What is the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)?
The SEG is an initiative implemented by the UK government in 2020 which rewards households and small businesses for selling their surplus electricity back to the national grid. This replaced the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) scheme which ended in 2019.
The SEG exists to incentivise generating power through renewable energy by ensuring customers and businesses are compensated for the energy they generate through these systems, thus reducing the UK’s carbon emissions.
| Supplier | Tariff | Caveat | Export Payment (p/kWh) | Exclusive to Customers? |
| Good Energy | Solar Savings Exclusive | Available to domestic customers and customers must purchase solar with battery installed by Good Energy | 40 | Yes |
| E.ON | Next Export Premium Plus | Customers required to purchase E.ON solar with battery | 40 | Yes |
| Octopus | Intelligent Octopus Flux | Customers required to purchase a GivEnergy battery and solar | 29.4* | Yes |
| Octopus | Octopus Flux | Customers required to purchase solar | 25.9* | Yes |
| E.ON | Next Export Premium | Customers required to purchase E.ON solar | 25 | Yes |
| OVO | OVO SEG Tariff (solar & battery) | Customers required to purchase OVO solar with battery | 20 | Yes |
| So Energy | So Bright | Customers required to purchase So Energy solar and battery | 20 | Yes |
| EDF | Empower Exclusive | Customer required to purchase solar or battery with EDF | 20 | No |
| E.On | Next Export Exclusive | 16.5 | Yes | |
| Good Energy | Solar Savings Exclusive | Available to domestic customers and customers must purchase solar installed by Good Energy | 15 | Yes |
| Octopus | Outgoing Fixed | 15 | Yes | |
| OVO | OVO SEG Tariff (solar) | Customers required to purchase OVO solar | 15 | Yes |
| Scottish Power | SmartGen+ | Customer required to purchase solar or battery with Scottish Power | 15 | Yes |
| British Gas | Export and Earn Plus | 15 | Yes | |
| Good Energy | Solar Savings | Customers must be on a Good Energy standard variable tariff | 15 | Yes |
| Scottish Power | SmartGen | 12 | No | |
| Rebel Energy | Snail | 10 | Yes | |
| Octopus | Outgoing Fixed Lite | Customers on Octopus Go tariff | 8 | No |
| British Gas | Export & Earn Flex | 6.4 | No | |
| EDF | Export Variable Value | 5.6 | No | |
| Utility Warehouse | UW Smart Export Guarantee – Bundle | Required to also purchase additional services e.g. broadband | 5.6 | Yes |
| Pozitive Energy | SEG tariff | 5 | Yes | |
| So Energy | So Export Flex | 4.5 | No | |
| So Energy | So Export Flex | 4.5 | No | |
| Octopus | SEG | 4.1 | No | |
| OVO | OVO SEG Tariff | 4 | No | |
| Good Energy | Export Only | 4 | No | |
| Shell Energy | SEG V1.1 Tariff | 3.5 | No | |
| Utilita | Utilita Smart Export Guarantee | 3 | No | |
| EDF | Export Variable | 3 | No |
*This is a variable tariff and will pay differently depending on the time of usage and where in the UK the site is located, therefore the tariff rate given is an average peak rate.
Key features of the Smart Export Guarantee
Tariff rates
Under the SEG, energy suppliers are required to offer payment to small scale low carbon generators for the surplus energy they export back to the grid. This includes technologies such as solar and wind.
Different suppliers will offer different SEG tariffs and will depend on the market conditions. Tariffs can be fixed or variable and your SEG provider does not have to be the same as your energy supplier. Most energy suppliers will offer the best SEG rates to their customers.
Eligibility criteria
The following criteria must be met to sign up to a SEG:
- The electricity generated must be from a renewable source, which includes solar, wind, or hydroelectricity.
- The renewable energy system must be 5MW capacity or less.
- The system must be installed by a certified installer and be registered under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent.
- The system must have a smart meter capable of measuring exported electricity.
- The property must have an EPC rating of D or above.
The Best SEG rates for 2024
Rate: 40 p/kWh
Solar Savings Exclusive is a variable tariff for customers who have had solar panels AND battery storage installed by Good Energy. This is currently the market leading tariff and guarantees customers an export rate of 40 p/kWh for 12 months only. Thereafter, customers are automatically rolled onto the Solar Savings tariff at 15 p/kWh. There are no early termination fees with their variable rate tariffs.
Rate: 40 p/kWh
To qualify for this tariff, customers must have their electricity directly supplied by E.ON and have solar AND battery installed by E.ON from 1 January 2024. This is a 12-month fixed term contract, after which you will be moved to their default SEG tariff at 3 p/kWh. There are no exit fees.
Rate: 29.4 p/kWh (variable)
To qualify, you must be on an Octopus Energy export tariff, have solar AND a GivEnergy battery installed. The tariff rate will change depending on where you are in the UK – use the postcode checker to check your rates. There are no exit fees associated with this tariff.
Rate: 25.9 p/kWh
To be eligible for this tariff, you must be an Octopus Energy customer and have solar panels installed, however, they do not have to be installed by Octopus. You will also need an Export MPAN and a copy of the MCS document for your installation.
Rate: 25 p/kWh
To qualify for this tariff, you must have electricity supplied directly from E.ON Next and have solar panels AND battery installed by E.ON from 1 January 2024. This is a 12-month fixed term contract, with customers being moved to the default SEG tariff of 3 p/kWh once the tariff ends.
Rate: 20 p/kWh
Exclusive to customers who have installed solar AND battery through EDF’s solar installer, Contact solar. There are no standing charges or exit fees associated with this tariff. You can also benefit by saving money on battery charging – 10 p/kWh overnight discount to charge your battery.
Rate: 20 p/kWh
This 12-month tariff is only available to customers who buy their energy direct from OVO and have installed solar AND battery from OVO themselves.
Rate: 20 p/kWh
This tariff is available exclusively to customers that have had their solar AND battery installed by So Energy directly on or after 1 September 2023. This rate is valid for 12 months only, after which you may select another SEG tariff. This is a promotional rate and is only available until the end of 2024.
Where do I start?
With so many SEG options out there, it can be difficult to know what option is the best for your property. The highest SEG rate doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the best option. A lot of these rates are promotional and only last for a set period of time (usually 12 months) before the rate is switched to a lower paying one.
Every site is different, and this is why it is important to consider your options. OnGen cuts through all the complexities when it comes to deciding which renewable technologies are most appropriate for your sites, as well as what SEG may be most suitable for you and how much income you could make from the energy you generate.
Get in touch today and see how we can help.
