Smart Export Guarantee: How to Get Paid for Your Solar Power

What the SEG is

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) requires energy suppliers to pay you for electricity your solar system exports to the grid. It replaced the old Feed-in Tariff, and unlike its predecessor the rates aren’t set by government — suppliers compete, which means the rate you get depends on which SEG tariff you pick.

What you’ll actually get paid

Rates in 2026 range from a token 1–2p per unit at the stingy end to 15p or more on the best tariffs — some of the strongest rates come from suppliers rewarding you for having your solar and battery on their ecosystem. A typical 4kWp home exporting 1,500–2,000 kWh a year is looking at anywhere from £30 to £300 annually depending purely on tariff choice. Choosing well matters.

What you need to claim it

• An MCS certificate for your installation — this is non-negotiable, and it’s why cut-price non-certified installs are a false economy
• A smart meter capable of half-hourly export readings
• A completed SEG application with your chosen supplier (you don’t have to use your import supplier, though bundled tariffs often pay best)

Your MCS handover pack from us includes everything the application asks for.

Export less, earn more?

Counterintuitive but true: the best SEG strategy is usually to export less. Every unit you use yourself displaces 24p grid electricity; every unit you export earns maybe 10p. A battery that shifts your surplus into the evening beats any export tariff — the SEG then becomes the bonus on top for whatever genuinely overflows.

The five-minute action plan

1. Confirm your installation is MCS certified (all of ours are).
2. Compare SEG rates — check your current supplier and the specialist tariffs.
3. If you have a battery, look at tariffs that combine cheap overnight import with strong export rates.
4. Reapply or switch when better rates appear. SEG loyalty pays nobody.