Smart Export
Guarantee Tracker

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a government-mandated scheme requiring all licensed electricity suppliers with 150,000 or more domestic customers to offer a tariff for renewable electricity you export to the national grid. To qualify, you need: (1) an MCS-certified solar installation; (2) a smart meter (or export meter) installed and reading export data; (3) to be registered with a SEG-licensed supplier. There is no closing date, no system size cap, and no government payment — the tariff is set and paid by the supplier commercially.

Yes — and this is an important point many homeowners don't know. You are legally permitted to have a different supplier for your import (the electricity you buy) and your export (the electricity you sell back). If your current electricity supplier offers a poor SEG rate, you can sign up to export to Octopus Energy (12p/kWh Q2 2026) without switching your import tariff. Contact both suppliers separately — the export agreement is a separate contract.

The SEG is underpinned by the Energy Act 2008 (as amended) and is unlikely to be abolished outright. However, the minimum obligation only requires suppliers to offer a non-zero tariff — there is no government-set minimum rate. The risk is not abolition but gradual rate compression as the grid becomes more solar-saturated and electricity wholesale prices during midday hours turn negative more frequently. In 2025, there were brief periods in spring when SEG tariffs on variable (agile) contracts paid negative rates during high-generation/low-demand periods. This risk increases as UK solar capacity approaches the 50 GW target.

Agile Outgoing is Octopus Energy's variable export tariff, where the rate you receive per kWh exported tracks the wholesale electricity spot price — typically linked to the Agile import tariff. During peak demand periods (typically 4–7pm), export rates can reach 20–35p/kWh. During midday solar oversupply, rates can fall to 1–5p/kWh or occasionally go negative. Agile Outgoing works best for households with battery storage who can time their export for peak periods. Without a battery, most of your solar export will occur during the midday trough, making the fixed 12p Outgoing rate more reliable.

Common reasons for lower-than-expected SEG payments: (1) Your smart meter is not reading export data — this is a frequent setup issue; contact your supplier to confirm half-hourly export data is being received; (2) You are on a "deemed" (estimated) export tariff from a legacy FiT arrangement rather than actual metered export; (3) Your export rate changed without notice — suppliers can reduce rates with 30 days' notice; (4) Your system is exporting less than expected due to inverter undersizing or shading. Monitor your inverter output app against your SEG statement quarterly.

Battery storage significantly changes your SEG profile. Without a battery, most export occurs around solar noon when rates are lowest. With a battery, you can store midday generation and export during peak-rate periods (4–7pm), substantially increasing SEG earnings on a variable tariff. On Octopus Agile Outgoing, the peak-to-trough rate difference can be 20x — making battery discharge timing the single biggest driver of SEG income for prosumers with storage. Run our Battery Storage Shift Calculator to model your specific scenario.

Your supplier is legally required to keep records — your obligation is minimal. However, it is good practice to: (1) keep your MCS commissioning certificate (your supplier needs this to register you); (2) retain your DNO notification confirmation (G98 or G99); (3) screenshot your inverter or monitoring app data quarterly; (4) retain your SEG payment statements. If you ever sell your home, the new owner can continue receiving SEG payments — the tariff is linked to the meter, not the person.