Agile Octopus negative prices: September 2026 in numbers
Agile Octopus negative prices came up on 9 days in September 2026. In London, the price was below zero for 131 half-hours, or 65.5 hours in total. The lowest point in every region came at 1pm on Sunday 20 September.
What negative prices are
A negative price means you are paid for each unit of electricity you use. Octopus calls this Plunge Pricing. It says prices fall when more electricity is generated than the country is using, and can drop below zero.
Agile prices change every half hour, so a plunge usually lasts a few hours, not a whole day. Octopus says Agile customers get an alert whenever prices drop below zero. Wattly's live Octopus Agile prices label these half-hours "Negative — you get paid".
All September prices below include the 5% VAT that applied until 30 September. A negative price with VAT is slightly further below zero than the same price without it.
The nine plunge days in September
Every region had negative prices on the same nine days. The table shows London (region C).
| Day | Negative half-hours | Lowest price | Time of lowest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 4 September | 8 | -2.74p/kWh | 12pm |
| Saturday 5 September | 14 | -4.36p/kWh | 3pm |
| Sunday 6 September | 15 | -4.47p/kWh | 12:30pm |
| Saturday 12 September | 10 | -2.67p/kWh | 11am |
| Thursday 17 September | 8 | -2.14p/kWh | 12:30pm |
| Friday 18 September | 3 | -0.68p/kWh | 3pm |
| Saturday 19 September | 30 | -4.28p/kWh | 3am |
| Sunday 20 September | 32 | -5.04p/kWh | 1pm |
| Sunday 27 September | 11 | -2.59p/kWh | 11:30am |
Two patterns stand out. Six of the nine days were weekends, and they held 112 of London's 131 negative half-hours. Most plunges ran between 10am and 3:30pm.
The weekend of 19 and 20 September was different. Prices went below zero overnight as well as at midday. London had 62 negative half-hours across the two days, averaging -2.86p/kWh.
How the regions compared
The plunges hit every region, but not equally. Regions with higher prices in general had slightly fewer negative half-hours and slightly deeper lows.
| Region | Negative half-hours | Lowest price |
|---|---|---|
| London, East Midlands, Yorkshire | 131 | -5.04p/kWh |
| Eastern, West Midlands, North Eastern, North Western, Southern England, Southern Scotland | 131 | -5.12p/kWh |
| Merseyside and North Wales, South Eastern England, South Wales | 127 | -5.20p/kWh |
| South Western England | 122 | -5.27p/kWh |
| Northern Scotland | 121 | -5.36p/kWh |
You can compare Agile prices across all 14 regions for any day.
What a plunge was worth
Take an electric car on a 7kW home charger in London. Charging from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on 20 September adds 7kWh. At -3.73p and -5.04p for the two half-hours, the driver was paid about 31p for that charge.
That is small in pounds, but the bigger gain is avoiding peak prices. London's dearest half-hour in September cost 86.73p/kWh. The same 7kWh at that price would cost more than £6.
Anyone who can move flexible use, such as car charging, a home battery or a hot water cylinder, gains most. Wattly's cheapest time to use electricity finder picks the cheapest block of time for a task of any length.
What to expect next
October has started quietly. From 1 to 5 October there were no negative prices in London, and the lowest was 5.94p/kWh at 12:30pm on 4 October.
Since 1 October there has been no VAT on household electricity, so prices now appear without it. Wattly's Agile price history counts negative half-hours month by month, so you can see whether plunges return.
FAQ
How often do Agile prices go negative? It varies from month to month. In September 2026, every region had negative prices on 9 days, mostly at weekends and in the middle of the day.
What was the lowest Agile price in September 2026? It was -5.36p/kWh in Northern Scotland and -5.04p/kWh in London, both at 1pm on Sunday 20 September, including 5% VAT.
Do I really get paid during negative prices? Yes. On Agile Octopus you are paid for the electricity you use during a negative half-hour, which Octopus calls Plunge Pricing.
When do I find out about negative prices? Agile prices for the next day are published between 4pm and 8pm, usually nearer 4pm. Octopus also sends alerts when prices drop below zero.
Are negative prices the same in every region? They happen on the same days, but the number of negative half-hours and the lowest price differ slightly by region.