Smart Export Guarantee (SEG): How to Get Paid for the Solar Electricity You Export

How to Get Paid for the Solar Electricity You Export

When you install solar panels, your system will often generate more electricity than your home can use at that exact moment — especially on bright days when nobody is home. Instead of wasting that surplus, the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) lets you sell it back to the grid and get paid for every unit you export.

Here is a simple guide to how it works, what you can earn in 2026, and how to sign up.

What is the Smart Export Guarantee? The SEG is a UK government-backed scheme, run by Ofgem, that launched in January 2020 to replace the older Feed-in Tariff. It requires every licensed electricity supplier with 150,000 or more customers to offer at least one tariff that pays solar owners for the electricity they export to the grid.

• What it pays for: Only the electricity you export — not what your panels generate and you use yourself.
• How it is measured: Your smart meter records half-hourly export readings automatically and sends them to your SEG supplier.
• Who can apply: Homeowners with an MCS-certified (or FlexiOrb) installation and a working smart meter.

How much can you actually earn? SEG rates vary enormously between suppliers — roughly from 3p per kWh at the bottom to over 24p per kWh at the top — so choosing the right tariff matters more than almost any other decision after installation.

• Flat rates (no battery needed): As of mid-2026, the strongest open flat rates sit around 12–15p per kWh, with some premium tariffs higher if you also take your import supply from the same company. Note that Octopus reduced its popular Outgoing Fixed rate from 15p to 12p in March 2026.
• Time-of-use rates (battery required): Variable tariffs such as Octopus Agile Outgoing and Intelligent Flux can spike to 25–32p per kWh during the evening peak (roughly 4–7pm), which a battery can deliberately target.
• Typical income: Figures vary widely by system, location and tariff. Industry estimates for a standard 4kW system without a battery commonly fall in the region of £120–£300 a year, but your actual return depends on how much you export and the rate you secure.

The key thing most people miss: import and export are separate. You do not have to use the same company for buying electricity and for selling it. You can import from one supplier on a cheap fixed tariff and export to another that pays a better SEG rate. The main exception is bundled tariffs (like Octopus Flux), which require the same supplier on both sides.

Self-consumption beats export — every time. Before chasing the highest export rate, remember that using your own solar power is worth roughly twice as much as exporting it, because you avoid paying the much higher import price. This is exactly why pairing your panels with battery storage makes such a difference: you store cheap daytime generation and use it in the evening instead of buying expensive grid power, then export the rest when rates are highest.

How to register for SEG

1. Get your MCS certificate. Your installation must be certified — keep the certificate safe, as you cannot apply without it.
2. Make sure you have a smart meter capable of half-hourly export readings (a SMETS2 meter).
3. Choose your SEG supplier by comparing current rates — and remember you can switch any time, with no lock-in.
4. Apply online with your MCS certificate, MPAN (meter point number), smart meter serial number and bank details.

The Verdict The SEG is not the windfall the old Feed-in Tariff was, but the rate you choose still makes a real difference to your returns, and the gap between the best and worst tariffs can be meaningful over a year. Combined with the bill savings from self-consumption, it can add a useful ongoing return on top of the energy you generate.

Ready to make the most of every unit your panels produce? Browse our full range of Solar Panels and Battery Storage to build a system designed around both self-use and smart exporting.

SEG tariffs are variable and suppliers can change them on roughly 30 days' notice. Specific rates and supplier names mentioned were correct as of June 2026 and are for illustration only — always confirm the current rate on the supplier's own page. SolarVoxGreen is an equipment supplier and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any energy supplier named.