SEG Rate Comparison: Who Pays the Most for Export?

What is the Smart Export Guarantee?

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) requires licensed electricity suppliers with 150,000+ customers to offer a tariff that pays you for electricity you export to the grid from your solar panels. It replaced the old Feed-in Tariff (FiT) export payments in January 2020.

Key points about the SEG:

• Suppliers must offer at least one SEG tariff, but they set their own rates
• The rate must be greater than zero (there's no minimum rate beyond that)
• You need an MCS-certified installation and a smart meter or export meter
• You can choose any eligible supplier for your SEG — it doesn't have to be your import supplier

Current SEG rates (April 2026)

Rates change frequently, but here's the landscape as of April 2026:

Fixed-rate SEG tariffs

Variable/dynamic SEG tariffs

Understanding the different rate types

Fixed rate SEG

The simplest option. Every kWh you export earns the same rate, 24 hours a day. Easy to predict, easy to understand. But you miss out on higher value during peak hours.

Best for: Households without a battery who export most surplus during the middle of the day.

Time-of-use export (e.g., Octopus Flux)

Flux pays different export rates at different times:

• Off-peak (02:00–05:00): Low export rate (~4p)
• Day (05:00–16:00): Standard rate (~10p)
• Peak (16:00–19:00): Premium rate (~24–32p)
• Evening (19:00–02:00): Standard rate (~10p)

With a battery, you can store solar surplus during the day and export it during the peak window for maximum value. This is effectively battery arbitrage optimised for export.

Best for: Solar + battery households willing to schedule export during peak hours.

Agile Outgoing

Tracks the wholesale market in 30-minute intervals. Export rates can vary from negative (yes, you'd pay to export during surplus periods) to 30p+ during winter peak demand. Most of the time, daytime export earns 5–12p/kWh.

Best for: Engaged users with a battery and automation who can respond to price signals.

How much does the SEG actually earn?

For a typical 4kW system without a battery, exporting roughly 1,500–2,200 kWh per year:

For context, using that same electricity yourself (self-consumption) saves ~24.5p/kWh on imports. Self-consumption is always worth more than export. The SEG is for surplus you genuinely can't use.

This is why a battery often makes more financial sense than chasing the best SEG rate. A 5kWh battery converting 1,000 kWh from export to self-consumption saves you roughly £195–£245/year, far more than any fixed SEG rate would pay for those same kWh.

How to sign up for SEG

1. Ensure eligibility: MCS-certified installation, generation capacity up to 5MW, smart meter or approved export meter installed.
2. Gather documents: MCS certificate, smart meter MPAN, proof of installation.
3. Apply to your chosen supplier: Usually online. Some suppliers require you to be their electricity customer; others don't.
4. Wait for registration: Typically 2–6 weeks for the supplier to register your meter and start payments.
5. Get paid: Quarterly or monthly depending on the supplier, based on your smart meter's export readings.

The smart meter requirement

You need a SMETS2 smart meter (or approved equivalent) that can measure export. Most UK smart meters installed since 2019 are SMETS2 and can measure export. If you have an older SMETS1 meter, it may need upgrading. Your supplier can arrange this at no cost.

Without a smart meter, some suppliers offer "deemed export" — they assume you export 50% of generation. This is usually less favourable than actual metered export, especially if you have a battery and export less than 50%.

GivEnergy All-in-One 5kW Hybrid Inverter

£1,200

rated power kw

5

max pv input kw

7.5

mppt channels

2

battery voltage v

48V

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Maximising SEG income

If you're determined to maximise export income:

1. Choose the best rate — Octopus Flux or Agile Outgoing with a battery outperform fixed SEG rates significantly
2. Time your export — with a battery, shift export to peak hours (4–7pm) when rates are highest
3. Size your system appropriately — a larger system exports more, but only if you can use the surplus or get paid well for it
4. Combine with smart import tariffs — the real value is in the spread between cheap import and expensive export

GivEnergy All-in-One 9.5kWh Battery

£5,500

capacity kwh

9.5

usable capacity kwh

8.6

chemistry

LFP

cycles

6000

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SEG vs old Feed-in Tariff

If you're comparing the SEG to the Feed-in Tariff that closed to new applicants in March 2019:

The FiT was vastly more generous. If you're on the FiT, stay on it — switching to SEG almost never makes sense (see our FiT to SEG switching guide).

The bottom line

SEG income is nice but modest. For most UK solar households, the priority should be:

1. Maximise self-consumption (worth ~24.5p/kWh)
2. Use a battery to shift solar to evening use
3. Then optimise export with the best available SEG rate

Chasing an extra penny or two on SEG rates matters far less than getting the fundamentals right.

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