Smart Export Guarantee rates compared (October 2026)

Suppliers pay anything from 3p to 25p per kWh for exported solar electricity, depending on the tariff, whether you also buy your import from them and, for the highest rates, who installed your system. This page lists the rates we read on each supplier's own page on 8 October 2026. They change often, so treat the table as a dated snapshot and confirm the live figure before you switch.

What the Smart Export Guarantee is

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the Ofgem-administered scheme that requires licensed suppliers to offer a tariff for electricity exported from small-scale renewable generators. Based on Ofgem's guidance for generators, the basics are:

• Solar PV, onshore wind, hydro and anaerobic digestion qualify up to 5 MW; micro-CHP up to 50 kW.
• Installations up to 50 kW need an MCS certificate or an equivalent scheme. You can check an installer on the MCS directory.
• You need export metering, usually a smart meter, to measure what you send to the grid.
• Suppliers set their own rate and contract length, but the rate must be above zero.
• You apply directly to the supplier. Many tariffs do not require you to buy your import from the same company, but the best-paying ones often do.

For how SEG income sits alongside grants and other funding, see solar battery grants and funding. Our fuller explainer on exports and storage is at SEG and home batteries.

Domestic SEG rates compared (read 8 October 2026)

Only rates we read on the supplier's own page appear below. Rates are as stated on the page, in pence per kWh. Where a page did not say whether a rate was fixed or variable, the table says so rather than guessing. Only the British Gas page carried a visible update date (27 August 2026); for every other row, the date is when we read the page. Several tariffs have extra conditions, such as installer links, capacity limits or sales dates, so read the supplier's terms before applying.

How to read the table

The headline figures on supplier sites are usually the top of a range. A tariff paying 17.5p, 18p or 25p is tied to a purchase, an installation or a battery, and may be fixed for only 12 months. The tariffs open to any household, including those with another import supplier, showed lower rates in this snapshot (3p to 4.5p, with Octopus and Ecotricity at 12p where you buy import from them). When comparing, check four things: the length of the fixed term, what happens when it ends, whether you must move your import supply, and whether a battery changes eligibility.

How a battery changes the value of exports

A battery lets you decide when electricity leaves your home. Without one, midday surplus is exported at whatever the flat export rate is. With one, you can charge from surplus, then either use that power in the evening (replacing imports) or export it at a time when the tariff pays more. British Gas states it pays SEG on power exported from battery storage. Other tariffs, such as those that follow wholesale prices or pay more in the 4pm to 7pm window, are aimed at battery owners.

Assumptions example (illustrative arithmetic, not a forecast)

Assumptions: 1,000 kWh a year of midday surplus is diverted into a battery; the battery returns 90% of what goes in (900 kWh usable); the import price avoided is the 26.32p/kWh price cap unit rate; the flat export rate is 12p/kWh (as on the Outgoing Octopus page); a time-of-use export tariff pays 16p/kWh at 4pm to 7pm and 9p/kWh otherwise (as on the Prime Outgoing page). Your own figures will differ.

• Export it unstored: 1,000 kWh at 12p = £120.00.
• Store it, use it in the evening instead of importing: 900 kWh at 26.32p = £236.88 of avoided import cost.
• Store it, export it 4pm to 7pm on the time-of-use tariff: 900 kWh at 16p = £144.00, against 1,000 kWh at the 9p rate = £90.00 if exported straight away.

On these assumptions, self-use beats a flat 12p export, because an avoided import is worth more than an export credit. Your result depends on your usage and tariff. The cost of the battery itself is a separate question: see solar battery costs, and run your own numbers in the savings calculator. Battery VAT rules are covered in battery VAT relief.

Before you switch

1. Check the date on the supplier page and the tariff's end date or exit terms.
2. Confirm you meet the MCS (or equivalent) and metering requirements.
3. Ask whether moving your import supply is required.
4. Check whether the rate applies to battery exports and how payments are made.

If you are still weighing up funding for a battery, start with what battery funding schemes actually cover or the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions