What's an export tariff?
Jason Hawthorne, CEO at ESME
Rates checked October 2026 · 5 min read · Last updated 22 October 2026
In short
An export tariff pays you for spare solar power you send to the grid. Every large supplier has to offer one under the Smart Export Guarantee, but rates run from 3p to about 17.5p a unit. On a typical system the difference between the lowest and a good rate is around £200 a year, so it is worth choosing.
For your house
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Key facts
Who has to pay you
Every supplier with 150,000 or more home customers
What you need
An MCS certificate for your system and a smart meter that records export
Rates on offer
From 3p to about 17.5p a unit, October 2026
Same supplier?
Not required, but the best rates often need you to buy from them too
Battery exports
Power a battery took from the grid does not have to be paid for
How does an export tariff work?
Solar panels make most of their power in the middle of the day, often when nobody is home to use it. What the house does not use flows out to the grid. A smart meter counts those units, and your export tariff pays you a set price for each one.
The Smart Export Guarantee, or SEG, makes sure you can be paid. Suppliers with at least 150,000 home customers have to offer an export tariff, and the rate must always be above zero. Smaller suppliers can offer one if they choose.
What do I need to get paid?
- An MCS certificate. Systems up to 50kW need to be fitted by an MCS certified installer, or under an equivalent scheme.
- A smart meter that records export. It needs to take half hourly readings, and your export gets its own meter number, called an MPAN.
- An application to the supplier. You send them the MCS certificate and the export meter number. Your installer can usually help.
Which export tariffs pay the most?
E.ON Next Export Premium
Rate
17.5p
Who can get it
Only if E.ON fitted your system
Octopus Prime Outgoing
Rate
16p from 4pm to 7pm, 9p at other times
Who can get it
Octopus customers, check the conditions
E.ON Next Export Exclusive
Rate
13p
Who can get it
E.ON import customers, systems up to 15kW
Outgoing Octopus
Rate
12p, variable
Who can get it
Anyone, whoever supplies your electricity
British Gas Export Premium
Rate
12p
Who can get it
British Gas electricity customers
E.ON Next Flex Export
Rate
6p, variable
Who can get it
Anyone
British Gas Export SEG
Rate
3p
Who can get it
Anyone
Rates as published in October 2026. Outgoing Octopus was cut from 15p to 12p in March 2026, so older articles quoting 15p are out of date. Agile Outgoing follows the wholesale price instead of a fixed rate.
If you have a battery as well, Octopus Flux pays much more for export in the 4pm to 7pm peak, about 28p a unit on recent figures, so a battery can save solar for the evening and sell it then.
How much is export worth?
A 4.5kWp system in central England makes about 4,050 units a year. Without a battery, many homes use less than half of that and export the rest.
The sum, exporting 2,430 units a year
At 3p
£73
At 12p
£292
Difference
£219 a year
An example, not your figures. How much you export depends on your roof, where you live and when you use power at home.
Questions people also ask
Can I get paid for the power I do not use?
Yes, if your system is MCS certified and you have a smart meter that records export. You sign up to an export tariff and are paid for each unit you send to the grid.
Do I have to switch supplier to get an export tariff?
No. You can buy electricity from one supplier and sell to another. Some of the best rates are only for a supplier’s own customers, so compare the two together.
Does a battery get paid for exporting?
Solar power stored in a battery and exported later is paid. Power a battery took from the grid and sent back does not have to be paid for under the Smart Export Guarantee.
Sources
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Figures are for Great Britain and were checked on the date above. Prices change, so check the latest before you decide. This is general information, not financial advice.
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