SEG tariff comparison: which export rates are worth having in 2026?

Export rates paid to UK solar homes run from around 1p to around 16p per kWh at the time of writing, and nearly every tariff at the top of that spread carries a condition: the same supplier's import tariff, and for the very highest tiers (around 17–25p) a system that supplier installed. A standalone export rate from a supplier you don't buy electricity from typically sits in the 3–6p band, with the odd outlier above 10p.

The Smart Export Guarantee obliges larger suppliers to pay you for exported solar; our SEG primer covers how it works, and will SEG export rates fall? covers where rates might head. This page lines up what the main suppliers typically pay right now and how to pick between them.

SEG export rates compared, September 2026

Every figure below is typical rather than exact, and the headline rate is nearly always reserved for the supplier's own import customers.

Supplier and tariff	Rate type	Typical export rate	Import customer needed?	Standout conditions
Octopus Outgoing Fixed	Fixed	Around 12p (cut from 15p in March 2026)	Yes	Standalone Octopus SEG tariff around 4p for non-customers
Octopus Agile Outgoing	Variable, half-hourly	Averages around 10p; evening peaks well above, midday near zero	Yes	Pays most when a battery times export into the evening
Octopus Flux	Variable by time band	Roughly 5–29p depending on band	Yes	Needs a battery; Intelligent Flux closed to new customers at the time of writing
EDF Export 12m	Fixed	Around 15p	Yes	Variable customer tariff around 5–6p; standalone SEG around 3p; installer-exclusive tier around 18p
Ecotricity Smart Export	Variable	Around 16p	Yes	Highest open-market customer rate at the time of writing
Fuse Energy Single Rate	Variable	Around 13p	No	Rare case of a double-digit rate without an import requirement
E.ON Next Export	Variable	Around 13p for customers; around 6p otherwise	For the top rate	Installer tier around 17–18p fixed for systems E.ON supplied
British Gas Export	Variable	Around 12p (Premium) or 8p (Extra) for customers; around 3p otherwise	For the top rate	Former 15p Export & Earn Plus withdrawn in June 2026
OVO Export	Variable	Around 12p for customers; around 4p otherwise	For the top rate	Install-exclusive tier around 20p fixed with OVO solar and battery
ScottishPower SmartGen	Variable	Around 12p (Premium) for customers; around 6p otherwise	For the top rate	Premium Plus around 15p with solar and battery from ScottishPower
Good Energy Solar Savings	Fixed	Around 12p for customers; around 4p export-only	For the top rate	Installer tier around 25p for Good Energy solar and battery
So Energy So Export Flex	Variable	Around 4–5p	No	So Bright tier around 20p fixed for So Energy installs
Utility Warehouse Smart Export	Variable	Around 8p with a bundle; around 2p standard	For the top rate	Higher rate tied to taking more UW services
Smaller suppliers	Mostly variable	Varies, often 1–5p	Varies	Under 150,000 customers means no SEG obligation

Rates checked in September 2026 against published supplier and comparison pages; suppliers change them without notice, so confirm on the supplier's own page before switching.

How to compare: export volume beats the headline rate

The rate gets the attention, but export volume decides whether a switch is worth the paperwork.

• Estimate your annual export. A 4 kWp system on a decent UK roof makes roughly 3,400–4,000 kWh a year. Without a battery a household typically exports 40–60% of that, roughly 1,400–2,400 kWh. With a battery, export often falls to 20–30%, roughly 700–1,200 kWh.
• Multiply by the rate. At 5p, 1,400–2,400 kWh earns around £70–£120 a year; at 15p, around £210–£360. The gap between a floor rate and a top rate is therefore roughly £140–£240 a year without a battery, and roughly £70–£120 with one.
• Use real numbers if you have them. Your inverter app shows twelve months of export. If you don't have solar yet, the savings calculator estimates it for your roof and usage.

Fixed vs variable export: who wins

Fixed rates pay the same at noon in June and 5pm in December. Variable rates such as Octopus Outgoing Agile track the half-hourly wholesale price: most in the evening peak, least at midday when every panel in the country is generating.

• No battery: fixed wins in most cases. A solar-only home exports almost entirely between late morning and mid-afternoon, exactly when variable export pays least. A flat 12–15p beats an Agile average for that pattern.
• Controllable battery: variable is worth a look. If your battery can hold surplus and export it between roughly 4pm and 7pm, you catch the peak, where variable export has paid above 20p. It needs an inverter that supports scheduled export.
• Set-and-forget households: fixed. If you'd rather never open the app, take the flat rate.

Import-customer bundles: doing the maths

The most common trap is comparing a 15p bundled export rate against a 6p standalone one without pricing the import side.

Take a home exporting 1,500 kWh and importing 3,000 kWh a year. Moving from 6p to 15p export gains around £135. If the bundled import tariff is 2p per kWh dearer, that costs around £60, and a standing charge 5p a day higher another £18 or so: still ahead by roughly £55. At 4p dearer on import, the extra £120 plus standing charge wipes out the gain.

• Price both sides, every time. Export gain minus import penalty minus standing-charge difference. If that isn't clearly positive, the standalone rate with a cheaper import tariff wins.
• Check renewal terms. Some top rates drop to the standard tier after twelve months unless you renew the import contract too.

Battery owners and time-of-export tariffs

A battery means you export less, so the flat rate matters less, and you can choose when to export, which is what time-of-export tariffs such as Flux, Intelligent Flux and Outgoing Agile pay for. Paired with a cheap overnight import window, a battery owner can charge from the grid at night, run on solar by day and export stored surplus into the peak; the import side of that maths is in our Octopus Go and time-of-use tariffs guide.

Two cautions. Several of these tariffs require a specific battery or inverter the supplier can control, so check compatibility before buying the kit. And a battery sized for evening self-use rarely has much left to export, so size it for your own consumption first, as what size solar battery do I need? walks through, and treat export as a bonus.

What you need to qualify

Every SEG tariff asks for the same core evidence.

• An MCS certificate. In practice that means an MCS-certified installer.
• A smart meter that reads export. A SMETS2 meter, or a SMETS1 meter migrated to the national network. Older meters can't, and the supplier will fit one before payments start.
• An export MPAN. A separate supply number for your export, which the new supplier usually requests from the network operator.
• DNO notification. Your installer notifies the network operator under G98 for most home systems, or gets prior approval under G99 for larger ones.
• No Feed-in Tariff export payments. You can't receive FiT export and SEG together. In most cases a FiT household can keep its generation payments and opt out of deemed export, but confirm with your FiT licensee first.

SEG applies in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate export arrangements.

How to switch export supplier

Export is a standalone contract, so you can move it without touching your import tariff. Switching typically takes two to six weeks, most of it waiting on the export MPAN and a first meter read. Have these ready:

• MCS certificate, as a PDF or the certificate number.
• DNO notification or G99 acceptance from your installer.
• Smart meter serial number, often with a photo.
• Import MPAN and current supplier, from any bill.
• Export MPAN if you have one; otherwise the new supplier requests it.
• Bank details and a declaration that you're not receiving FiT export.

Apply on the supplier's export page, upload the documents and wait for confirmation that the export MPAN is registered to them. Payments are typically quarterly. You can only apply once the system is commissioned, though good installers hand over the paperwork pack on the day.

Common mistakes when picking an export tariff

• Chasing a penny. Moving from 12p to 13p on 1,500 kWh is £15 a year. Switch for several pence, or for a bundle that's clearly better all-in.
• Forgetting the import side. A top export rate with a dearer import tariff can cost more than it earns.
• Ignoring the standing charge. A few pence a day more wipes out much of a modest export gain. It's the line people skip.
• Assuming the headline applies to you. The advertised rate is usually the import-customer tier. Read which one you'd get.

Which export rate is worth having comes down to volume, conditions and the import side: a no-battery home wants the highest flat rate whose import bundle doesn't undo it, and a battery home should size for its own use, then look at time-of-export tariffs. Start with how much your roof would actually make using our roof check, run the savings calculator, which deliberately uses a conservative 5–13p export assumption so the result doesn't hinge on a headline rate lasting, and get quotes from MCS-certified installers covering your postcode, since their certificate is where every export tariff starts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest SEG rate in the UK right now?

At the time of writing, the highest open-market export rates for a supplier's own import customers sit around 15–16p per kWh, and installer-exclusive tiers reach around 17–25p for households that bought their solar or battery through that supplier. Every rate at that level is conditional on being the supplier's import customer, holding particular kit, or both. Variable tariffs pay more than 20p in the evening peak but far less at midday.

Can my export supplier be different from my import supplier?

Yes. Export is a separate contract with its own MPAN, so you can buy electricity from one supplier and sell surplus to another. The catch is that the highest export rates are usually reserved for a supplier's own import customers, so a standalone export tariff typically lands in the 3–6p band. A cheaper import tariff plus a mid-range export rate often still beats a bundle.

How much does the export rate actually matter?

Less than the headline suggests, because the value depends on export volume. A typical 4 kWp home without a battery exports roughly 1,400–2,400 kWh a year, so the gap between a 5p and a 15p rate is roughly £140–£240 annually. With a battery, export often halves and so does the gap. Switch for several pence, not a penny, and always check the import tariff attached.

How long does switching export tariff take?

Typically two to six weeks from application to your first paid export period. Most of that is the new supplier registering your export MPAN with the network operator and taking a first meter reading. Having your MCS certificate, DNO notification, meter serial number and bank details ready keeps it at the short end. You can't apply until the system is commissioned.

Related

• Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) explained
• Will SEG export rates fall?
• Solar with Octopus Go and time-of-use tariffs
• What size solar battery do I need?
• MCS-certified installers explained
• Estimate your savings