Smart Export Guarantee

The following renewable energy installations are eligible for the smart export guarantee:

• solar PV systems, onshore wind, anaerobic digestion, hydro – up to 5MW
• micro-CHP – with an electrical capacity of up to 50kW

Any typical domestic system would be well within these size limits.

The technology and installer used by householders must be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent. Energy suppliers may ask you to provide a MCS certificate to prove your installation meets this standard.

Exported power must be metered using a meter capable of reading exports on a half hourly basis, even if half hourly readings are not required for the tariff. Meters must also be registered for settlement.

There are no set or minimum tariffs for the SEG – the only requirement is that the tariff must be greater than zero at all times. In practice, this means that it is up to energy suppliers to decide what tariffs to offer their customers. They may choose to offer multiple tariffs or just one.

SEG tariffs can be fixed or variable. A fixed SEG tariff will pay a determined rate per kWh of electricity exported over the length of the contract. A variable SEG tariff will vary the price based on market demand, with the only requisite that prices never fall below zero. Ofgem will report on the tariffs available, as well as how many people are on them, each year.

Yes. The only exception is if you already receive payments under the FIT scheme. You cannot receive both FIT and SEG payments, although you can choose to opt out of your FIT and receive SEG payments instead.

SEG payments are not linked to other financial support around renewable energy installations. This means that, if eligible, you could combine SEG payments with other financial support offered by Energy Saving Trust, such as the Home Energy Scotland loan, for example.

You will not be able to receive SEG from more than one supplier.

Some solar PV or wind turbine installations will have energy storage systems attached to them. In these cases, the battery could store electricity imported from the grid (known as brown electricity) before exporting it later on.

Energy suppliers do not have to pay you for brown electricity exported to the grid but they may choose to do so.

Some suppliers may only pay the SEG for green electricity, ie the electricity your low-carbon system generates itself. If this is the case, the supplier may ask you to show how you separate out the green electricity you generate from any imported brown electricity. Speak to your installer about how to do this.

In addition to SEG, energy suppliers are offering similar deals by paying customers set tariffs for electricity they export to the grid. Deals are specific to each household and could involve your generation and supply being metered. Deals may also be time limited and have other conditions, such as requiring you to purchase your supplied electricity from the same supplier. You should consider all terms and conditions carefully in order to make the best choice.

The Solar Trade Association website lists the current deals available.

If you are based in Scotland and haven’t yet installed a renewable electricity technology such as solar PV, you may be able to apply for the interest-free Home Energy Scotland loan to help with the initial costs. To be eligible for the loan you must not start work on your system until you have received a written loan offer.

Read our policy documents about the Smart Export Guarantee:

• Call for evidence
• Response to consultations on policy proposals for a Smart Export Guarantee