What's the best SEG tariff in the UK?

Which SEG tariff pays the most?

Energy companies will pay you higher rates for exports if you also have your import contract with them. Some of them would pay even higher rates if your solar or battery system was installed by them or if your battery is of a specific brand.

The best tariff for you will depend on many factors such as your consumption profile, personal preferences and which technologies you have (e.g., if you have solar only, battery only, solar battery, an EV, a heat pump).

At Capture Energy, we provide a free personalised quote and pair it with the best tariff to seamlessly connect your system, get your tailored proposal by answering the quick survey above.

Tariffs range between 3 p/kWh and 40 p/kWh - which is a massive range that can have a significant impact on your energy bill savings. See the full list of export tariffs:

Notes: The rates in the table are for the hours with the highest prices. All tariff information collected as of 19.11.2024. *Intelligent Octopus Flux and Octopus Flux are time of use tariffs.

How to find the best export tariff for you?

Exports tariffs do not work in isolation but there are rules which export and import tariffs can be combined and which technology setup they require.

Homes with solar panels only

EON Next Export Exclusive pays 16.5 p/kWh even if your solar panels were not installed by EON. At Capture Energy we recommend getting a battery to store excess solar production for use during darker hours or to export at the highest prices, saving hundreds of pounds per year from your electricity bill.

Homes with battery and no solar panels

If you have a battery and no solar panels, you won't be exporting much, so you need to focus on importing cheaply. With Tomato Lifestyle you can import for 5.6 p/kWh for 5 hours during the night. Tomato Energy doesn't have export tariffs. You can pair it up with Octopus SEG, which has the highest export prices for non-customers with battery only (4.1 p/kWh).

Homes with solar panels and battery

The best export tariff is generally Octopus Flux if you have a solar battery. It is a time of use tariff meaning prices depend on the time of day and the postcode. You can get around 26 p/kWh for exports during peak hours. You can pair it up with the Octopus Flux import tariff which pays around 15 p/kWh during the night.

Homes with a heat pump

Cosy Octopus is a time of use tariff for heat pump owners with cheap rates (11.7 p/kWh) from 4:00 to 7:00 am, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, and 10:00 pm to 12:00 am. If you have solar panels, you will want to keep high export prices as well as cheap import prices. The best combination would be Cosy Octopus import with Octopus Outgoing (15 p/kWh).

Homes with an electric vehicle

The Intelligent Octopus Go tariff for EVs has a very cheap import rate (7 p/kwh). You can charge your car when it is cheapest and get 6 hours of cheap energy for your whole home every night. This can be paired with the Octopus Outgoing tariff that pays 15 p/kwh for exports. This means you can import very cheaply and export for higher prices! This combination is a no-brainer if you have solar panels. If you don't have solar panels but have a battery, the focus is on the import tariff, for which you can get cheaper prices with Tomato Energy.

How can you benefit from switching from FIT to SEG?

Feed-in-tariffs have two components:

1. Generation payment, paid for every kWh generated (up to 71 p/kWh) and
2. Export payment, paid for every kWh exported to the grid (5-7 p/kWh).

These two components are independent from each other. This means, you can keep generation payments and opt out of export payments, as you can get higher export payments per kWh with some SEG / export tariffs. Note, however, that this also means that you will be switching from a long-term contract to a 1-year contract, whose conditions may change.

To switch from FIT to SEG, you must inform your FIT provider the date you intend to stop receiving FIT export payments. The FIT scheme and SEG cannot overlap for export payments. You also need to confirm that you still want to receive the generation payment.

After you have done this, contact your chosen SEG supplier providing confirmation that you have opted out of FIT export payments and send the required documentation for SEG enrolment outlined below.

What are the requirements to get an SEG rate?

To sign up to an SEG, you need to fulfil the following requirements.

MCS certification: Your renewable energy system must be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme to ensure that it meets safety, quality, and performance standards.

MPAN: You will require a Meter Point Administration Number, which is a unique identification number that ensures your property is registered on the national electricity network

Export meter: You must be able to send half hourly export meter readings. Smart meters are recommended for accuracy, and some tariffs even require them.

Along with having a renewable energy system such as:

• Solar PV (up to 5 MW)
• Wind (up to 5 MW)
• Micro combined heat and power (up to 50 kW)
• Hydro (up to 5 MW)
• Anaerobic digestion (up to 5 MW)

How will SEG rates develop?

SEGs can be set freely by power companies and will be subject to market conditions. Power companies could purchase the electricity from wholesale markets much cheaper than buying it from homeowners. Power companies are currently losing money on their SEG rates and therefore we expect them to go down. Since you can only lock in SEG prices for a short time (~ 1 year), the only way to hedge against SEG prices is getting a battery. You can store excess solar production for use during darker hours or export it later when prices are highest. Watch an outlook on SEG rates here.