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Export ratesHow the Smart Export Guarantee actually works
Every unit your roof makes and your house does not need goes back to the grid. Somebody else uses it, and you get paid for it. Here is how that payment works, start to finish.
Updated 4 August 2026 · from the OVO Solar & Battery team
What the scheme actually is
Solar panels generate most in the middle of the day, which is usually when a house needs the least. So a good chunk of what your roof makes is surplus, and that surplus flows out to the grid. The Smart Export Guarantee is the rule that says you have to be paid for it.
It is a government scheme administered by Ofgem. It obliges larger licensed electricity suppliers to offer households an export tariff, and it has been running since 1 January 2020. It came in after the old Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants on 31 March 2019.
The government sets the obligation, not the price
Every large supplier has to offer a SEG tariff. None of them are told what it should pay. Ofgem only requires that the rate is above zero. That is why published rates run from 3p per kWh up to 20p and beyond, and why the useful question is never just whether you get paid, but who is paying you.
What qualifies
The scheme is wider than solar, though solar is what most households are here for.
- Eligible technologies are solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro combined heat and power.
- Capacity up to 5MW, or 50kW for micro combined heat and power. A domestic roof is nowhere near either ceiling.
- The installation has to be in Great Britain.
- The rate offered must always be above zero, so no supplier can take your export for nothing.
What you need in place before the money starts
Four things, and the paperwork side of most of them is your installer's job rather than yours.
- An MCS certified system. Your installation has to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme or an equivalent. OVO asks for MCS certification or equivalent when you register, so confirm with your installer that the certificate will be issued for your system and that you get a copy.
- A smart meter. Your export has to be measured at least every half hour, recorded separately from the units you import.
- A battery schematic, if you have battery storage. Your installer produces this as part of the handover pack.
- No Feed-in Tariff export payments on the same system. You can be paid under one scheme or the other, not both.
SEG pays on metered export, not on what you generate
Two homes with identical roofs can be paid very different amounts, because one of them uses more of its own solar during the day. That is not a fault to fix. It is a design decision, and it is exactly what your free 45 minute design call works out for your household.
How you get on a tariff
Pick your tariff
Choose the SEG tariff you qualify for and fill in the application. It takes a few minutes, and your MCS certificate is the main thing you need to hand.
It gets reviewed
Your supplier checks the application and comes back to you if anything is missing. A battery schematic is the piece people most often have to chase, so make sure it is in the pack your installer hands over at commissioning.
Your export meter is set up
An export MPAN is created for you if you do not already have one. That is the reference your exported units are recorded against. Your network operator creates it, and that step is usually the longest part of the wait.
You start getting paid
You are told when the tariff goes live, and payments follow your export readings from there.
OVO puts its SEG signup at around four weeks. How long your own application takes depends on your supplier, your meter, and whether an export MPAN already exists for your property.
Not sure which rate your home would qualify for? Your free 45 minute video design tells you, along with what your roof would generate and export. No home visit, no obligation.
Get your free quote →What a SEG rate is actually worth
These are OVO's published rates. Same scheme, same exported units, four very different numbers on the end of it.
| Tariff | Pays | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| SEG | 4p per kWh | Anyone with an eligible system, whoever supplies your energy |
| SEG Beyond Exclusive | 12p per kWh | OVO energy customers on Beyond, systems under 30kW |
| SEG Install Exclusive, solar only | 15p per kWh | OVO energy customers where OVO installed the panels |
| SEG Install Exclusive, solar and battery | 20p per kWh | OVO energy customers where OVO installed both the panels and the battery |
OVO rates correct at July 2026 and subject to change. Eligibility criteria apply to each tariff, including system size limits and, for the exclusive rates, taking your electricity supply from OVO. The 4p standard rate is open to customers of any supplier.
A 12 panel system on an average UK roof exports around 3,875 kWh a year, which is worth about £155 at 4p and about £775 at 20p. Same roof, same exported units, and roughly £620 a year between the top and the bottom of that list.
SEG is not the old Feed-in Tariff
If a neighbour tells you they get paid a fortune for their panels, this is usually why. The Feed-in Tariff paid people for every unit they generated, whether they used it or not, at a rate fixed for twenty years. It was generous, and it closed to new applicants in March 2019. Nothing available today replicates it, and anyone suggesting otherwise is selling something.
What SEG has that the Feed-in Tariff did not is competition. Rates are set by suppliers rather than centrally, they differ by a factor of five, and you are free to move between them. That is why it is worth paying attention to who installs your system, because on an install-linked rate the installer and the rate are the same decision.
Where to read next
Our full Smart Export Guarantee page carries OVO's rates, the eligibility detail and a worked example on a real roof. If you want the reasoning behind the headline numbers, why the best export rates all carry conditions unpacks what to read before you believe a rate. And the coverage map finds the local OVO expert who looks after your area, so you can see the whole thing costed for your own roof.
45 minutes on video, your roof on screen, and a written price before you hang up, which is the whole process from start to finish.
Get your free quote →Export questions, answered
Do I need a smart meter to get SEG payments?
Yes. Your export has to be recorded at least every half hour, which in practice means a smart meter. Your exported units are measured separately from the units you import, so exporting does not interfere with your normal billing. If you do not have one yet, arranging it is straightforward and your supplier handles the installation.
Can I be on the Feed-in Tariff and SEG at the same time?
No. You cannot take Feed-in Tariff export payments and SEG payments for the same system. If you already hold a Feed-in Tariff export agreement you would have to leave it first, and for most holders that is not worth doing. Check your existing rate carefully before changing anything.
Does my system have to be MCS certified?
Yes, it has to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme or an equivalent. OVO asks for MCS certification or equivalent at registration, so ask your installer to confirm the certificate will be issued for your system and make sure you are given a copy, because the export application needs it.
How big can my system be and still qualify?
The scheme covers installations up to 5MW, or 50kW for micro combined heat and power, so no domestic roof gets anywhere near the limit. Individual supplier tariffs set tighter caps of their own: OVO's exclusive rates apply to systems under 30kW, which still covers every normal home.
How long before I actually get paid?
OVO puts its SEG signup at around four weeks. The application is reviewed, an export MPAN is created if you need one, and you are told when the tariff goes live. The MPAN step sits with your network operator, so it is the part with the most variation in it.
Do export payments count as taxable income?
For a typical household generating renewable electricity at home for their own use, SEG payments are not normally treated as taxable income. Tax treatment depends on your own circumstances, so if yours is unusual it is worth checking with HMRC or an accountant rather than taking a website's word for it.
Figures and specifications in this guide are sourced below and were checked on the date shown. Rates and product specifications change; we confirm the current picture on your free design call.
Sources
- Ofgem, Smart Export Guarantee scheme rules, eligible technologies, capacity limits and metering requirements, checked 3 August 2026 ofgem.gov.uk
- OVO Energy, Smart Export Guarantee tariffs, rates and eligibility criteria, checked 3 August 2026 ovoenergy.com
- OVO Solar and Battery, published SEG rates and the 12 panel export worked example ovosolarandbattery.co.uk
Read next
The 20p export rate, and how it compares to standard SEG
4p or 20p for the same exported units. The conditions on each, in plain terms.
Read the guide →Which export rate can you actually qualify for?
The gate behind every headline rate, and the six things to check before you believe one.
Read the guide →How a home battery actually works
A battery moves electricity from a cheap hour to an expensive one. Here is how.
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