What is a solar export tariff?
A solar export tariff pays you for the electricity your panels generate but you don’t use, sending it back to the grid instead of letting it go to waste. If you’ve got solar and you’re still on whatever deal your supplier signed you up for years ago, there’s a fair chance you’re handing that power over for pennies. The system quietly banks on you not checking. That’s the Do Nothing Default, and with solar it can cost you a few hundred pounds a year for changing nothing.
The scheme behind most of these payments is the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which runs under Ofgem rules. It requires the larger energy suppliers to pay something for every unit you send back. What they actually pay varies wildly from one deal to the next, and that gap is exactly where the money is hiding.
Key takeaways
- A solar export tariff pays you for surplus power your home doesn’t use.
- Rates range from a few pence to around 30p per unit, depending on the deal and whether you’ve got a battery.
- Octopus Outgoing Fixed dropped to around 12p in March 2026, so last year’s best deal might not be this year’s.
- Switching your export tariff is usually quick, and doing nothing is the expensive option.
Which solar export tariff pays the most in 2026?
It depends. Are you after a simple flat rate, or are you willing to play the time of use game with a battery? Here’s roughly where things sit, checked July 2026. Rates move often, so always confirm the current figure before you commit to anything.
For a flat rate you can take without switching your import supplier, Good Energy has been paying around 15p per unit. Some of the highest fixed rates, like E.ON Next’s export deal at around 16.5p and British Gas at around 15.1p, tend to ask you to buy your electricity from them too. Octopus Outgoing Fixed, for a long time the crowd favourite, was cut to around 12p in March 2026. That’s a useful reminder that these numbers don’t stand still, and loyalty to an old rate rarely pays.
If you’ve got a battery and you’re happy to shift when you export, time of use tariffs such as Octopus Flux or Agile can pay up to around 25p to 30p per unit in peak windows. That’s the very top end, and only if you can actually export at the right time of day. For most homes without a battery, a solid flat rate is the sensible pick, because you’ll mostly be exporting in the middle of the day when demand is low.
None of this is a promise of a specific payout, because your income depends on how much you export and when. But getting onto the right solar export tariff is one of the rare switches that pays you rather than just trimming a bill. We did the boring bit of tracking who pays what so you don’t have to, and we’re rated 4.45/5 on Reviews.io for exactly this sort of legwork.
Fixed rate or time of use: which one suits you?
A flat export rate is the set and forget option. You export whenever your panels produce more than the house is using, and you get paid the same rate around the clock. It suits homes without a battery and anyone who’d rather not think about it more than once.
Time of use rates reward you for exporting when the grid is short, which is usually early evening. To make the most of them you really need a battery, so you can store up cheap or free daytime solar and release it when export prices spike. Without a battery you’ll mostly export at midday when rates are at their lowest, so those eye catching peak numbers won’t apply to your home. Match the solar export tariff to your setup, not to the biggest headline figure.
Is a home battery worth it in 2026?
A home battery is most likely worth it if you use a fair bit of electricity in the evening, you’re on (or happy to move to) a time of use tariff, and your panels regularly export a surplus. If that sounds like your home, a battery lets you dodge peak import prices and sell at the better export rates instead.
The honest catch is the maths. A battery fitted alongside solar often lands somewhere around £4,500 to £7,500, and industry estimates put simple payback at roughly 8 to 14 years, depending on how much you engage with your tariff. Home batteries currently carry 0% VAT, which takes some of the sting out of that upfront cost. If your evening usage is low, though, the picture changes. A battery can sit half idle and take longer to earn its keep, so be realistic about how you actually use power before you spend.
How to switch to a better solar export tariff
Switching your export deal is usually simpler than people expect. You don’t need to rip anything out or book an engineer. In most cases, moving to a better solar export tariff needs a smart meter that can record what you export, proof that your system is certified (your MCS certificate), and a few minutes to compare what’s on offer.
You can often keep your import supplier and move only your export tariff, or bundle the two together if that lands you a better rate. It’s genuinely worth checking both ways round, because the bundled deals and the standalone ones win in different situations. If you’ve recently had panels fitted, or you’re weighing up switching supplier entirely, our guide on switching energy supplier when you have solar panels walks through the details, and there’s more in our explainer on solar panels and your energy account.
Fixing your export tariff takes a few minutes. Leaving it on autopilot could mean a whole year of giving your power away cheap. Compare what’s out there and see where you’d land.
Frequently asked questions about solar export tariffs
- Do I need a battery to get a solar export tariff?
- No. You can earn from a flat rate export tariff with panels alone. A battery mainly helps if you want the higher time of use rates, which pay more for exporting at peak times.
- Can I keep my current supplier for imports and switch only my export tariff?
- Often, yes. Plenty of households keep their import supplier and move only the export side, though some of the highest rates are bundled deals that ask you to do both. It’s worth comparing both options.
- How much can I earn from exporting solar power?
- It depends on your system size, how much you export and the rate you’re on, so we can’t promise a figure. As a rough guide, export income for a typical home tends to be a few hundred pounds a year, and more if you’ve got a battery on a time of use tariff.
- Why did my Octopus Outgoing rate change?
- Suppliers review export rates regularly. Octopus Outgoing Fixed moved to around 12p per unit in March 2026, for example. That’s normal, and it’s exactly why checking your tariff now and then pays off.
- Do I need a smart meter for a solar export tariff?
- Usually, yes. Export tariffs pay you for measured export, so you generally need a smart meter that records it. Your installer or supplier can confirm what you’ve already got.
