Export payments
Getting paid for solar you export
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Under the Smart Export Guarantee (), large energy suppliers must pay you for electricity your panels send to the grid. Rates run from about 1p to 25p a , so it pays to compare. You don't have to take the export rate from your own supplier.
What you need
- An MCS-certified system and installer (rooftop solar and batteries).
- A smart meter that records exports.
- To apply to the supplier you choose, with your MCS certificate.
Plug-in solar kits
An 800 W plug-in kit sends little to the grid, and kits are not MCS-certified, so most owners are not paid for exports. Our calculator lets you add an export rate if you have one.
Worth knowing
The best export rates often need you to buy your electricity from the same supplier, so compare the two together. Higher export rates make a battery less worthwhile, because selling power can pay better than storing it.
Get quotes
Project Solar
Solar and battery systems for houses; every installer MCS-certified.
Get a quote from Project SolarCheck the installer. Use an MCS-certified installer. You need MCS certification to be paid for the electricity you export, and it is how you know the installer meets the industry standard. Ask for the certificate number and look it up on the MCS website.
Sources: MoneySavingExpert solar panels guide (Energy Saving Trust and The Eco Experts figures); BOXT solar; Project Solar UK; Ofgem: Smart Export Guarantee; MCS: find a certified installer.
Not electrical advice. We compare products and point you to installers; we are not electricians. A registered installer must design and fit rooftop panels, batteries and car chargers, and tell your network operator.