Quick answer: For most people, not yet. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) requires a certified installation and a smart export meter, and plug-in kits are usually not certified, so suppliers do not have to pay. Suppliers can choose to pay anyway: Octopus Energy offers its export tariff to customers who buy its kit and take its supply, and British Gas says it is working on a SEG tariff for plug-in solar, but we could not confirm it was live on 19 October 2026.
How the Smart Export Guarantee works
The SEG requires larger energy suppliers to offer at least one tariff paying for electricity small generators export. Ofgem runs the scheme. Any SEG tariff must always stay above zero, but suppliers set their own rates.
The Energy Saving Trust says suppliers with 150,000 or more customers must offer a SEG tariff, and smaller suppliers can choose to.
To be eligible, Ofgem’s generator guidance says an installation must:
- be suitably certified, which for solar normally means MCS or equivalent certification;
- have an export meter that can take half-hourly readings, usually a smart meter;
- have an export MPAN, a meter number for exports, issued through your network operator.
Why plug-in solar usually does not qualify
Plug-in kits are designed to be fitted by the householder, so they do not come with an MCS installation certificate. The government’s impact assessment says the certification requirement is “likely not to apply in the first instance for many plug-in solar installers”.
The Energy Saving Trust’s plug-in solar guide answers the question “Not normally”, but adds that “some energy suppliers may let you sell electricity on one of their tariffs without an MCS certificate”.
Ofgem’s guidance backs that up. If you cannot show your installation is suitably certified, a supplier “is not obliged to offer payments under the SEG, but they can make payments if they wish”.
What suppliers were offering on 19 October 2026
| Supplier | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Energy | Outgoing Octopus export tariff for customers who buy its plug-in kit and take its supply | Offered, after DNO registration |
| British Gas | Says it will make its SEG tariff compatible with plug-in solar | Not confirmed live |
| Other suppliers | Ask yours directly | Not checked one by one |
Octopus Energy
Octopus says that if you buy its plug-in kit and it supplies your energy, you can join Outgoing Octopus. If you buy from Octopus but are supplied by someone else, it says to ask your supplier. If you buy a kit elsewhere, you cannot sign up to an Octopus export tariff for it. You need a working smart meter, and Octopus says you must register the kit and wait for approval from your network operator before setting up export.
Outgoing Octopus was advertised at 12p per kWh on a flat rate, or with a version paying 16p from 4pm to 7pm and 9p at other times. Octopus estimates that export from a plug-in kit could earn at most about £50 a year.
British Gas
British Gas says it is “working hard in the background to offer SEG tariffs to customers with plug-in solar too” and expects “to have good news soon”. In a 27 August 2026 release, its parent company Centrica said eligible customers could receive payments for exports “in the next few weeks”. We could not find confirmation that this had launched by 19 October 2026, so treat it as planned, not available.
Is export worth chasing?
Probably not for most people. Most of the value of plug-in solar comes from using the power yourself, at about 26p per kWh at the current price cap, rather than selling it for around 12p.
Using the government’s example of a south-facing kit generating 690kWh a year with 62% used at home, about 262kWh would be exported. At 12p per kWh, that would be worth about £31 a year. Our guide to plug-in solar savings and payback shows the full method.
How to check with your supplier
Ask them:
- Do you pay for exports from plug-in solar without an MCS certificate?
- What rate, and is it a SEG tariff or your own export tariff?
- Do I need a smart meter that records exports, and an export MPAN?
- What evidence do you need, such as my myplugin.solar registration?
Frequently asked questions
Will my smart meter record what I export?
Octopus says almost all second-generation (SMETS2) smart meters and most first-generation ones can send it half-hourly export data. An export MPAN also has to be created by your network operator, which Octopus says can take one to four weeks.
Can I get SEG in Northern Ireland?
No. The SEG does not apply in Northern Ireland, and plug-in solar is not yet permitted there.
Does exported power go to waste if I am not paid?
No. It is used by nearby homes on the network. You just do not get paid for it.
Will rules change to include plug-in solar?
We found no confirmed change to the SEG rules for plug-in solar. We will update this guide if Ofgem or the government announces one.
Should I register my kit before applying for export?
Yes. Registering with your network operator is a legal requirement. See do I need to tell my DNO.
More in Plug-in solar: the complete UK guide, is plug-in solar legal and plug-in solar in flats and rented homes. Run your numbers with our plug-in solar savings calculator, or browse solar and batteries.
Sources
- Smart Export Guarantee (SEG): generators, Ofgem
- SEG guidance for generators, Ofgem, paragraphs 1.7 and 1.14
- Smart Export Guarantee and Plug-in solar panels, Energy Saving Trust
- Plug-in solar final stage impact assessment, DESNZ
- Plug-in Solar and Outgoing Octopus, Octopus Energy
- Plug-in solar panels explained, British Gas
- British Gas to help more Brits generate their own power as plug-in solar arrives, Centrica, 27 August 2026
Last checked: 19 October 2026
Image credit: Geographer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped.
