Best SEG export tariff rates UK – August 2026
If you own solar panels and you are still on the original 5p–5.5p Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff you signed back in 2020 or 2021, you are leaving £150–£480 a year on the table. With the Ofgem price cap rising, your imported electricity gets dearer — but your exported electricity can be worth far more if you switch to a top-paying SEG tariff. This guide lists every major UK SEG export tariff, rates verified August 2026, ranked by headline rate, with eligibility rules, flat-vs-variable guidance and a savings illustration.
Don’t have panels on the roof yet? Installer prices have fallen sharply over the last two years — our sister site BestBuilders tracks current solar panel installation costs across the UK, so you can weigh the up-front spend against these export rates.
- Best headline rate: Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive at 25p/kWh — but only if Good Energy Solar, JPS, Amelio or Empower installed your solar and battery.
- Best open-market rate: Ecotricity Smart Export at 16p/kWh — any import supplier, no battery, no tie to who installed your system.
- Highest peak rate (battery required): Octopus Flux at 29.32p/kWh between 4pm and 7pm. Intelligent Octopus Flux has been closed to new customers since March 2026.
- Why it matters now: the Ofgem price cap is £1,663/yr — strong export income offsets the import hike.
The export rate you can get depends on who supplies you
Every headline SEG rate above about 16p is tied to the supplier that installed your system, so the table below is only half your answer. For most solar homes the bigger saving is on the electricity you still BUY — enter your postcode to see what that costs you today.
Free, whole-of-market and takes about two minutes. We only use your postcode to find your property.
Quick answer: what is the best SEG export rate in the UK right now?
As of August 2026 the highest rate still open to new customers is Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive at 25p/kWh — but only for homes whose solar and battery were installed by Good Energy Solar, JPS, Amelio or Empower. If you bought your system elsewhere, the best rate you can actually get is Ecotricity Smart Export at 16p/kWh, which accepts any import supplier and needs no battery. Intelligent Octopus Flux has been closed to new customers since March 2026, and Outgoing Octopus was cut to 12p/kWh on 1 March 2026. You can keep your existing electricity supplier and still switch your export contract — import and export are decoupled. Rates verified August 2026.
Compare every UK SEG export tariff in one place
The Smart Export Guarantee replaced the old Feed-in Tariff in January 2020 and obliges every electricity supplier with more than 150,000 customers to publish at least one SEG export tariff. As of August 2026 there are roughly thirty live SEG tariffs across the UK, ranging from a token 2p/kWh up to 25p/kWh — though every rate above about 16p is restricted to homes that bought their solar or battery from that supplier.
Tell us your postcode, MPAN (or installation date if you don’t have it to hand) and battery status. We match you against the suppliers that will actually pay you the most for your exported kilowatt-hours given your kit, your import tariff and your region — rates verified August 2026, no out-of-date supplier marketing.
Find the best SEG export tariff for your home
Tell us your postcode and panel size and we’ll match the highest verified SEG rate you qualify for. Takes about 60 seconds.
Full UK SEG export rate table — verified August 2026
Rates below are the headline peak (or flat) export rates published by each supplier and verified within the last 14 days. Where a rate is time-of-use, the figure shown is the peak export-window rate; off-peak export pays considerably less. Always read the eligibility column — the very highest rates require you to be that supplier’s import customer too.
| Supplier & tariff | Headline rate | Type | Who can actually get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive | 25p/kWh | Fixed 12m | Solar and battery installed by Good Energy Solar, JPS, Amelio or Empower + Good Energy import |
| So Energy So Bright Export | 20p/kWh | Fixed 12m | So Energy must install the system and supply your electricity; reverts to 4.5p after 12 months |
| OVO SEG Install Exclusive | 20p/kWh | Fixed | OVO-installed system + OVO import |
| EDF Export Exclusive 12m V3 | 18p/kWh | 12-month | Solar or battery bought from EDF after 2 March 2026 + EDF import |
| E.ON Next Export Premium v3 | 17.5p/kWh | Fixed | E.ON-installed system + E.ON Next import |
| Ecotricity Smart Export | 16p/kWh | Variable | Open market — any import supplier, no battery, no installer tie |
| EDF Export 12m | 15p/kWh | Fixed 12m | Existing EDF electricity customer — no need to have bought from EDF |
| ScottishPower SmartGen Premium Plus | 15p/kWh | Variable | ScottishPower-installed system + ScottishPower import |
| E.ON Next Export Exclusive v3 | 13p/kWh | Fixed | E.ON Next import customer |
| Fuse Energy Single Rate Variable | 13p/kWh | Variable | No import-customer requirement |
| Octopus Outgoing Octopus | 12p/kWh | Variable | Octopus import customer (cut from 15p on 1 March 2026) |
| British Gas Export Premium | 12p/kWh | Fixed | British Gas import customer |
| Good Energy Solar Savings | 12p/kWh | Fixed | Good Energy import customer, no battery or installer tie |
| Octopus Flux | 29.32p/kWh peak | Time-of-use | Battery + Octopus import. 29.32p 4–7pm, 10.11p daytime, 4.99p 02:00–05:00 |
| Octopus Intelligent Flux | — | Closed | Closed to new customers since March 2026. Existing customers keep their rate |
| EDF SEG Export Variable Value | 5.6p/kWh | Variable | EDF import customer |
| Octopus SEG (standalone) | 4.1p/kWh | Fixed | Open to anyone, any supplier |
| EDF SEG Export Variable | 3p/kWh | Variable | Open to anyone, any supplier |
All rates verified August 2026. Peak time-of-use rates apply only during specified export windows — check supplier T&Cs at sign-up. SEG rates are set by suppliers and are not regulated by the Ofgem price cap.
Flat vs variable (time-of-use) SEG — which should you choose?
Flat-rate SEG (no battery)
A flat SEG tariff pays the same rate for every exported unit, whatever the time of day. For a solar-only home with no battery, a flat 16p (Ecotricity, open to anyone) or 15p (EDF Export 12m) deal is simpler and almost always pays more than a time-of-use tariff, because most of your export happens midday when time-of-use peak windows are closed. Predictable, easy to budget, and no kit beyond panels and a smart meter.
Variable / time-of-use SEG (battery)
Time-of-use tariffs such as Octopus Flux (29.32p between 4pm and 7pm, 10.11p in the day and 4.99p overnight) pay their top rate only during early-evening peak windows — after solar has tailed off. They reward you for using a battery to store midday generation and discharge it to the grid at peak. Without a battery to time-shift, your blended rate often falls below a simple flat 25p deal. Great with storage, weaker without it.
How the Smart Export Guarantee actually works
The SEG is a government scheme that obliges every licensed electricity supplier in Great Britain with more than 150,000 domestic customers to offer at least one tariff that pays small-scale low-carbon generators for every kilowatt-hour they export back to the grid. It covers solar PV up to 5MW, onshore wind, hydro, micro-CHP and anaerobic digestion. For a residential solar owner the reality is simple: your smart meter measures every unit you export, the supplier credits your account, and you receive cash or bill credit monthly or quarterly.
Crucially, the supplier you import electricity from does NOT have to be the supplier you sell your exports to. That decoupling is the lever to pull in 2026: you can keep a cheap import tariff (a competitive 12-month fix sits well below the £1,663/yr current cap) and separately export to Ecotricity at 16p/kWh, which takes any import supplier. The two contracts are completely independent unless the export tariff explicitly bundles import — as Octopus Flux does.
SEG eligibility checklist — verified August 2026
Generation technology
Solar PV, wind, hydro, micro-CHP or anaerobic digestion. Maximum 5MW total declared net capacity (50kW for micro-CHP). Domestic rooftop PV is overwhelmingly the most common applicant.
MCS or equivalent certificate
Your installation must hold MCS certification (or RECC-equivalent for non-MCS technologies). Without it you cannot register for SEG — keep your MCS handover pack safe.
Smart meter (SMETS2 or equivalent)
SEG payments depend on half-hourly export readings. A SMETS2 smart meter is effectively mandatory; SMETS1 is accepted if migrated to the DCC. No smart meter, no SEG income.
How to apply for or switch your SEG export tariff
- Gather your kit details. MCS certificate number, panel kW rating, battery capacity (if any), MPAN from your electricity bill, and a recent smart-meter export reading.
- Decide flat vs time-of-use. With a battery, time-of-use (Octopus Flux 29.32p at peak) can pay more if you can shift export into 4–7pm. With no battery, a flat tariff like Ecotricity 16p or EDF Export 12m 15p is simpler and open to far more homes.
- Check import-tariff bundling. The best export rates (Flux, Intelligent Flux, EDF Export Exclusive, E.ON Next, British Gas Export & Earn Plus, Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive) require you to be that supplier’s electricity import customer too. Factor in the import-tariff cost against the £1,663/yr cap.
- Use our comparison form. We confirm the best supplier match for your kit and region, then pass you the application link directly to the supplier — no aggregator middle fee.
- Cancel your old SEG. Notify your existing SEG supplier in writing (email is fine) at least 14 days before switching to avoid double-billing of export readings.
SEG savings illustration — 4kW PV system, August 2026
A typical 4kW domestic solar PV array in the south of England exports roughly 2,400 kWh a year (assuming 50% of about 4,800 kWh annual generation is exported and 50% self-consumed). Here is what that exported electricity is worth on each major SEG tariff, rates verified August 2026:
| Tariff | Rate | Annual SEG income (2,400 kWh exported) |
|---|---|---|
| Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive | 25p flat | £600 |
| So Energy So Bright Export | 20p flat | £480 |
| EDF Export Exclusive 12m V3 | 18p flat | £432 |
| Ecotricity Smart Export (open market) | 16p flat | £384 |
| EDF Export 12m | 15p flat | £360 |
| Fuse Energy (no import tie) | 13p flat | £312 |
| Octopus Outgoing Octopus | 12p flat | £288 |
| British Gas Export Premium | 12p flat | £288 |
| Octopus SEG standalone | 4.1p flat | £98 |
In other words, a solar owner stuck on a legacy 5p SEG contract who switches to Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive at 25p/kWh adds £480/year of export income — more than offsetting the £221/year price-cap rise hitting import bills. Use the comparison form to confirm your eligibility.
Frequently asked questions — SEG export tariffs (August 2026)
What is the highest SEG export rate in the UK in 2026?
As of August 2026 the highest rate still open to new customers is Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive at 25p/kWh, and it requires solar and a battery installed by Good Energy Solar, JPS, Amelio or Empower, plus Good Energy for import. So Energy So Bright Export and OVO SEG Install Exclusive both pay 20p/kWh on the same installer-tied basis. If you did not buy your system from a supplier, the best rate open to you is Ecotricity Smart Export at 16p/kWh.
Can I be on a different supplier for import and export?
Yes — the Smart Export Guarantee is fully decoupled from your import supply. You can import from one supplier on a competitive fixed tariff and export to Good Energy at 25p/kWh, as one example. The exception is bundled tariffs like Octopus Flux, which require Octopus on both sides. Verified August 2026.
Do I need a smart meter and MCS certificate to claim SEG?
Yes to both. SEG payments are based on half-hourly export readings from a SMETS2 (or DCC-enrolled SMETS1) smart meter, and your install must hold MCS certification. Without a smart meter your application is paused until installation — most suppliers arrange this free as part of onboarding when you sign up via our comparison form.
Will SEG income be affected by the Ofgem price cap?
No — SEG export rates are set independently by each supplier and are not regulated by the Ofgem default tariff price cap. The cap is £1,663/yr only affects import unit rates and standing charges, but it does make switching to a high-paying SEG tariff considerably more valuable as a net household-cost offset.
How long does a SEG switch take to process?
Once you submit the application with MCS certificate, MPAN and meter readings, most suppliers register the new SEG contract within 5–10 working days. The first payment or bill credit lands in the next billing cycle thereafter. Formally cancel your old SEG with 14 days’ notice via email — start the switch using our comparison form.
Are time-of-use SEG tariffs (Flux, Intelligent Flux) worth it without a battery?
Generally no. Octopus Flux pays its headline 29.32p/kWh only between 4pm and 7pm — exactly when solar generation has already fallen off — and drops to 10.11p in the day and 4.99p overnight. Without a battery to shift midday generation into that window you would export most units at the lower rates, so a flat tariff such as Ecotricity at 16p/kWh almost always pays more. Intelligent Octopus Flux has in any case been closed to new customers since March 2026.
Is SEG income taxable?
For owner-occupiers generating electricity primarily for their own home, SEG income is generally exempt from income tax under HMRC’s micro-generation rules. Landlords or business owners should check with HMRC. Last verified August 2026.
Can I switch SEG suppliers if I still have a legacy Feed-in Tariff?
Yes, and you should. The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and the SEG are separate schemes. You can keep your FIT generation and deemed-export payments running with your original FIT licensee while moving your real (smart-metered) export contract to a high-paying SEG supplier like EDF Export Exclusive at 18p or Good Energy Solar Savings Exclusive at 25p. Talk it through via our comparison form.
Lock in the best SEG export rate now the current cap rise has landed
The July 2026 Ofgem price cap is £1,663/yr, making your imported electricity dearer. Switching from a 5p legacy SEG to a 25p flat rate like Good Energy adds £480/year on a typical 4kW system — more than offsetting the import-side increase. Don’t leave that money on the table.
Send us your postcode and panel details. We match you to the top-paying SEG tariff you qualify for — rates verified August 2026, no out-of-date marketing.
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