What is Octopus Agile and how does it work?
Independent site. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Octopus Energy Ltd. This guide is based on Octopus's own public documentation and the live data shown, which we link below. Tariff terms change, so always check Octopus's current terms for your own situation. This is general information, not financial or energy-switching advice.
Agile Octopus is a smart-meter electricity tariff from Octopus Energy where the price per unit changes every half hour, following the wholesale market. That makes it very different from a normal tariff with one flat price, and it rewards people who can move electricity use to cheaper times.
How Agile works
- A price for every 30 minutes. Octopus describes Agile as half-hourly energy prices tied to wholesale prices and updated daily.
- New prices land in the afternoon. Octopus says unit rates for the next 24 hours are published between 4pm and 8pm every day, usually nearer 4pm. Tomorrow's prices appear on this site shortly after Octopus publishes them.
- You are billed on your actual usage. Octopus uses the half-hourly readings from your smart meter, so using power in a cheap half hour really does cost less than using it in an expensive one.
- There is also a daily standing charge, which covers fixed costs such as metering and distribution. It does not change with the half-hourly price.
- Prices depend on where you live. Great Britain has 14 electricity regions and each has its own Agile prices. Find yours on the homepage with your postcode.
When is Agile usually dearest and cheapest?
Octopus says Agile prices are often cheaper when the electricity in the grid is greener and more expensive when it is dirtier, usually between 4pm and 7pm. Here is how today's prices compare in each region, using a simple average of the half-hourly prices in each group:
| Region | Average 4–7pm | Average rest of day | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern England A | 30.56p | -0.91p | +31.47p |
| East Midlands B | 30.57p | -1.03p | +31.60p |
| London C | 28.57p | -1.03p | +29.60p |
| Merseyside & North Wales D | 31.56p | -0.79p | +32.36p |
| West Midlands E | 29.56p | -0.91p | +30.47p |
| North East England F | 29.56p | -0.91p | +30.47p |
| North West England G | 29.56p | -0.91p | +30.47p |
| Southern England H | 29.56p | -0.91p | +30.47p |
| South East England J | 30.56p | -0.79p | +31.36p |
| South Wales K | 30.56p | -0.79p | +31.36p |
| South West England L | 30.56p | -0.68p | +31.24p |
| Yorkshire M | 29.57p | -1.03p | +30.60p |
| South Scotland N | 30.56p | -0.91p | +31.47p |
| North Scotland P | 32.55p | -0.56p | +33.11p |
Live data as of 25 Oct, 02:29 GMT. Prices in pence per kWh including VAT where Octopus publishes it; standing charges are not included. Times are UK local time.
That is one day, not a rule: prices follow the weather and wholesale market, so the cheapest hours move around. Each region page shows the cheapest 1 to 4 hour windows for today and tomorrow.
Plunge pricing and the price cap
When more electricity is generated than used, wholesale prices can fall below zero. Octopus calls passing this on to customers plunge pricing: in those half hours you are paid for the electricity you use. Our guide to negative electricity prices explains why this happens.
At the other end, Octopus's tariff data says the Agile unit rate is capped at 100p per kWh including VAT, so a price spike has a ceiling. Octopus is clear that prices can still reach that level at any time.
Who can get Agile?
According to Octopus you need to be an Octopus Energy customer and have a smart meter it can connect to (a second-generation SMETS2 meter, or some first-generation SMETS1 meters). Octopus says it generally takes around 14 days to connect to a meter, and that you will be asked by email to accept the tariff's terms before switching.
Who does Agile suit?
Octopus's own advice is that Agile is best suited to customers who can shift large amounts of their energy use away from the expensive peaks, often with smart home technology such as solar and batteries. Octopus also describes Agile as one of its beta smart tariffs that is directly affected by wholesale market volatility. If most of your usage is hard to move, a flat or Tracker tariff may suit you better. See Agile vs Tracker.
Good candidates to move are an electric car (when to charge), a home battery, and flexible appliances (washing machine and dishwasher timing, including an important safety point).
See Agile prices for your region
More guides
- Octopus Tracker explained – One price a day, where it comes from, the formula, the cap and the 12-month term.
- Cheapest time to charge an electric car in the UK – Live cheapest 4-hour charging windows by region, and how to work out what a charge costs.
- Cheapest time to run a washing machine or dishwasher – Live cheapest windows while you're awake and at home, plus the fire-safety advice you should know.
- What are negative electricity prices and why do they happen? – Why wholesale prices drop below zero, and where it is happening in today's data.
- Agile vs Tracker: which is cheaper? – An honest comparison, with today's Agile and Tracker prices side by side.
Sources
- Octopus Energy: Agile Octopus
- Octopus Energy public API: product data (tariff descriptions, price caps)
- Live prices: Octopus Energy public API, cached by this site and refreshed every 15 minutes.
Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Found something out of date? Octopus's tariff terms and prices change, so treat their own pages as the final word.