SEG Rates Compared: Who Actually Pays the Most for Your Export
Most suppliers that offer a Smart Export Guarantee tariff actually offer two: a low standalone rate open to anyone, and a higher rate reserved for people who are also their electricity customer. The gap between the two is bigger than most people checking their SEG rate for the first time expect.
What’s actually on offer, October 2026
| Supplier | Tariff | Rate | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus Energy | Outgoing Octopus | 12p/kWh, variable | Octopus electricity customers |
| Octopus Energy | Smart Export Guarantee | 4.1p/kWh, fixed | Anyone |
| EDF Energy | Export 12m | 15p/kWh, fixed | EDF electricity customers |
| EDF Energy | SEG Export Variable | 3p/kWh, variable | Anyone |
| E.On Next | Next Export Exclusive v3 | 13p/kWh, fixed | E.On Next electricity customers |
| E.On Next | Next Flex Export v1 | 6p/kWh, fixed | Anyone |
| British Gas | Export Premium | 12p/kWh, variable | British Gas electricity customers |
| British Gas | Export SEG | 3p/kWh, variable | Anyone |
Every supplier here runs the same pattern: a standalone rate in the 3 to 6p range that anyone with a qualifying system can get, and a customer-exclusive rate two to four times higher that’s only available if you also buy your electricity from them. (Rates sourced from supplier tariff pages as of early October 2026; check the date on anything you’re quoted, these move.)
What that gap is actually worth
Take a typical 4kWp rooftop system exporting somewhere around 2,000kWh a year, the middle of the usual 1,500 to 2,500kWh range. At EDF’s 3p standalone rate, that’s £60 a year. At its 15p customer rate, it’s £300. Same panels, same export, £240 a year apart.
That’s not a reason to switch electricity supplier on its own, and it shouldn’t be the only factor. But it is a reason to actually check which bracket you’re in before assuming your SEG rate is competitive just because it has a number on it.
Where the standalone rate still wins
The customer-exclusive rate isn’t automatically the right call. If you’re happy with your current electricity supplier’s pricing and service, and switching just for the export tariff means moving your whole account, the standalone 3 to 6p rate from a different supplier, kept separate from your main electricity contract, avoids that trade-off entirely. You give up £150 to £200 a year in exchange for not touching your import tariff. For some households that’s a fair swap, especially mid-fixed-term on a good import deal.
What would change this
These numbers are a snapshot. Octopus cut its flagship export rate from 15p to 12p in March 2026, the first change it had made since 2022, and suppliers have said they expect further downward pressure as UK solar capacity grows and midday wholesale prices fall further. If you’re reading this more than a few months after publication, check current rates directly rather than relying on the table above, see our Smart Export Guarantee explainer for how the scheme works and how to compare properly.
Bottom line
Checking your SEG rate against the table above takes about five minutes and the spread between brackets is £150 to £240 a year on a typical system, more than most people’s annual spend on panel cleaning and inverter servicing combined. Worth the five minutes. Get matched with vetted installers if you’re quoting a system from scratch and want export income factored into the numbers from the start.
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Frequently asked questions
Which supplier pays the most for solar export in 2026?
Fixed-rate export tariffs that require you to be an existing customer tend to pay the most, EDF's Export 12m and E.On Next's Export Exclusive both sit around 13 to 15p per kWh as of October 2026. Standalone tariffs open to anyone pay less, typically 3 to 6p.
Do I have to use my electricity supplier's export tariff?
No. SEG is a separate market from your import tariff, and you can switch export providers without switching who supplies your electricity, though the highest rates are often reserved for that supplier's own customers.
How much difference does an SEG rate actually make a year?
For a typical 4kWp system exporting around 2,000kWh a year, the gap between a 3p standalone tariff and a 13 to 15p customer-exclusive tariff works out to roughly £200 to £240 a year, before you've changed anything else about your system.