UK suppliers line up tariffs as Smart Export Guarantee date looms

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The Smart Export Guarantee is set to come into effect on 1 January 2020. Image: Sunpower

Export tariffs under the UK’s Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) are ready to go, suppliers have confirmed as the implementation date draws near.

The SEG is set to come into effect on 1 January 2020, requiring UK suppliers with over 150,000 domestic customers to offer an export tariff to hosueholds with small scale generation that do not otherwise receive an export or generation payment.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

It serves as a replacement to the feed-in tariff (FiT), which was shuttered on 31 March 2019.

With just over a week left before the deadline, suppliers have confirmed to sister site Solar Power Portal that they are – in the most part – ready to go.

Whilst the only supplier to suggest a rate of its tariff – which can be anything above zero – was Utilita, with it “likely” to be between 3 – 5p per kWh, although this is  “yet to be confirmed”, a variety of suppliers have confirmed they stand ready to launch on time.

Big Six suppliers Centrica and E.On are to launch on time, with E.On to offer two tariffs come 1 January, dubbed Fix & Export v1 and Fix & Export Exclusive v1. The latter is to be exclusively for new solar customers with E.On installations.

OVO, which is acquiring SSE’s energy supply business, is to be compliant by the deadline, and SSE is to offer a tariff dubbed ‘Smart Export’ which will be available on its website on 31 December.

Octopus Energy, another challenger to the Big Six, is the only supplier required to launch a tariff to have already done so. Its Fixed and Agile tariffs have been available since April, with the Fixed tariff offering a flat rate of 5.5p per kWh and the Agile tariff a variable rate.

A spokesperson for npower told Solar Power Portal it was discussing the best approach to take to meet the SEG requirement with E.On in light of its takeover, with information to be available on npower’s website by 1 January 2020.

However, oil and gas giant Shell’s UK energy supply arm, Shell Energy, looks to be falling behind. A spokesperson confirmed that whilst the supplier is developing a tariff, it “is due to launch later in 2020”.

UK regulator Ofgem has proposed it “may use its enforcement powers” if suppliers breach requirements under the Electricity Supply Licence Conditions, and William Marks, policy lead for the SEG at BEIS, said he was “sure” BEIS would intervene if suppliers fail to launch tariffs.

Small suppliers are able to voluntarily join the mechanism but will be held against the same operational requirements as large suppliers.

The Smart Export Guarantee has not been without a hitch. The gap between the FiT and the SEG of nine months has been heavily criticised, with Rebecca Long Bailey, the Labour Party’s shadow business secretary, describing it as a “new mountain for small scale renewable energy to climb” after the SEG was announced in January.

The decision to not implement a minimum floor price has also been a point of contention, drawing ire from a number of places, including the Solar Trade Association and Conservative MP Antoinette Sandbach. 

Read Next

July 11, 2025
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has revealed that several utility-scale solar PV power plants experienced curtailment of above 25% in the National Electricity Market (NEM) in 2024.
July 10, 2025
German renewables company BayWa r.e. has secured a €3 billion (US$3.5 billion) loan for 'operational initiatives and pipeline expansion.'
July 10, 2025
US renewables developer Invenergy has launched commercial operations of 250MW Fairbanks Solar Energy Center in Sullivan County, Indiana. 
July 10, 2025
A report published by the US Department of Energy (DOE) this week claims that the previous government’s support for renewable energy could cause blackouts to “increase by 100 times” by 2030.
July 10, 2025
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a new AU$60 million (US$39.4 million) funding round to bolster R&D efforts to achieve ultra-low-cost solar.
July 9, 2025
Many European countries generated record levels of solar power in the first half of 2025, according to figures from Fraunhofer ISE.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK