Octopus Intelligent Go was, for a long time, untouchable
If you drive an electric vehicle in the UK, you've almost certainly heard of Octopus Intelligent Go. For years it stood in a class of its own: a dedicated off-peak rate for EV owners that could plunge as low as 7–9p/kWh during overnight charging windows, dramatically cutting the cost of running an electric car. Pair it with a compatible charger or vehicle, and Octopus's smart scheduling would automatically fill your battery during the cheapest hours — no fiddling required.
The HomeAssistant ecosystem caught up too: BottleCapDave's excellent HomeAssistant-OctopusEnergy integration became something of a gold standard, letting you build automations around dispatch slots, rates, and account data.
So why did I switch? Two reasons hit simultaneously in May 2026: Octopus raised their prices (standing charges, unit rates, and crucially the upcoming enforcement of the 6-hour total limit on cheap electricity per day — always in Octopus's T&Cs but being actively enforced this month), and EDF Energy quietly released a combination that finally competes — their Go Electric 12-month fixed tariff plus a Smart Charging feature. The piece that was missing? A HomeAssistant library. So I built one.
This page is my honest, numbers-first comparison of the two tariffs — with a regional standing charge lookup by postcode, referral links for a £50 switching bonus, and full details of my EDF HomeAssistant fork.
Price Comparison: Octopus Intelligent Go vs EDF Go Electric
Standing charges vary by region in the UK. Enter your postcode below for a more accurate figure — otherwise the table shows indicative national averages.
💡 Vehicle or charger not compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go? Don't be pushed onto the standard Octopus Go tariff with its higher prices — EDF Go Electric is open to everyone, regardless of whether your car or charger supports the Smart Charging add-on.
| Feature | 🐙 Octopus Intelligent Go | ⚡ EDF Go Electric + Smart Charging |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff type | 12-month fixed ✓ Fixed | 12-month fixed ✓ Fixed |
| Off-peak rate | 8p / kWh (fixed) | 6.99p / kWh ✓ Cheaper |
| Peak / day rate | 31–35p / kWh (regional — enter postcode) | 29–32p / kWh (regional — enter postcode) ✓ Lower |
| Off-peak window | 23:30–05:30 (+ intelligent slots) | 23:00–06:00 7 hrs |
| Whole-home off-peak rate | ✅ Yes — entire home benefits 23:30–05:30 | ✅ Yes — entire home benefits 23:00–06:00 7 hrs |
| Intelligent dispatch limit | 6 hours total per day — always in T&Cs, being enforced from May 2026. Includes the off-peak window (23:30–05:30) | No cap — potentially a full charge every day |
| Standing charge | 42–68p/day (regional — enter postcode) | 48–74p/day (regional — enter postcode) |
| Smart Charging | Included in tariff | Free — earn £5/month bill credit for participating ✓ Pays you |
| Compatible vehicles | Required to join: Tesla, VW Group (ID.3/4/5/7, Audi, Skoda, Cupra, Seat), BMW/Mini, Ford, Porsche, Nissan Ariya, and others | Any EV gets the standard off-peak window. Smart Charging scheduling (optional add-on) additionally supports: Tesla, VW Group, BMW/Mini, Ford, Porsche, Nissan Ariya — full list on EDF's site |
| Compatible chargers | Required to join: Ohme, Indra, Hypervolt, Zappi, and others | Any charger gets the standard off-peak window. Smart Charging scheduling additionally supports: Indra, Hypervolt, Zappi, Andersen, NexBlue — not Ohme |
| HomeAssistant integration | ✅ Excellent (BottleCapDave) | ✅ Available — my fork of BottleCapDave's library, adapted for EDF |
| Switching bonus | £50 account credit (via referral link) | £50 account credit (via referral link) |
| Contract length | 12 months — no exit fee | 12 months — £75 exit fee if you leave early |
* All standing charges and peak rates taken from supplier APIs (May 2026, inc VAT). Octopus: INTELLI-FIX-12M-26-04-18. EDF: EDF_EV_FIX_GOELEC_12M_HH (Go Electric 12m). Octopus off-peak fixed at 8p/kWh (all regions). EDF off-peak 6.99p/kWh. Rates are baked into this page at time of writing — always verify current rates on each supplier's website before switching.
Switch and get a £50 switching bonus
Both links below are my personal referral links. If you complete a successful switch, you'll receive a £50 switching bonus on your account after your first bill payment. I receive a separate referral credit. No catches, no minimum term beyond the EDF fixed deal.
Go Electric + Smart Charging
12-month fixed · Smart charging free · Earn £5/month credit
⚡ Get £50 switching bonus →Intelligent Go Tariff
12-month fixed rate · Smart EV charging · No exit fee
🐙 Get £50 switching bonus →The switching process
Switching to an EV tariff is a two-step process — you can't jump straight onto the cheap overnight rate until your new supplier can see half-hourly smart meter readings.
Switch to the standard variable tariff first. Use the referral link above to initiate your switch. You'll land on the supplier's standard variable tariff to begin with — this is normal and expected.
Wait for half-hourly smart meter confirmation. Once your new supplier confirms they can see 30-minute smart meter readings from your meter, you're ready to move onto the EV tariff.
Switch to the EV tariff. Log into your account or use the app to switch from the standard variable tariff to Go Electric (EDF) or Intelligent Go (Octopus). This is usually instant once smart meter readings are confirmed.
Having trouble switching to EDF online? If you have Solar or Export tariffs, the EDF website may not recognise your address correctly. If this happens, call EDF directly on 0333 006 9950 — you can still get the £50 switching bonus.
Once your switch is processed over the phone, send an email to hello@edfenergy.com with:
- Your new EDF account number (emailed to you after switching)
- The referral link you intended to use:
https://edfenergy.com/quote/refer-a-friend/massive-sun-7007 - A note explaining you had to join by phone as the website didn't recognise your address
EDF will then apply the £50 switching bonus to your account manually.
EDF Smart Charging: the feature that changes everything
The EDF Go Electric tariff alone is competitive on price. Add the Smart Charging feature and you're in genuinely new territory — Octopus Intelligent Go territory, at a lower unit rate, with no 6-hour cap to worry about, and EDF paying you for the privilege.
EDF pays you £5/month in bill credit simply for letting Smart Charging control when your vehicle charges. The feature itself is completely free — there's no bolt-on fee, no subscription. You're getting intelligent overnight scheduling, the potential for a full charge every day, and charger control, and EDF hands you £5 back every month for the privilege.
Compatible vehicles
Tesla, VW Group (ID.3/4/5/7), Audi, Skoda, Cupra, BMW, Mini, Ford (Mustang Mach-E, Explorer, Puma Gen-E), Porsche, Nissan Ariya, and more. Full list on EDF's site.
Compatible chargers
Smart Charging works with Indra, Hypervolt, Zappi, Andersen, NexBlue, and others. Note: Ohme is not currently supported. Any charger gets the standard 23:00–06:00 off-peak window — Smart Charging scheduling is the add-on that requires compatibility.
No 6-hour cap
Octopus's 6-hour limit — always in their T&Cs, now being enforced from May 2026 — caps total cheap electricity including the off-peak window. EDF Smart Charging has no such limit, meaning you could potentially get a full charge every day.
Target time scheduling
Set a ready-by time (e.g. 07:30) and the system back-calculates when to start charging within the off-peak window to hit your target SOC.
Manual override
Tap to boost charge outside of off-peak hours when you need a quick top-up — billed at the standard day rate.
Charge history
Full charge session logging in the EDF app, including energy delivered and session cost. Useful for expense claims or just peace of mind.
How to activate Smart Charging
Switch to the EDF Go Electric 12-month fixed tariff (use my referral link above for a £50 switching bonus).
Once live on the tariff, enable Smart Charging via your EDF online account or the EDF app. It's free — and you'll immediately start earning the £5/month bill credit.
Connect your vehicle or smart charger using the in-app setup wizard. Your £5/month credit is applied automatically each billing cycle.
Set your overnight charge target and ready-by time. Let EDF handle the scheduling — or use HomeAssistant for full control (see below).
HomeAssistant-EDFEnergy: my fork of BottleCapDave's library
The single biggest thing holding me back from switching earlier wasn't the price — it was the lack of a HomeAssistant integration for EDF. BottleCapDave's Octopus Energy integration is exceptional: it exposes dispatch slots, current rates, account balance, and consumption sensors that you can build powerful automations around. EDF had nothing comparable.
So after switching in May 2026, I forked BottleCapDave's codebase and rebuilt the API layer for EDF Energy. The result is HomeAssistant-EDFEnergy — a custom component that gives you the same automation capabilities you'd expect from the Octopus integration, but pointed at EDF's backend.
What the integration exposes
off_peak_active sensor
Binary sensor — true during off-peak window and any smart dispatch slots. Drive automations to pause or resume high-draw appliances.
current_unit_rate sensor
Live p/kWh rate — useful for energy dashboards, cost calculators, and conditional automations based on rate thresholds.
Smart charge slots
Exposes upcoming off-peak and dispatch windows so you can build calendar cards or Lovelace dashboards showing tonight's charging plan.
Consumption & cost
Historical consumption data pulled from your EDF smart meter — feed into Energy Dashboard or long-term statistics.
The integration is a work in progress — EDF's API isn't as publicly documented as Octopus's, so some features are still being reverse-engineered. Contributions, bug reports, and pull requests are very welcome on GitHub.
Get a £50 switching bonus — use a referral link
Whether you decide Octopus or EDF is right for you, using a referral link costs you nothing. You'll receive a £50 switching bonus after your first bill payment — and I receive a referral credit.