What is the SEG?
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) replaced the old Feed-in Tariff in 2020. It requires licensed electricity suppliers with 150,000+ customers to offer a tariff for small-scale renewable electricity exports.
In simple terms: when your solar panels generate more electricity than you use, the surplus flows back to the grid and your supplier pays you for it.
Current SEG Rates
SEG rates vary by supplier and tariff type:
- Fixed-rate SEG: 4–8p per kWh exported. Predictable and easy to budget.
- Variable/agile SEG: Rates change every 30 minutes based on wholesale prices. Can be higher (10–15p+) during peak demand or lower (1–3p) at quiet times.
- Flux-style tariffs: Some suppliers (like Octopus Flux) combine cheap import rates with premium export rates, designed specifically for solar + battery homes.
For a typical 4 kWp system exporting about 1,800 kWh per year, a fixed 6p/kWh SEG earns roughly £108/year. With a variable tariff and smart battery management, this can rise to £200–£300/year.
How to Sign Up
To receive SEG payments, you need:
1. MCS certification — Your installation must be MCS-certified (all our installations are). 2. Smart meter — You need a smart meter that records exports. Your supplier will install one for free if you don’t have one. 3. SEG registration — Sign up with your chosen supplier. You are not limited to your current electricity supplier.
We help you with the registration process as part of our handover service.
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Maximising Your Returns
The best financial strategy is to use as much of your solar electricity as possible (since using 1 kWh saves you 24p, while exporting it earns only 4–8p). A battery helps significantly with this.
Smart strategies include:
- Running high-consumption appliances (dishwasher, washing machine) during peak solar hours.
- Pre-heating your hot water cylinder during the day.
- Charging your EV from solar.
- Using a battery to shift solar to evening use.
- Choosing a time-of-use tariff that rewards flexibility.
SEG Rates Compared: What You Actually Earn
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) pays you for every unit of solar electricity you send back to the grid. Unlike the old Feed-in Tariff it is not a fixed government rate — each licensed supplier sets its own SEG rate, so it pays to compare.
In 2026 typical SEG rates range from around 3p/kWh at the bottom end to 15p/kWh or more for the best time-linked tariffs, with most fixed offers sitting in the 5–12p band. Some of the highest rates are tied to taking your import tariff from the same supplier, so always compare the import and export rates together rather than chasing a headline export figure.
A worked example: a 4.5kWp array generating ~4,000 kWh a year, exporting half of it (2,000 kWh) at 10p, earns around £200 a year in SEG payments — on top of the far larger saving from the electricity you use yourself. That is why the smartest setup is to use as much of your own generation as possible (through a heat pump, EV charging or a battery) and export the surplus for a bonus, rather than treating export as the main event. You need an MCS certificate and a smart meter to claim, both of which we handle as part of a solar installation.
Frequently asked questions
Fixed SEG tariffs pay about 4–8p per kWh exported, while variable/agile tariffs can reach 10–15p+ at peak times (and less at quiet times). A 4kWp system exporting ~1,800 kWh a year earns roughly £108 on a 6p fixed rate.
It changes often, but flux-style tariffs (e.g. Octopus Flux) and agile export rates tend to pay the most for solar-and-battery homes. You can choose any SEG supplier — you are not tied to your import supplier.
You need an MCS certificate (all our installs qualify), a smart meter that records export, and to register for an SEG tariff. We help you set this up as part of handover.
Using your own solar is worth about 24p/kWh versus 4–8p exporting it, so a battery that shifts solar to the evening usually beats exporting. Many homes do both: self-consume first, export the surplus.
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