SEG export rates in 2026 are not regulated. Ofgem sets the framework under SI 2019/1005, but each licensed supplier with more than 150,000 customers sets its own export tariff and changes it at will. The result is a 4p to 16.5p/kWh spread across the major UK suppliers, plus a set of tie-in conditions (must be an import customer, must be on a specific tariff bundle, must have a smart meter in SMETS2 mode) that filter out a lot of would-be applicants.
This guide ranks every major UK SEG tariff with its current reference rate, eligibility constraint, and the contract length to watch.
Last reviewed: May 2026
TL;DR
- The SEG was introduced under SI 2019/1005 in January 2020, replacing the closed Feed-in Tariff for new installs.
- Headline export rates in May 2026 range from around 4p/kWh (OVO Smart Export) to 16.5p/kWh (E.ON Next Export Exclusive on Next Drive bundle).
- Many high-rate tariffs require the customer to be an import customer of the same supplier and to hold a SMETS2 smart meter in half-hourly mode.
- Octopus Agile Outgoing is half-hourly and tracks wholesale; export rates can occasionally be negative during summer oversupply windows.
- The catch is that headline rates are 12-month fixed; long-run modelling should use a 7-8p blended central case rather than the day-one number.
What "SEG" actually is and what it is not
The Smart Export Guarantee Order 2019 (SI 2019/1005) requires every licensed electricity supplier with more than 150,000 domestic customers to offer at least one tariff paying for surplus generation exported to the grid by small generators (under 5 MW). The rate is not set by Ofgem. It is set by the supplier. The export must be metered (a SMETS2 smart meter in half-hourly mode is the standard requirement). The installation must be MCS-certified at the point of application. The SEG replaced the Feed-in Tariff (FIT), which closed to new applicants on 31 March 2019 and is still paying out to legacy installs at much higher generation and export rates. SEG and FIT are not interchangeable.
The supplier ranking: rates and tie-ins
| Supplier and tariff | Reference rate (May 2026) | Type | Key eligibility | Contract length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.ON Next Export Exclusive (Next Drive) | around 16.5p/kWh | Fixed | Must be E.ON Next import customer on Next Drive EV tariff | 12 months |
| Octopus Outgoing Fixed | around 15p/kWh | Fixed | Must be Octopus import customer; SMETS2 in half-hourly mode | 12 months |
| British Gas Export and Earn Flex (top tier) | around 15p/kWh | Variable, tiered | British Gas import customer; smart meter mandatory | Rolling |
| Scottish Power Smart Export | around 12p/kWh | Fixed | Open to any installer; ScottishPower import customer for bundled rate | 12 months |
| EDF Export plus Earn | around 6-12p/kWh | Tiered | EDF import customer; export-only allowed at lower tier | 12 months |
| Octopus Agile Outgoing | variable, half-hourly | Wholesale-linked | Octopus import customer; SMETS2 half-hourly | Rolling |
| So Energy Export | around 6-7p/kWh | Fixed | So Energy import customer | 12 months |
| Good Energy Solar Savings Export | around 7-8p/kWh | Fixed | Open to non-import customers | 12 months |
| British Gas Export and Earn (entry tier) | around 6.4p/kWh | Fixed | Open to non-import customers | 12 months |
| OVO Smart Export Tariff | around 4p/kWh | Fixed | Open to non-import customers | 12 months |
Verify the live p/kWh on the supplier's tariff page before signing. Suppliers move rates monthly and the headline figure shown in installer brochures has been wrong by several pence on several occasions during 2024-2026.
Why a 16.5p tariff is not always better than a 12p tariff
The headline rate is one variable. Self-consumption interaction is the other.
E.ON Next Export Exclusive at around 16.5p/kWh sits inside the Next Drive EV tariff bundle, which has a high off-peak import rate (around 6.7p/kWh overnight) and a higher daytime rate. A household with an EV that charges at night and exports surplus solar during the day captures the full export rate AND the off-peak charging rate. Without an EV, the bundle's daytime rate may erode the gain.
The catch is that supplier bundles are contracts: changing the import tariff (because the household moves, or the supplier changes the deal at renewal) can drop the customer off the high-rate export tariff and onto a lower entry-level SEG tariff with the same supplier.
Octopus Agile Outgoing: the half-hourly case
Octopus Agile Outgoing is the only mainstream half-hourly export tariff. The rate is set day-ahead based on wholesale market prices and updates every 30 minutes. Across 2025 the average Agile Outgoing rate landed roughly in the 9-12p/kWh range, with peaks of 25p+ during evening demand spikes and negative rates during a small number of high-solar summer half-hours.
On paper this is the best tariff for households that can shift export to high-price periods. In practice, residential solar exports during the middle of the day, which is exactly the half-hour band where Agile Outgoing rates are lowest. Adding a battery and discharging to grid during the 4pm-7pm peak captures the high rate but requires a battery sized and configured for grid export, which not all home batteries support.
British Gas Export and Earn Flex: the tiered model
British Gas Export and Earn comes in two flavours. The entry-level Export and Earn tariff pays around 6.4p/kWh and is open to non-British Gas customers. The Flex variant ties to the import account and includes performance tiering: the more electricity the household exports per month, the higher the per-kWh rate within the month, up to around 15p/kWh at the top tier.
Here is where it breaks for a small array: a 4 kWp system in the Midlands exports roughly 100-180 kWh per month, sometimes lower in winter. The top tier on Export and Earn Flex requires consistently higher monthly volume than most 4 kWp installs deliver outside June, July and August. The published headline rate is the top-tier figure; the realised blended rate across the year is lower.
OVO, So Energy, Good Energy: the lower band
OVO Smart Export Tariff at around 4p/kWh is the lowest mainstream SEG offer and has stayed in that band since OVO launched the tariff after acquiring SSE retail in 2020. The advantage is that OVO accepts non-import customers and the application process is direct.
So Energy Export at around 6-7p/kWh and Good Energy Solar Savings Export at around 7-8p/kWh both sit in the middle band. Good Energy specifically accepts FIT-eligible installs that have moved to SEG (the supplier originated in FIT-era renewable trading).
On the ground for a non-Octopus, non-British Gas household, the practical floor is around 4-8p depending on whether the customer also takes import from the same supplier.
The eligibility traps that filter applicants out
SMETS2 smart meter in half-hourly mode is the most common gate. A SMETS1 meter that has not been migrated to the Data Communications Company (DCC) cannot report half-hourly export data and is not eligible for half-hourly tariffs (Agile Outgoing, in particular, requires HH data).
MCS certification at installation is the second gate. Every SEG application requires the MCS Certificate Number issued at install time. An MCS certificate added retrospectively is not the same as an MCS-installed system; SEG suppliers reject the retrospective route.
DNO G98 or G99 connection consent is the third. The Distribution Network Operator must have on file a notification (G98 for installs up to 16A per phase, G99 for larger) showing the array is connected and commissioned. The installer normally files this. The catch is that some installers miss the notification window and the SEG application then bounces.
The 12-month fixed problem and how to think about long-run modelling
Every fixed-rate SEG tariff in the table above is a 12-month contract. At renewal the rate moves to whatever the supplier offers next, which may be higher, lower, or non-existent if the supplier closes the tariff to new customers (Octopus closed Outgoing temporarily in 2023 and reopened on different terms).
A buyer modelling a 25-year payback at the day-one Octopus Outgoing Fixed rate of 15p is modelling a tariff that is not contractually guaranteed for that horizon. On the ground a 7-8p central blended case for the post-2030 export market is the conservative anchor. Modelling at the headline rate is the single most common error in installer spreadsheets.
Devolved nation note: Northern Ireland and SEG
The Smart Export Guarantee under SI 2019/1005 applies to Great Britain only. Northern Ireland operates a separate market regulated by the Utility Regulator. Power NI's Microgeneration tariff has historically paid around 6-7p/kWh for export. NI customers cannot apply for the GB SEG tariffs above; the supplier list is different and the rates are set under a different regulatory framework. Verify the current Power NI Microgeneration position before signing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest SEG export rate in the UK in May 2026?
The highest published mainstream rate is E.ON Next Export Exclusive at around 16.5p/kWh, available only to E.ON Next customers on the Next Drive EV tariff. Octopus Outgoing Fixed at around 15p/kWh is the next tier and has been the broadly used benchmark since launch.
Do non-import customers have access to the high-rate tariffs?
Mostly no. The high-rate tariffs (E.ON 16.5p, Octopus 15p, British Gas Flex 15p) are tied to the supplier's import account. Open-to-all alternatives sit lower, with Good Energy Solar Savings Export and British Gas Export and Earn entry tier as the most accessible.
Is Octopus Agile Outgoing worth it for a typical home?
It can be, but only if the household has battery storage configured to discharge to grid during high-rate half-hours. For a panels-only install exporting during midday, the realised blended rate often lands lower than the Outgoing Fixed 15p alternative.
Can a household be on a different SEG supplier from its import supplier?
Yes. The SEG framework explicitly allows it. The practical filter is that high-rate tariffs require the import account; entry-level tariffs (around 4-8p) accept non-import customers. The MCS certificate and SMETS2 meter requirement still apply.
What happens at the end of the 12-month fixed term?
The supplier moves the account to its current SEG offer or to a renewal tariff. The new rate may be higher, lower, or based on a different methodology. Households should set a calendar reminder to compare alternatives 30-45 days before renewal.
Does SEG apply in Northern Ireland?
No. SI 2019/1005 applies to Great Britain. Northern Ireland's export market is regulated separately by the Utility Regulator, with Power NI's Microgeneration tariff as the main route. Rates and eligibility differ.
