Heat pump tariffs at a glance
Last updated 30 September 2026. Rates are regional and move with the Ofgem price cap, so each supplier's own tariff page has the exact pence-per-kWh for your postcode; the structure below is checked against those pages.
| Tariff | Unit rate structure | Off-peak window | Peak penalty | Smart meter required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus Cosy | Off-peak about half the standard day rate; peak about 50% above it | 04:00–07:00, 13:00–16:00, 22:00–00:00 (8 hrs) | Yes, 16:00–19:00 | Yes |
| EDF Heat Pump Tracker | 10p/kWh below your region's standard rate off-peak; standard rate otherwise, reviewed quarterly with the price cap | 04:00–07:00, 13:00–16:00 (6 hrs) | No | Yes |
| British Gas Heat Pump Tariff | 50% off the tariff unit rate, applied as a weekly bill credit | 00:00–07:00, 13:00–16:00 (10 hrs) | No | Yes |
| E.ON Next Pumped | Fixed 12 months; super off-peak overnight, cheaper off-peak daytime, dearer peak (E.ON compares against a 27.638p/kWh national average standard rate from 1 October 2026) | Super off-peak 22:00–06:00; off-peak 06:00–16:00 and 19:00–22:00 | Yes, 16:00–19:00 | Yes |
| Octopus Agile | Half-hourly wholesale-linked rate, capped at 100p/kWh | Changes every 30 min, published a day ahead | Usually 16:00–19:00 | Yes |
How we chose these heat pump tariffs
We compared only tariffs specifically marketed at heat pump or electric-boiler owners, not general time-of-use or EV tariffs, using each supplier's own tariff page for rates and eligibility rather than third-party comparison estimates. We prioritised the length and timing of the off-peak window (a heat pump needs several consecutive cheap hours to usefully pre-heat a home or hot water cylinder), whether a peak-rate penalty applies, and whether the tariff is available UK-wide or only to existing customers. We excluded tariffs that have closed to new customers, including OVO's former Heat Pump Plus, which stopped accepting new sign-ups and removed its rebate for existing customers from February 2026.
Which heat pump electricity tariff should you switch to?
1. Octopus Cosy — best overall
Who it's for: anyone with a smart meter who can move most heating and hot water use into three windows across the day.
Cosy Octopus gives three off-peak periods — 04:00–07:00, 13:00–16:00 and 22:00–00:00 — priced around half the region's normal day rate, against a peak rate from 16:00–19:00 priced roughly 50% above it. That's eight off-peak hours a day, more than any other dedicated heat pump tariff on this list, which matters because a heat pump's compressor runs most efficiently left on for long stretches rather than cycling hard around a single short cheap window. Octopus quotes typical savings of tens of pounds a month for households that actively shift heating and hot water into the Cosy hours, on top of whatever a heat pump already saves against gas. The catch: you need a smart meter taking half-hourly readings, and if your schedule can't move (shift workers, home during the day) the peak-rate penalty between 4pm and 7pm can eat into the saving.
View Cosy Octopus on Octopus Energy
2. EDF Heat Pump Tracker — best for a simple flat discount
Who it's for: people who want a cheaper off-peak rate without a peak-rate penalty to work around.
EDF's Heat Pump Tracker gives a flat discount of around 10p per kWh below the region's standard rate across two windows — 04:00–07:00 and 13:00–16:00, six hours a day — with no punitive peak rate layered on top during the evening. That makes it easier to plan around than Cosy's three-window structure, at the cost of two fewer off-peak hours. It suits a household that wants a predictable discount rather than a rate that swings between very cheap and more expensive through the day.
View Heat Pump Tracker on EDF Energy
3. E.ON Next Pumped — best for a longer single window
Who it's for: households who are in most days and can run the heat pump through one long daytime stretch.
Next Pumped splits the day into a super off-peak overnight window (22:00–06:00), off-peak rates from 06:00 to 16:00 and 19:00 to 22:00, and a three-hour peak from 16:00 to 19:00 priced above E.ON's standard rate. Eligibility requires a working smart meter, monthly Direct Debit and agreement to half-hourly readings, the same baseline as the other providers here. The long daytime window suits homes where someone is in during the day to benefit from it, rather than an empty house that can only use the overnight rate.
4. British Gas Heat Pump Tariff — best for half-price hours
Who it's for: households who want the longest cheap window and no peak-rate penalty.
British Gas gives a 50% discount on the tariff unit rate for electricity used between 00:00–07:00 and 13:00–16:00 every day — about 70 cheaper hours a week — applied as a weekly bill credit rather than a different rate on the meter. Everything outside those hours is charged at the standard tariff unit rate, so there is no peak surcharge to dodge. It needs a smart meter and a heat pump, electric boiler, EV or home battery. The catch is that the saving arrives as a credit, so it is worth checking your first weekly credits match your usage.
View the heat pump tariff on British Gas
5. Octopus Agile — best for active, hands-on savers
Who it's for: confident users of a home energy dashboard or Home Assistant automation who don't mind rates changing every half hour.
Agile isn't a heat pump-specific tariff — it's a wholesale-linked rate that changes every 30 minutes, published a day ahead. Paired with a heat pump on a smart thermostat schedule (or a Home Assistant automation reading the Octopus Agile API), it can beat the fixed-window tariffs above on the very cheapest days, but rates can also spike well above the standard cap during periods of high demand. It rewards people who'll actually check the next day's prices or automate around them; it can cost more than Cosy for anyone who won't.
View Agile Octopus on Octopus Energy
Do you need a smart meter for a heat pump tariff?
Yes — every dedicated heat pump tariff on this list requires a working smart meter capable of half-hourly readings, because the supplier needs to bill different rates for different times of day. If your smart meter isn't sending readings (a common problem after a house move or a network dropout), contact your supplier to get it reconnected before switching, since sign-up can be rejected or the tariff can revert to a default rate without it.
Who should skip a dedicated heat pump tariff?
Skip a time-of-use heat pump tariff if your household is home and heating through the 4pm–7pm peak window most days and can't shift that use — the peak-rate penalty on Cosy and Next Pumped can outweigh the off-peak saving. It's also not worth switching without a working smart meter, since none of these tariffs are available without one. In that situation, a standard variable or fixed tariff at the Ofgem price cap rate, or a simpler flat-rate deal, may work out cheaper overall than an unused time-of-use structure — run the numbers against your own daily usage pattern before switching, ideally using a full year of half-hourly smart meter data if you have it.
Can Home Assistant automate around a heat pump tariff?
Yes, and it's the most reliable way to actually capture the saving these tariffs advertise, rather than relying on remembering to adjust a thermostat manually. Octopus publishes a free public API for both Cosy and Agile rates, and a Home Assistant integration (the official Octopus Energy integration, or the community octopus_energy add-on) exposes the current and next-period rate as a sensor. From there a simple automation can boost the heat pump's flow temperature or pre-heat the hot water cylinder a little before a cheap window starts, and back off before the peak window begins, without any manual intervention. EDF and E.ON don't publish an equivalent open API, so their tariffs are easier to plan around with a fixed weekly schedule on the heat pump's own controller rather than a live-rate automation.
The same approach works well alongside a battery or solar diversion setup: a smart relay gated on the Octopus rate sensor means the compressor only runs flat-out during the cheapest hours, while a basic frost-protection setpoint keeps the house safe outside them. This is a natural extension of the load-shifting most heat pump owners already do for a home battery or EV charger, and it needs no extra hardware beyond what a typical Home Assistant setup already has.
If you are still choosing the heat pump itself, start with our best heat pumps for UK homes. For the wider running-cost picture, see our guides to heat pump installation cost UK and heat pump vs gas boiler running costs, and our broader Octopus Energy smart tariffs comparison if you're not yet running a heat pump.
