OCTOPUS ENERGY GO TARIFF
Octopus Go is a smart electricity tariff that guarantees cheap overnight electricity at 8.5p / kWh for 5 hours every night (between 12.30 and 5.30 am) an 25.896p kWh for the remaining 20 hours. The off-peak tariff assures EV drivers of reduced motoring.
Octopus Go is designed for customers who can charge their Electric Vehicles at home off-peak. Charging can be done cheaply overnight keeping costs below 2p per mile.
But now Intelligent Octopus Go has overtaken the most popular EV tariff in the UK is there still a need for the original Octopus Go tariff? Let’s find out.
On the 1st of October 2024, the day rate increased on the Octopus Go tariff, thankfully the off-peak night rate remained the same. The Octopus Go off-peak rate remains at 8.5p per kWh for 5 hours off-peak, however, the daytime rate has risen to 25.90p per kWh with a standing charge of 62.06p. (Based on a quote for South Wales)
Written by Sarah Chambers
My first EV tariff was Octopus Go.
When I first bought my Electric Vehicle Octopus Go was the go-to Octopus tariff for EV drivers.
I would charge my Tesla overnight on the 4 hours of discounted electricty. It was and still is a cheap, and easy way to reduce your energy bill while charging your Electric Vehicle at home.
On Octopus Go you’ll pay 8.5p per kWh between 12.30 am and 5.30 am.
There’s nothing complicated or clever about this EV tariff. You just set your charge for the off-peak window and away you go.
You’ll need to schedule your EV charging between 12.30 am and 5.30 am using;
- The scheduling function on your EV.
- Electric Vehicle smart charger or cable.
- Automated charging using Home Assistant. (For the geeks amongst you.)
What are the benefits of Octopus Go?
- Reduce your overall energy bill.
- Reduce the cost of energy charging your electric vehicle.
- Decrease your environmental impact.
- Make your home energy work smarter for you and the planet.🌍
When I was on the Octopus Go tariff I also ran as many appliances as I could overnight. I would preset my dishwasher and washing machine to come on every night. I’d also heat my hot water during the off-peak rate using the immersion.
Not only did I save money on EV charging but also lowered my household energy bill.
How much does Octopus Go cost?
As of the 1st of October 2024, the Octopus Go is 8.5p per kWh off-peak with a daytime rate of 25.90p per kWh. The daily standing charging has gone up 62.06p. The Octopus Go rate is a variable tariff. It is an amazing deal if you want electric off-peak for charging!! (Prices may vary slightly in different geographical locations)
As Octopus Go is a flexible tariff it should, in theory, rise and fall in line with the Energy Price Cap. The next Octopus Go price change again on the 1st of January 2025.
| Octopus Go Tariff From 01/10/24 | Energy Price |
|---|---|
| Electricity. | 25.89p per kWh |
| Off-peak pricing. 4 hours - 00.30 to 05.30 🚘 | 8.5p per kWh |
| Standing charge. | 62.06p per day |
You can check the Octopus Go rate for your geographical area on the Octopus website.
About the author: I’ve been a happy Octopus Energy customer for 6 years.
This is me. I can be found on social media as Sarah_Go_Green and I have been an Octopus customer for 6 years. I’m featured on the Octopus website and their YouTube channel as a solar customer. I’ve been on the BBC news, published in the Telegraph for owning part of a wind turbine.
Recently I’ve been in Bloomberg simply for being an energy geek. I love renewable energy and make it my mission to reduce my family’s home energy bills while improving our carbon footprint. I’ve got around 7,000 followers across X and TikTok where I talk about electrifying my home and reducing my Octopus energy bill. I can help you too!
I’ve been exposed to many fantastic topics since switching to Octopus and now own a Tesla Model Y called Dennis, MyEnergi Zappi, a 13.5 kW GivEnergy battery and 15 solar panels.
I love to fiddle with apps and monitor my home energy use throughout the day. I am forever comparing Octopus tariffs and share my home usage daily on X, formally Twitter.
Is there an Octopus Go Gas Tariff?
No. Octopus Go is simply for your electricity but you can pick a standard Octopus gas Tariff to sit alongside your Go electricity tariff. For example, the Octopus Flexible tariff.
Is Octopus Go any good?
Yes, it is good for EV charging but Intelligent Octopus Go is cheaper and would be my tariff of choice.
The off-peak rate on the “Intelligent” tariff is 1.5p per kWh cheaper at 7.0p per kWh and you get a minimum of 6 hours off-peak instead of the 5 you’d get on Octopus Go. The Intelligent Octopus Go tariff is without a doubt a better deal but not all EVs or EVs charges are compatible.
There isn’t a hidden catch in switching to Octopus Go. You’ll need a smart meter that sends half-hourly readings to Octopus. You’re not locked into this tariff. You can switch to another tariff or even leave Octopus Energy with no penalties.
🤦♀️🧑💻⚡️👊
Has the Octopus Energy Go tariff decreased in price over the last 6 months?
On the 1st of October 2024, Octopus will increase the day rate rate from 23.58p per kWh to 25.896p per kWh. The off-peak rate will remain unchanged at 8.5p per Kwh. (Depending on your geographical location.)
Is it cheaper to stay on the Octopus Flexible tariff or switch to Octopus Go?
- The Octopus Flexible tariff is now 24.49p per kWh for electricity from 1st October 2024 until 31st December 2024 in South Wales.
- The Octopus Go daytime rate in South Wales is 25.896p kWh.
- But Octopus Go has 5 hours of off-peak energy for 8.5p per kWh.
The Octopus Go rate like the Octopus Flexible tariff is a variable rate that can go up and down in line with the Energy Price Cap.
Now I have battery storage and an EV I very rarely for my average rate to go beyond 9p per kWh. I fill up my home battery simultaneously as I charge my EV each night and it runs the house on off-peak electricty.
Does the whole household need to change their energy use to benefit from Octopus Go?
No. In a recent survey by Ofgem, most EV owners stated that they hadn’t made any changes to how they use their electricity at home. The assumption seemed to be that to fully benefit from the switch to an intelligent tariff the whole household needs to modify their energy use. 🤯 With Octopus Go this isn’t the case! 👏
“But my wife and kids don’t care, if they need their clothes they’ll put on the tumble dryer.”
That’s fine! You only need to try and load shift around 40% to make a real difference. I have 3 teenagers and it is possible.
If you look at your Octopus dashboard, you will also see many third-party devices and ideas that help keep your energy consumption down!!
Comparing Octopus Flexible tariff to Octopus Go tariff for EV charging.
| Compare Energy Prices | |
|---|---|
| Octopus Flexible Tariff -EPC average price (Electricity) 01/10/2024 to 31/12/2024 | Octopus Go Tariff. 1st October 24 |
| 30.6p per kWh | 25.896p kWh (05.30 - 00.30) |
| 13.2p per kWh off-peak Eco 7. | 8.5p kWh off-peak. (00.30 - 05.30) |
| 62.06p per day standing charge. | 62.06p per day standing charge |
How do you switch to the Octopus Go tariff?
As a new customer, you’ll simply have to switch to Octopus Energy and go on their Flexible tariff before making your switch to Octopus Go. As a new customer, you have to sign up for a nonsmart tariff when you switch. It’s then a case of moving from your interim tariff to your chosen smart tariff, such as Octopus Go.
- Switch to Octopus Energy. (This usually takes around 5 days)
- Octopus must be satisfied that they are receiving half-hourly readings from your smart meter. (This usually happens within 14 days but could take longer.
- You can then switch to Octopus Go.
You can check on your Octopus Energy dashboard to see if half-hourly readings are being received.
If you haven’t got a smart meter it’s a case of switching, requesting a smart meter, and waiting for an installation date to become available in your area. You’ll need a Secure SMETS1 (Secure is a brand name and it’s written on the front of the meter) or a SMETS2 smart meter to switch to any of the Octopus smart tariffs.
How can I tell if I have a SMETS2 smart meter already?
Look out for ‘GUID’ or a Device ID which looks like this: AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF-00-GG-ZZ on the front of the meter. If you can see a number like this it is a good indication you have a SMETS2 meter.
There’s no getting around it switching to Octopus Go does take a little more time than a standard tariff.
Here’s what Octopus has to say.
“Octopus Go is a beta product. If you’re OK that some things may not work the first time, that installations and processes may take longer than we’d like, and that on occasion data issues with smart meters can take significant time to fix or prevent things from working at all, but that you’d like to work with us to make world-changing energy tariffs a reality. You will always be able to switch to one of our fairly priced standard tariffs at any time.”
Take your first step towards cheaper EV charging.↓🚘🥳
Ready to make the switch? Simply switch to your interim tariff, such as flexible Octopus and contact Octopus Energy to get your smart meter installed or checked. Following half-hourly meter readings, you will be ready to switch to Octopus Go.
All traditional and smart tariffs are available to new customers. Yes, you can switch to Octopus Energy using the link.
Quick Tips
If you have been with another supplier and you’re not sure if your SMETS1 smart meter will work Octopus look for the word “Secure”. It should be written on the front of your smart meter. Secure is a tradename. Secure also supplied meters to Utilita, Shell, OVO, E.ON, and Bristol Energy. Any other brand of SMETS1 smart meter will not retain its smart functionality if you switch to Octopus.
Read about a new beta tariff called Octopus Intelligent Go.
Will I get paid for exporting my solar energy with Octopus Go?
Yes, Octopus Energy Go Outgoing tariff currently pays customers to export electricity to the grid. On Octopus Go you are limited to Octopus Lite Outgoing which is 8p per kWh. (You can get more for your export if you choose Intelligent Octopus as your EV tariff) Find out more about Octopus Outgoing tariffs.
You will need your MCS Certificate and DNO response which you should find in your installers pack. Email seg@octopus.energy to find out more.
My experience getting a smart meter with Octopus Energy
There is a waiting list and I have to be honest I did wait a while for mine! Plus after the smart meter installation, I got slightly frustrated that it didn’t go online straight away. After installation, the engineer couldn’t get it to connect. It was resolved quickly by Octopus but it did take a few weeks for the meter readings to be switched over. The engineer submits the old readings and they have to in turn be updated in the central system along with my new meter number. So even after having the meter installed, there is a further wait. Octopus suggests 14 days but in my experience, it was slightly longer. So you have to be prepared for a wait!
Once your meter is sending half-hourly readings you are ready to be switched over to the Octopus Go tariff! Moving across from my Octopus fixed rate was relatively pain-free.
Waiting for a smart meter and getting half-hourly readings was my main concern. I’m a few days in now and delighted I made the switch. If anything changes I can switch back but so far it’s been a great experience.
If you are a new Octopus Energy customer you can join Octopus and you will get a £50 credit. You can then request a smart meter whilst on an interim tariff before requesting the switch to the Octopus Go. Just remember there will be a wait!
I would be delighted if you used my code to switch to Octopus as I get £50 too! So a massive thank you if you use my link! Click HERE⟵ 🥳❤︎
Octopus Go review – Compare Octopus Go v Octopus Agile.
Compare Octopus tariffs for an EV.
Octopus Go doesn’t require that much thought, it’s a plug-and-go solution. There is also an intelligent version of this tariff called Intelligent Go which takes this tariff to another level. When you sign up for Intelligent Octopus Go your EV or your EV charger decides when to charge in order to help balance the grid.
Historically as an example, you would have saved more with Octopus Agile, and you still can but with the Intelligent Octopus Go the minimum amount of off-peak hours you will get is 6 and at the lower rate of 7.0p per kWh. So if you have battery storage and an EV it is very attractive!
Octopus Agile tariff is based on wholesale energy prices which can be affected by, for example, the amount of wind or demand on the national grid. If you can juggle when you use energy bring the price you pay per kWh down. Agile customers can also get paid to charge their EVs on Octopus Agile. The Agile tariff has a cap of £1 per kWh.
It can be quite confusing working out which Octopus tariff is best for your individual charging needs. This app allows you to compare Octopus Energy tariffs to find. (find this in the app store here)
“This app is excellent at picking through the complexity of Octopus smart tariffs using your actual data. The 49p/month premium option is well worth it too as this gives a better comparison of how shifting use to cheaper periods changes things. The developer is also very helpful. Recommended.”
To give you an idea of Octopus Agile prices take a look at today’s listed below.
The prices are based on national average prices per kWh.
Thanks to @energystatsuk for the daily figures.
Octopus Agile Tariff Pricing
I have listed the cheapest 4-hour energy slots over the last 7 days. Plus the average daily price per kWh.
| Octopus Agile October v 1 | Rates change every 30 minutes. Average rates over the day. | Cheapest rate each day |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 08/10/24 | 21.3p per kWh | 14.6p per kWh (03.30) |
| Monday 07/10/24 | 21.8p per kWh | 12.5p per kWh (05.00) |
| Sunday 06/10/24 | 18.8p per kWh. | 8.8p per kWh (02.30) |
| Saturday 05/10/24 | 17.6p per kWh | 5.4p per kWh (22.30) |
| Friday 04/10/24 | 20p per kWh | 11.3p per kWh (04.30) |
| Thursday 03/10/24 | 21.8p per kWh | 16.4p per kWh (00.00) |
| Wednesday 02/10/24 | 19.9p per kWh | 14.1p per kWh (14.30) |
This is a quote for the Octopus Go tariff from the 7th of October 2024. (The new rates are not showing yet.)
EV TIPS
Tip: Before opting for the Octopus GO tariff you should weigh up if you could save even more money by getting creative with the Intelligent Octopus tariff. This is the tariff I am on. You can read my experience switching to the Intelligent tariff in my recent blog.
