Storm Boelo keeps Agile prices negative for 15½ hours

Storm Boelo has pushed Agile prices below zero for 15½ hours on Sunday 25 October 2026. Every one of the 14 regions is negative from midnight until 2:30pm, so Agile customers are paid for each unit they use. Prices then climb back to about 31p/kWh at teatime.

Two storms in three days

Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, crossed southern Britain on Friday 23 October. The Met Office recorded gusts of 76mph at St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly and 74mph at Aberporth.

Storm Boelo followed on Saturday night. The Met Office has amber wind warnings for mainland Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England until 9pm on Sunday.

Within the amber area, gusts of 60 to 70mph are forecast, and up to 80mph on exposed coasts. The latest Met Office storm update warns of possible disruption to travel and power supplies.

Why the storm makes electricity cheap

Wind farms cost almost nothing to run once they are built. When they supply most of the country's power, gas plants are turned down and wholesale prices fall, sometimes below zero.

Elexon's half-hourly data shows the large wind farms on the national grid peaking at 17.3GW at 2:30pm on Saturday. They were still producing 13.0GW at half past midnight on Sunday, with smaller farms adding more on top.

Agile prices follow the wholesale market each half-hour, so the surplus shows up directly. Octopus calls a negative half-hour a plunge: you are credited for the electricity you use.

Sunday's prices, half-hour by half-hour

The plunge starts at midnight and lasts 31 half-hours, in every region. Because the clocks go back at 2am, the hour from 1am to 2am happens twice, which is why midnight to 2:30pm adds up to 15½ hours.

The lowest price in every region comes in the first 1am half-hour. It ranges from -7.34p/kWh in London, East Midlands and Yorkshire to -8.14p/kWh in Northern Scotland. You can see today's Agile prices for your region half-hour by half-hour.

Across the 31 negative half-hours, London averages -3.50p/kWh. Taking the whole Agile day from 11pm Saturday to 11pm Sunday, London averages just 2.58p/kWh.

What a long plunge is worth

A long plunge leaves room for jobs that take hours. Take a 7kW electric car charger in London, run for four hours from 10am to 2pm on Sunday. That adds 28kWh.

Home batteries, hot water cylinders and storage heaters on a timer can gain the same way. Wattly's cheapest time to use electricity finder picks the best block for any task length.

The evening still costs more

The plunge ends at 2:30pm, and prices rise sharply as demand builds towards teatime. London reaches 31.22p/kWh at 5pm, and Northern Scotland 35.73p/kWh.

With the clocks now on GMT, the teatime peak tends to come about an hour earlier on the clock, as it did last year. Our guide to the clocks going back explains why.

The Met Office expects more unsettled, windy weather into next week, mainly in the north. Wattly's Agile price history shows how often windy spells have pushed prices below zero this year.

FAQ

Why are Agile prices negative on 25 October 2026? Storm Boelo's strong winds mean wind farms are producing more than the country needs. Wholesale prices drop below zero, and Agile passes that through.

How long are Agile prices negative today? From midnight until 2:30pm, 31 half-hours in all 14 regions. That is 15½ hours because the clocks go back at 2am.

How low do Agile prices go during Storm Boelo? The lowest is -8.14p/kWh in Northern Scotland and -7.34p/kWh in London, both in the first 1am half-hour.

Do I get paid for using electricity when Agile is negative? Yes. On Agile Octopus you are credited for each unit you use in a negative half-hour, which Octopus calls Plunge Pricing.

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