Generate your own electricity.
Sell what you don’t use.
Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a way of financially rewarding you for generating your own electricity. We’ll pay you for any unused energy you export back to the grid.
Choose your SEG tariff
Powering homes and businesses with your own renewable electricity is amazing in itself. But when you sell your extra power back to us, you’re also helping to grow a greener grid for the UK.
Ready to be rewarded? Take your pick from our 3 SEG tariffs.
SEG
Available when:
✔ You can export your renewable energy up to a total capacity of 5MW or 50kW for Micro-CHP
✔ Your energy supply is with any provider
For full eligibility see ‘Check if you qualify for SEG’ below
Choose tariffSEG Beyond Exclusive
Available when:
✔ You can export your renewable energy up to a total capacity of 30kW
✔ Your electricity supply is with OVO
✔ You give us your email address for all communications
Plus, you'll earn rewards when you link your account to OVO Beyond.
For full eligibility see ‘Check if you qualify for SEG’ below
Choose tariffSEG Install Exclusive
Available when:
✔ You can export your renewable energy up to a total capacity of 30kW
✔ Your electricity supply is with OVO
✔ We install your solar panels and home storage battery
✔ You give us your email address for all communications
†We’ll pay 15p per kWh if we install solar panels only and all other criteria are met.
For full eligibility see ‘Check if you qualify for SEG’ below.
Choose tariffCheck if you qualify for SEG
To quality, you'll need:
- To generate renewable electricity in Great Britain. (Geographical restrictions may apply to OVO solar installations.)
- Certification under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or an equivalent.
- A smart or export meter that can take half hourly readings. OVO customers can get a smart meter installed for free.
- A Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) for your export meter. If you don’t have this, we can register one for you.
Please note:
- You can’t get any Feed in Tariff (FIT) export payments when you sign up for SEG.
- You can’t get any public grants that make you ineligible for SEG.
Check if you qualify for SEG
To quality, you'll need:
- To generate renewable electricity in Great Britain. (Geographical restrictions may apply to OVO solar installations.)
- Certification under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or an equivalent.
- A smart or export meter that can take half hourly readings. OVO customers can get a smart meter installed for free.
- A Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) for your export meter. If you don’t have this, we can register one for you.
Please note:
- You can’t get any Feed in Tariff (FIT) export payments when you sign up for SEG.
- You can’t get any public grants that make you ineligible for SEG.
It’s easy to sign up to SEG with OVO
Apply today and you could start earning money from your renewable tech – in just 4 weeks.
Here’s what’ll happen:
Step 1
Choose the right tariff for you.
Fill in the tariff's application form to sign up – it only takes a few minutes. You'll need these things to hand.
Step 2
Your application is reviewed.
We’ll email you if anything’s missing, or the application can’t be accepted.
Step 3
Your application is approved.
We'll start creating your new MPAN or, if you already have one, we'll switch it from your current provider.
Step 4
Your MPAN is set up. Congratulations, your new SEG tariff's now live! We'll now ask you to send us your first meter readings.
Time to make your solar dream a reality?
Get solar panels and a storage battery with us and you'll unlock our very best SEG rates - up to 20p per kWh. This could save you up to £1,300 a year on your electricity bill.*
Put your solar dream in our expert hands, then sign up to SEG Install Exclusive.
Not an OVO energy customer yet?
You get a better SEG rate when you're with OVO for your energy. Sound good? Just switch your energy to OVO, then sign up to SEG Beyond Exclusive.
Time to make your solar dream a reality?
Get solar panels and a storage battery with us and you'll unlock our very best SEG rates - up to 20p per kWh. This could save you up to £1,300 a year on your electricity bill.*
Put your solar dream in our expert hands, then sign up to SEG Install Exclusive.
Not an OVO energy customer yet?
You get a better SEG rate when you're with OVO for your energy. Sound good? Just switch your energy to OVO, then sign up to SEG Beyond Exclusive.
The rewarding power of nature
Renewable energy sources are plentiful and all around us. And the incredible thing is they won’t be used up in our lifetimes. To join our community of energy makers, you must have one of these ways of generating renewable electricity:
Solar panels
They use photovoltaic (PV) technology to turn sunshine into energy. And are the most popular way to generate electricity at home.
Get a solar quoteOnshore wind turbines
Turbines can be stand alone or clustered in a wind farm. The breeze spins the blades to create kinetic energy, which then gets converted into electrical energy.
Hydropower
Hydroelectric power harnesses the energy of naturally flowing water, like streams, rivers, tides, and waves. The energy in the water drives a turbine which turns a generator to produce electricity.
Anaerobic digestion
This uses bacteria to break down organic waste. The process produces green gas – an alternative to natural gas, which is a fossil fuel.
Micro CHPs
Micro combined heat and power (CHP) generates electricity and heat at the same time. These nifty units replace regular boilers and often use fuel cell technology.
Frequently asked questions
How much you can make from exporting your energy will depend on a few things:
- How much energy you generate
- What percentage of that energy you don’t use, and export to the grid
- Which SEG tariff you sign up to, and the rate you’re offered per kWh
You might be able to store your energy using a home storage battery. In which case, you can export what you don't use back to the national grid.
Different suppliers set their own Smart Export Guarantee rates. So each one will pay you a different amount for the electricity you export per kWh.
It can take up to 4 weeks to get an export MPAN registered for your installation. Then we'll either ask you for your opening meter readings, or take these automatically from your smart meter. After that, your contract starts.
The readings we use for payments will be sent automatically from your smart meter 4 times a year – in March, June, September, and December. But if for some reason they're not sent automatically, we'll ask you to send them to us.
Usually, your payment readings will be sent automatically from your smart meter. But if we ask you to manually send us a meter reading, this guide will help you to take an export meter reading from your smart meter.
If you’re on our SEG tariff then you’ll get a statement every 3 months - usually about 4 weeks after the reading window has closed. For our other SEG tariffs, you'll be paid directly into your energy account and you’ll see your payment in your statement and in the OVO app.
Yes, your SEG payments and your energy supply are separate. But you’ll get paid more for exporting your electricity if we also supply your energy. Here’s how to switch to OVO or find out more about how to switch energy suppliers when you've got solar panels
.
After we've installed your solar panels (and battery, if you choose to have one), we'll send you an email with the details to sign up to SEG Install Exclusive.
If you sign up for SEG and your energy is supplied by OVO within 3 months of your solar panels being installed, then we'll back-pay your SEG payments. This means you'll earn money from the day your panels start generating electricity.
If you’re not with OVO for your energy then you can still sign up for SEG. You won't be eligible for back-payment. You must have a smart meter to get SEG.
First, you need to check if the previous owners have signed up for FIT. If the panels weren't registered for FIT, then you can apply for SEG payments – please choose a tariff above to sign up for SEG. If they were registered, you’ll need to check who the FIT provider is and complete a Change of ownership form.
Then you can switch to either FIT or SEG with another provider.
Still got questions?
If you still have questions, then you might find these links helpful:
- OVO’s SEG terms and conditions
- Ofgem’s page on SEG
- Energy Saving Trust
- A list of UK’s licensed distribution network operators (DNOs)
- MCS certified installers
Contact us
Chat with us
Call - 0330 102 7421
WhatsApp - 0330 175 9695
Email - [email protected]
*These annual energy savings are dependent on your property type and location, roof type, slope and size. If your roof is shaded or isn't south facing, figures are likely to be lower. We based the figure on the following:
a) You have 12 (440W) solar panels and a 9.5 kWh battery installed
b) You’re home all day with an annual electricity consumption of 2,700 kWh (Ofgem). You currently pay our Standard Variable Rate of 24.50p (correct at 1 October 2024) and will use 39% of what you generate
c) You sign up for our SEG Install Exclusive rate (20p kWh) when you purchase solar and a battery from us, and you sell back the remaining 61% of energy generated.
You’ll get a more accurate savings estimation once we’ve surveyed your property.