Your panels make the most power at midday — often more than you're using. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the scheme that makes sure none of that surplus is wasted: it flows to the grid, and your supplier pays you for it. It replaced the old Feed-in Tariff for new installs.
How it works
Any energy supplier with 150,000 or more domestic customers must offer an SEG export tariff. You need a meter that records half-hourly export (typically a smart meter) and an MCS-certified install. You're paid per kWh you export — and you can be on one supplier for import and another for export.
The catch is the rate
Export rates vary a lot — from a few pence per kWh on basic fixed tariffs to 20p or more on the best time-of-use export tariffs — and they're not fixed by the government. That's why using your own solar (directly or via a battery) is usually worth far more than exporting it. Shop the SEG rate the way you'd shop any tariff.
The quick version
- SEG pays you per kWh of solar you export.
- You need a smart meter and an MCS install to qualify.
- Self-use usually beats export — rates vary widely.