Smart Export Guarantee Rates 2026: Complete UK Guide

What Is the Smart Export Guarantee?

The Smart Export Guarantee launched in January 2020 to replace the old Feed-in Tariff, which had closed to new applicants the year before. It requires every large energy supplier, those with more than 150,000 customers, to offer a tariff that pays solar owners for the electricity they export to the grid. Suppliers set their own rates, so the amount paid varies a lot from one to the next. Payment is based on metered export, so you are paid only for the units you send back rather than everything you generate.

This is the main difference from the Feed-in Tariff it replaced. The FiT paid a generation rate for every unit produced, plus a separate export rate, and locked those payments in for 20 to 25 years at rates that were generous by today's standards. SEG only pays for export, the rate is not guaranteed long-term, and you can switch between SEG suppliers whenever you like, which keeps a bit of competitive pressure on the rates.

SEG Rates Comparison: 2026

The rates below reflect the position at the time of writing and do change, so check directly with each supplier before you register. Most suppliers offer a flat fixed rate per unit, while a few, such as Octopus Agile Export, pay a variable rate that tracks wholesale prices half-hourly. A variable export tariff can pay considerably more at peak times if you have a battery and can hold your export back for those windows, but it pays less when wholesale prices are low.

Rates correct at time of publication, March 2026. Check each supplier directly for the most current rates before you register.

How Much Will You Earn from SEG?

The sum is simple: annual export in kWh multiplied by the SEG rate in pence gives your yearly income. The variable is how much you actually export, which depends heavily on whether you have a battery. A 4kW system in Swindon generates around 5,600 kWh a year. Without a battery a typical home self-consumes about 35% and exports the rest, roughly 3,640 kWh, which earns about £546 a year at 15p. Add a battery and self-consumption jumps to 70% or more, so export falls to around 1,120 to 1,400 kWh and SEG income drops to roughly £168 to £210.

That lower export figure is not a loss. The units you no longer export are the ones the battery stores and you use yourself, saving you the full import rate of around 24p rather than the 15p export rate. A battery shifts value from export income to bill savings, and because import costs more than export pays, it usually comes out ahead overall. The table below shows export income only.

How to Register for SEG

Registering is straightforward, and most of it happens once after your panels go in. The steps are below.

1. Get your MCS certificate from your installer. We issue this after every install, and you will need the certificate number to apply.
2. Make sure you have a smart meter. If you do not, contact your current electricity supplier to have one fitted, usually at no cost.
3. Compare SEG tariffs and rates across suppliers.
4. Apply directly to the SEG supplier you choose. They do not have to be your electricity supplier, so you can keep your current import tariff and export to whoever pays best.
5. Provide your MCS certificate number and smart meter details.

Once you are set up, payments usually arrive monthly or quarterly as a direct credit, based on the export readings from your smart meter.