Best Solar Export Tariffs UK: July 2026 Rates

Export payments, made simple

Get paid for spare solar power

Your home may not use all the power made by your panels. The spare power can go to the grid. An export tariff is the rate a company pays you for it.

Quick answer: do not pick a tariff from the biggest number alone. Check the extra rules and your total energy bill.

Spare solar power is measured before it reaches the grid. The export tariff decides how much each unit earns.

What this guide covers: public export rates that a household can check before applying. It does not mix in made-to-order business export contracts or rates offered only after a broker gets a quote. A broker can arrange a deal, but it is not necessarily the licensed supplier that pays for the power.

What is the best solar export tariff right now?

Checked 10 July 2026: there is not one best rate for every home. The highest number depends on whether you also buy electricity, panels or a battery from the same company.

25p/kWh

Highest public headline we found. Good Energy’s Exclusive rate needs a qualifying solar-and-battery installation and Good Energy electricity supply.

4.1p/kWh

Highest strictly open rate we found. Octopus’s standalone SEG rate had no stated matching-supply, tied-installation or battery rule.

The highest conditional offers can still suit some homes. Compare the full installation price, import tariff and likely exported power, not only the biggest export number.

Find rates that may fit Check the source data

What about variable and time-of-use export rates?

The ranked numbers above are public flat rates with one advertised price per kWh. Some export deals change their rate or pay different amounts at different times. Their highest time window is not the same as a flat rate paid whenever you export.

Variable rate

The supplier can change the rate. Check how much notice it must give you.

Time-of-use rate

The payment changes by time of day. A battery may help you export during a higher-paying window.

Dynamic rate

The price can follow the energy market and change often. Check the full range, not only the best half-hour.

We do not mix these deals into the flat-rate ranking because there is no single number that gives a fair comparison. Ofgem’s latest annual report says some variable import-and-export tariffs are designed to change charging and export in response to grid demand and wholesale prices.

Five checks for a changing rate

What is paid in every time window, not only the highest one?
Must you buy your electricity from the same company?
Do you need a battery or a certain battery model?
Can the company control when the battery charges and exports?
What happens to both your import and export rates if you leave?

How export payments work

A smart meter records the power you send to the grid. Your export company pays you for each unit. One unit is one kilowatt-hour, written as kWh.

The Smart Export Guarantee, or SEG, is the UK scheme behind many export tariffs. Each company sets its own rate and rules.

Some rates have extra rules

Open rate

You may be able to join without buying other products from the company.

Tied rate

You may need to buy your electricity, panels or battery from the same company.

Time-based rate

The payment can change during the day. A battery may be needed to make good use of it.

Compare your full bill

A higher export rate can look good. But it may ask you to move to a more costly electricity tariff. Most homes still buy power from the grid, mainly in winter. Compare what you pay and what you earn.

Use the power you really export

Do not use the full output from your panels. First, your home uses some solar power. A battery may store some too. Only the power left over is exported.

Eight things to check

The rate for each exported kWh.
Whether the rate can change.
How long the deal lasts.
Whether you must buy electricity from the same company.
Whether you need the company’s panels or battery.
Whether the company can control your battery.
How and when you are paid.
What happens if you switch away.

Keep your payback test cautious

Export rates can change long before the panels wear out. Test a lower rate as well as today’s rate. If solar only works for you with one very high rate, make that risk clear.

Find rates that may fit Read the simple report

Download the comparison data

For research, reporting or your own analysis, use the selected July 2026 solar export tariff snapshot. It separates verified rates from supplier, installer and battery conditions, and labels official source gaps rather than guessing.

Shortlist by eligibility: use the solar export tariff finder to remove flat-rate routes whose public conditions conflict with your circumstances.

New primary-source research

Our UK Solar Export Tariff Transparency Report 2026 analyses 25 published flat-rate records, their eligibility ties and four official-source gaps. The HTML report and selected source data are free to reuse with attribution.

Sources and official guidance4

Optional next step

Do not rely on export income alone.

A quote can show how much the case depends on self-use, export rates, system size and battery assumptions.

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