SIGNING UP
Payments aren't automatic
You have to apply to a supplier for a SEG tariff. Suppliers with 150,000 or more customers must offer at least one, and it need not be your current supplier.
How to applyWHAT OFGEM AND THE ENERGY SAVING TRUST SAY
Paid for the power
you don't use.
Spare solar can earn a little, but only if you sign up.
SIGN UP payments aren't automatic
270,395 Installations on a SEG tariff, March 2025
- Use your solar first
- Compare export tariffs
- Read the conditions
- Small steps, fair price for your surplus
The Smart Export Guarantee makes larger electricity suppliers offer a rate for the surplus your panels send to the grid. The rate is never set for you: suppliers choose it, so it pays to compare.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Sign up, compare,
use it first.
Export payments are a choice you make,
not something that switches on by itself.
SELF-USE
Your own use is worth more
The Energy Saving Trust says export typically pays around 12p a unit, while you would normally pay more than twice that to buy one. Running appliances in the sun can make more sense.
See the numbers
BATTERIES
Ask how export is counted
You can still get the SEG with a battery, but some suppliers only pay for electricity your panels made and may ask you to show how it is kept separate.
Check the termsA QUICK TARIFF CHECK
What kind of
export deal is it?
Pick the kind of tariff or situation you are looking at. The bar shows how much small print there is to check before you sign.
Based on Ofgem and Energy Saving Trust guidance on the Smart Export Guarantee in Great Britain. This is general information, not financial advice.
FOUR STEPS TO GET PAID
From roof
to export payment.
The scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, ask your energy supplier whether it offers an export tariff.
Keep your MCS certificate
The system and installer must be certified under MCS or equivalent, and suppliers may ask to see the certificate.
Get an export-reading smart meter
You need a registered smart meter that records exported electricity, even if you are not on a smart tariff.
Compare SEG licensees
Ofgem publishes a list of SEG licensees each year. Your export supplier can be different from the one that supplies your power.
Apply and check the terms
Each licensee sets its own rate, contract length and conditions. Payments are based on your export meter readings.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
More homes are
selling their surplus.
One figure on how many installations are signed up,
one on what a unit of export typically earns.
270,395
Installations on a SEG tariff, March 2025
Ofgem counted 270,395 installations registered to a SEG tariff at the end of Year 5, up from 166,022 a year earlier. 99.98% of them were solar PV.
SIGNED UP · OFGEM
≈ 12p
Paid per unit you export
The Energy Saving Trust says you typically get around 12p for every unit you export, while you would normally pay more than twice that to buy a unit from the grid.
TYPICAL RATE · EST
In SEG Year 5 (April 2024 to March 2025), Ofgem reports 443.1 GWh of exports and £56.97 million paid to registered installations, with 50 tariffs offered by 11 SEG licensees.
WHERE IT CAME FROM
After the
Feed-in Tariff.
The Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants in March 2019. The government then recognised the need to pay small-scale generators for the electricity they export, and the Smart Export Guarantee launched on 1 January 2020.
It covers solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro-CHP in Great Britain, up to 5MW, or 50kW for micro-CHP. The Energy Saving Trust says any typical home system is well within these limits, and Ofgem advises generators to shop around for the tariff that suits them.
Questions
Questions people ask
Do I get paid for exported solar automatically?
No. You need to sign up for a Smart Export Guarantee tariff with a supplier. The Energy Saving Trust notes that payments are not automatic.
Does my export supplier have to be my energy supplier?
No. Ofgem says you can apply to any SEG licensee, and you can use separate companies for your export payments, electricity supply and gas supply.
Is there a minimum SEG rate?
There is no set rate. Suppliers decide their tariffs, but Ofgem requires that a SEG tariff must always be above zero.
Can I get the SEG if I have a battery?
Yes. But suppliers do not have to pay for non-renewable electricity you export, so some may ask you to show how your solar output is kept separate from grid electricity.
Is the SEG available in Northern Ireland?
No. SEG tariffs are for Great Britain. The Energy Saving Trust suggests people in Northern Ireland ask their supplier whether it offers an export tariff.
Where the facts come from
Updated