Clocks go back on 25 October: what happens to your Octopus off-peak hours?
Octopus quotes its off-peak times in UK time, and they stay the same after the change. Here's what each Octopus tariff does, what last year's price data showed, and a winter checklist for EV drivers.
- Checked 19 October 2026
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Quick answer
Clocks go back: 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, from BST to GMT (GOV.UK).
Octopus Go: the cheap rate stays 00:30–05:30 UK time all year. Octopus says some in-home displays show it starting at 01:30 after a clock change, but your bill uses 00:30.
Intelligent Octopus Go: home off-peak stays 23:30–05:30, and Octopus schedules your smart charging in the app. Nothing to change, except any timers in your car or charger, which Octopus says should be off.
Flux: cheap 02:00–05:00 and peak 16:00–19:00, UK local time, all year (Octopus).
Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Octopus off-peak times before and after the clocks change
| Tariff | Cheap or peak times (UK time) | When the clocks go back | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus Go | 00:30–05:30 every night, whole home | No change. Some in-home displays show 01:30 after a clock change; bills use 00:30 | Go, Go FAQs |
| Intelligent Octopus Go | 23:30–05:30 for the whole home, plus up to 6 hours of smart charging a day at the off-peak rate | Octopus schedules smart charging in the app. Turn off timers in your car or charger | IOG, IOG FAQs |
| Octopus Flux | Cheap 02:00–05:00, peak 16:00–19:00 | Octopus says these stay the same in UK local time all year | Flux |
| Cosy Octopus | Cheap 04:00–07:00, 13:00–16:00 and 22:00–00:00; peak 16:00–19:00 | Last October, Cosy's cheap periods stayed at the same UK times after the change (London price data) | API |
| Agile Octopus | No fixed window. Prices change every half hour | Prices are set daily, so nothing to reset. 4–7pm is usually the most expensive time | Agile |
What last year's clock change looked like in Octopus's price data
Octopus's public price API lists every rate in UTC, which is the same as GMT. During British Summer Time, UK time is one hour ahead of UTC. So the times in the data look different in summer and winter, even though the UK times stay the same.
When the clocks went back on 26 October 2025, Octopus's London price data for the variable Octopus Go tariff showed the cheap rate running from 23:30 UTC on 25 October to 05:30 UTC on 26 October. In UK time, that's 00:30 BST to 05:30 GMT. Because 1am to 2am happened twice that night, the cheap period lasted six hours instead of the usual five.
Cheap rate 23:30 UTC → 05:30 UTC
23:30 UTC = 00:30 BST (start, UK time)
05:30 UTC = 05:30 GMT (end, UK time)
Length = 6 hours (normally 5)
Flux, 26 Oct 2025: cheap 02:00 → 05:00 UTC = 02:00 → 05:00 GMT (3 hours, as usual)
That's last year's data. When we checked on 19 October 2026, Octopus hadn't yet published its rates for the night of 24–25 October 2026, so check your own rates and usage in the Octopus app. We'd expect the same pattern, but Octopus doesn't promise it. Sources: Octopus Go rates, 25–26 Oct 2025, Flux rates, 25–26 Oct 2025.
Winter checklist for EV drivers on Octopus
Check your own timers
If your car or charger starts charging on its own timer, make sure its clock has moved to GMT. On Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus says other schedules in the car or charger should be turned off so smart charging works.
Leave it plugged in
On Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus recommends keeping your car plugged in at home. It has to wake the car to smart charge it, and lets it go back to sleep as often as possible.
Use the app, not the display
Octopus says the most reliable way to check your usage and cost is its app or online account, not your in-home display.
Bump charges cost more
An Intelligent Octopus Go bump charge starts straight away. Octopus bills it at whatever rate applies at the time, so outside 23:30–05:30 that's your day rate.
Avoid 4–7pm on Agile
Between midnight and 11pm on 19 October 2026, London Agile prices ranged from 27.17p to 54.98p/kWh, and every half hour from 4pm to 7pm cost between 52.16p and 54.98p.
Tracker prices rise in winter
Octopus says Tracker prices are usually lower in warmer months and typically increase, likely doubling, in colder months.
Choosing an EV tariff for the winter? Compare Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus Go and Intelligent Go vs Go vs Agile, or see the worked savings example.
New to Octopus? Switch with the referral code, then move to an EV tariff
Check your car or charger
Use Octopus's official "Will it work for me?" checker on the Intelligent Octopus Go page. If your car or charger isn't supported, Octopus Go works with any EV.
Switch to Octopus with the referral code
Open the referral link (code sepia-star-913) and sign up online. Octopus says new customers switch to its standard tariff, Flexible Octopus, first. The switch usually takes about 3 days.
Get a smart meter Octopus can read
You need a SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter sending half-hourly readings. Octopus says connecting to a meter usually takes around 14 days, and it can book an installation once you've switched if you need one.
Move to Intelligent Octopus Go
Once your switch is complete, Octopus will help you move to Intelligent Octopus Go. You accept the terms, then connect your car or charger in the Octopus app (iOS 14+ or Android 7+).
Get your £50 credit
Your £50 referral credit is added after your first Direct Debit, usually about 4 weeks after you join. Note that Intelligent Octopus Go is currently fixed only, with a £50 exit fee.
Questions
When do the clocks go back in 2026?
At 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026 the clocks go back one hour, from British Summer Time (BST) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). They go forward again at 1am on Sunday 28 March 2027. Source: GOV.UK.
Does the Octopus Go off-peak time change when the clocks go back?
No. Octopus says your Octopus Go off-peak period stays between 00:30 and 05:30, whatever your in-home display says. Some displays show the cheap rate starting at 01:30 after a clock change, but your bill uses 00:30.
Do I need to change anything on Intelligent Octopus Go?
Not for the tariff itself. Octopus schedules your smart charging in the app, and your home off-peak window is 23:30 to 05:30. Octopus does say that charging schedules set in your car or charger can stop smart charging working, so they should be switched off.
Do the Octopus Flux times change in winter?
No. Octopus says the Flux cheap period stays 02:00 to 05:00 and the peak 16:00 to 19:00, UK local time, all year round.
Why does Octopus's price data show different times after the clocks change?
Octopus's public price API lists times in UTC (the same as GMT). In summer, 00:30 UK time is 23:30 UTC, so Octopus Go's cheap rate shows as 23:30–04:30. In winter, UK time and UTC are the same, so it shows as 00:30–05:30. The UK times don't change.
Does the clock change affect the Octopus referral code?
No. The clock change doesn't affect the referral. Switch to Octopus with code share.octopus.energy/sepia-star-913 for £50 credit, then move to Octopus Go or Intelligent Octopus Go once your smart meter is connected.
← Back to EV tariff hub How to use the Octopus Energy referral code
Switching to Octopus Energy? Get £50 credit with this referral code
Or copy the referral code:
share.octopus.energy/sepia-star-913