Who pays you for solar exports — and where it actually fits
If you are exploring a home energy system, you will likely encounter the Smart Export Guarantee, usually shortened to SEG.
It is often summarised as “getting paid for excess solar.”
That is broadly correct — but incomplete.
Who pays you? Is the rate fixed? Is income guaranteed? And how much weight should export really carry in a long-term decision about your home?
This guide explains what SEG is, how it works, and where it sits within a properly designed home energy system.
If you would like a broader explanation of how generation, storage and the grid interact, you may also find How Solar, Storage and the Grid Work Together helpful.
What the Smart Export Guarantee Is
The Smart Export Guarantee is a UK government framework requiring larger electricity suppliers to offer at least one tariff that pays households for renewable electricity exported to the grid.
Key clarifications:
- SEG is not a grant
- There is no nationally fixed rate
- Each supplier sets its own export price
- Payments are made directly by your energy supplier
SEG replaced the Feed-in Tariff in 2020. Unlike that scheme, it is market-based. Rates vary by supplier and can change over time. Industry comparisons frequently show export rates ranging from around 3–5p per kilowatt-hour to 15p per kilowatt-hour or more, depending on structure and conditions.
The important point is simple: SEG is a supplier tariff, not an infrastructure guarantee.
The Roles, Clearly Defined
Understanding SEG becomes straightforward when the roles are separated properly.
Glow Homes
Glow designs and delivers complete systems under Our Systems. Our responsibility is system architecture, grid compliance, installation quality and long-term operability.
Glow systems are:
- Designed to be export-capable where permitted
- Compliant with G98/G99 standards
- Approved by the local Distribution Network Operator
- Configured with export limits where required
At handover, Glow provides the documentation suppliers require, including MCS certification and commissioning records.
Glow does not register customers for SEG, recommend tariffs, handle export payments or guarantee export income.
Your Energy Supplier
Your supplier offers an SEG tariff, sets the rate, measures exported electricity through your smart meter and pays you directly. This is a direct financial relationship between you and the supplier. Glow is not involved in that payment flow.
You, the Homeowner
You decide whether export income matters, whether to register for SEG and which supplier you prefer. Glow does not require access to your energy account or banking details.
Where Export Actually Sits in a Glow System
Glow systems are designed so export is technically possible, but export is never the objective.
A properly designed system prioritises:
- Powering the home
- Charging the battery
- Exporting surplus only if appropriate
If you are exploring storage-led architecture, Home Battery Storage Explained Properly explains why storage now sits at the centre of modern system design.
Only after the home and battery are satisfied does surplus energy flow outward, and only if the grid permits it.
Export is therefore a secondary outcome, not a financial foundation.
Export Is Not Guaranteed
Every home is connected to a local Distribution Network Operator. These networks were not originally designed for widespread decentralised generation.
As a result:
- Some areas have export capacity
- Others are constrained
- Limits can change over time
Even with solar, a smart meter and an SEG tariff, export may be capped, restricted or, in rare cases, unavailable. These decisions sit with the DNO and are outside the control of Glow, your supplier or the homeowner.
This is why Glow never guarantees export volumes or export income. A well-designed system must make sense without relying on export. If export works smoothly, it is welcome. If it is limited, the system should still perform exactly as designed.
Setting Up SEG
If you choose to participate, the process is usually straightforward:
- Glow installs and commissions the system
- Glow provides your MCS certificate and documentation
- You apply for SEG with your chosen supplier
- You upload the required documents
- Your supplier confirms the smart meter configuration
- Payments begin, where permitted by the DNO
If you would like to see how this fits into the wider process, How Glow Works outlines the journey from survey through to ongoing care.
Why Glow Does Not Design Around Export Income
Export payments are variable, supplier-specific, dependent on grid capacity and sensitive to policy change. Designing around uncertain export revenue introduces fragility.
Glow’s approach is infrastructure-first. Systems are designed to support electrification, provide resilience and operate predictably over time. If export income exists, it is additive. If it changes, the system remains structurally sound.
If you would like to explore that philosophy further, Energy Ownership explains the thinking behind it.
What This Means in Practice
The Smart Export Guarantee is an optional supplier arrangement. It can provide additional income. It cannot be treated as a certainty.
Glow designs home energy systems that work first for the home and the battery.
Export is secondary.
That is the difference between installing panels and designing residential energy infrastructure.