs for Octopus solar owners

The tariffs are Octopus's strongest point, but each has a condition. They all need a smart meter that sends half-hourly readings. The Smart Export Guarantee, which obliges large suppliers such as Octopus to offer an export tariff, covers installations in Great Britain only.

• Outgoing Octopus: 12p per kWh, a flat, variable export rate that needs Octopus as your electricity supplier, on an import tariff that pairs with it. Octopus's compatibility table lists its fixed and flexible tariffs, Agile, Tracker, Intelligent Octopus Go, Go, Cosy and Snug; Flux and Intelligent Flux don't pair with it. If you keep another supplier, Octopus's export-only rate is 4.1p per kWh. Our Outgoing Octopus guide covers the details.
• Octopus Flux: an import and export tariff for homes with solar and a battery, open to new customers on 24 September 2026. Octopus says your panels don't need to have been installed by it. It pays most for exports from 4pm to 7pm. See our Octopus Flux guide for regional rates.
• Intelligent Octopus Flux: Octopus runs your battery for you. On 24 September 2026 its page said the tariff was "currently exclusive to customers who bought solar panels and a battery from us", so buying from Octopus is the only way to join it for now. Octopus's eligibility checker showed it as "temporarily unavailable" on the same day, so confirm availability in writing before counting on it. Our Intelligent Octopus Flux guide explains how it works.
• Intelligent Octopus Go 12M Fixed: for homes with a compatible electric car or charger. It charges 8p per kWh from 23:30 to 05:30 (8.4p including VAT until 30 September), and a day rate of 34.56p to 38.42p per kWh depending on region (without VAT; there is no VAT on household electricity in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027). That day rate is higher than the 26.32p price cap average for October to December 2026, so it pays only if you move enough use into the night. It pairs with Outgoing.

Worked example: what the 12p condition is worth. For every 1,000 kWh you export, Outgoing at 12p, which needs Octopus as your electricity supplier, pays 1,000 × £0.12 = £120. E.ON Next Flex Export, which is open to anyone whatever their supplier, paid 6p on 24 September 2026 (variable), so the same 1,000 kWh earns 1,000 × £0.06 = £60. Octopus's export-only rate pays 1,000 × £0.041 = £41. The 12p is worth having only if Octopus's import price for your home is competitive too, so compare both sides of the bill. Our solar and battery tariffs guide compares the options.

Warranties, deposit and cancellation

Octopus's FAQ lists these manufacturer warranties:

• Panels: 25 years product and 30 years linear power output.
• Inverters: 25 years for Enphase microinverters, 12 years for Fox.
• Batteries: 15 years for Enphase, 12 years for Fox and 10 years for Tesla.

The FAQ mentions a five-year workmanship warranty insurance scheme, and Octopus's installation terms promise to put right damage caused by faulty installation work for five years. Manufacturer warranties can depend on registering the product and keeping its software up to date, which the terms ask you to do.

Octopus's terms say it is a member of the HIES consumer code and name NAPIT as its MCS certification body. HIES's installer register listed Octopus Energy Services Ltd (membership number OCT/A/1473) for solar PV and battery storage on 24 September 2026, and Companies House listed Octopus Energy Services Ltd (company number 10434397) as active the same day. MCS no longer requires installers to join a consumer code, so check any installer's membership on the HIES or RECC website yourself. The terms also say Octopus will give you an output estimate using the MCS method, with its assumptions.

You pay a £500 deposit when you sign. Octopus's terms say it becomes non-refundable on signing, but that you can cancel within 14 days of signing and get it back. The same terms give you the legal right to cancel from the day you sign until 14 days after the last of the goods is delivered; if you cancel later in that period, Octopus says it will decide whether the deposit is refunded. The law says a company must refund what you have paid when you cancel within the legal period, although you may have to pay for work you asked it to start before the period ended. After the cancellation period, the terms refund the deposit only in the cases they list, such as the grid operator refusing the connection. Ask Octopus to confirm your cancellation dates and the deposit position in writing before you sign; our guide to choosing a solar installer sets out your rights in full.

Paying for it

Octopus asks for the balance after installation, or you can spread the cost with a fixed-term loan from a bank it works with. Octopus says Octopus Energy Services is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker (firm reference 1033722); you can check any firm on the FCA Register. A loan changes the sums: any payback figure should use your repayments and the total amount payable, including interest, not the cash price. We don't recommend lenders.

Octopus or an independent installer?

Get at least one quote from an independent MCS-certified installer for the same size of system and battery, then compare:

• the system size in kWp, the panel and battery models, and usable battery capacity;
• the full price and what it includes (scaffolding, bird protection, consumer unit, grid application);
• the MCS generation estimate and its assumptions;
• warranties, who honours them and whether the workmanship warranty is insurance-backed;
• the export tariff you will actually use and its conditions;
• deposit, payment stages and cancellation terms.

Our guide to comparing solar quotes shows how to read each line, and our comparison of solar companies puts Octopus next to E.ON Next, Hive and independent installers on the same criteria.

FAQ

Are Octopus solar panels worth it?

It depends on your roof, your electricity use and the price you are quoted. Octopus's case is simple kit and access to its tariffs: Outgoing's 12p export rate if you buy your electricity from Octopus, and Intelligent Octopus Flux, which on 24 September 2026 was open only to Octopus solar-and-battery buyers. Check the quote against an independent installer's price for the same system and use our calculator to test the savings.

Do Octopus Energy do free solar panels?

No. Octopus's solar pages showed no free-panel offer on 24 September 2026, and its prices started at £6,663. If anyone offers you "free" solar panels, ask who will own the panels and who keeps the export payments before you sign.

What are the disadvantages of Octopus solar panels?

Octopus can't fit flats, three-phase homes, flat or thatched roofs, and it offers one panel model. Its £500 deposit is non-refundable once the legal cancellation period ends (14 days after the goods are delivered), except in the cases the terms list. Its best export rate needs your electricity supply to be with Octopus, and its own pages gave different battery prices on the same day, so get every price in writing.

Can I join Octopus's tariffs if Octopus didn't install my panels?

Yes, for Outgoing and standard Octopus Flux, which don't require an Octopus installation; for Flux, Octopus asks for a copy of your installation's MCS certificate. Intelligent Octopus Flux was the exception on 24 September 2026, when it was open only to customers who bought solar panels and a battery from Octopus.