Export rates explained

Reviewed May 2026 against Octopus Outgoing guidance, Octopus’s March 2026 export-rate change note and Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee guidance. Export prices can change, so treat exact pence-per-kWh figures below as a dated snapshot and check the tariff page before applying.

When your solar panels generate more electricity than your home is using, the surplus flows back into the grid. Export rates determine how much you get paid for that surplus. If you want the plain-English version of how generation, import and export fit together before comparing tariffs, read solar import, export and generation explained. A better export deal can be worth real money over a year, but it should sit alongside self-consumption, battery strategy and your import tariff rather than being treated as the only number that matters.

What is an export rate?

An export rate is simply the price per kWh that your energy supplier pays you for electricity you send back to the grid. It works like your import rate in reverse. Your smart meter tracks how much electricity flows out of your home, and your supplier credits your account accordingly.

The rate varies hugely depending on your supplier and which export tariff you are on. Ofgem’s SEG rules require eligible suppliers to pay more than zero, but they do not set a generous minimum. That is why it is worth comparing the actual tariff terms rather than assuming every SEG offer is similar.

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)

The SEG is a government-backed scheme that launched in January 2020. It replaced the old Feed-in Tariff (FiT) for new export arrangements and requires participating suppliers to pay eligible small-scale generators for electricity they export to the grid.

The key point is that SEG tariff rates must be above zero, but suppliers set their own commercial rates and terms. Ofgem therefore tells generators to shop around before applying.

At the time of writing, Octopus’s basic SEG rate is 4.1p per kWh. This is their entry-level export tariff and, crucially, it can be paired with an import tariff from another supplier. If you want to keep your current energy provider for import but still get paid for exports via Octopus, this is the option you’d use. It is not especially generous compared with Octopus’s bundled export tariffs, so check Octopus’s Outgoing page before deciding.

To qualify for the SEG, your system must be MCS certified (installed by an MCS-accredited installer using approved equipment) and have a capacity under 5MW. You also need a smart meter or an export meter so your actual exports can be measured.

Outgoing Octopus (fixed rate)

At the time of writing, Outgoing Octopus pays a flat 12p per kWh for every unit you export. Octopus cut the rate from 15p on 1 March 2026, which was its first export-rate change since 2022. The tariff is still simple: no time-of-use bands, no wholesale tracking and no need to watch tomorrow’s prices before deciding when to export. Check Octopus’s Outgoing page for the latest rate before applying.

The March cut matters because the gap between import and export value is now harder to ignore. Exporting at 12p can still be useful, especially if you would otherwise be stuck on a weak SEG tariff elsewhere, but every unit you use in your own home can be worth more because it avoids buying electricity at your import rate. Outgoing Octopus still suits people who want predictable payments, but it now makes even more sense to think about self-consumption and battery use alongside the headline export rate.

You do need to be an Octopus import customer to access Outgoing Octopus. That’s the key difference from the basic SEG above.

Agile Outgoing

Agile Outgoing is Octopus’s variable export tariff, and it’s fundamentally different from SEG or fixed Outgoing. It is tied to half-hourly day-ahead wholesale prices, and Octopus describes the formula as uncapped. The tariff has a 12-month fixed term for the formula, with no exit fees, but the actual export price still changes every half hour.

When demand is high and wholesale prices spike, your export rate can go up with them. During periods of oversupply, for example sunny summer afternoons when solar generation across the country is high, rates can fall sharply. The point is not that Agile Outgoing is always better. It is that it rewards timing much more than a flat export tariff does.

The appeal of Agile Outgoing is the upside potential. If you can time exports into expensive periods, which is where batteries become useful, you can beat the fixed 12p rate in some slots. The trade-off is inconsistency. Your monthly export income will fluctuate, and low-demand periods can pay far less than the flat Outgoing tariff.

Agile Outgoing therefore makes more sense for hands-on households with storage, flexible loads and a bit of tolerance for volatility than for someone who just wants a simple solar export payment. You need a smart meter with export capability, and you should check Octopus’s current eligibility rules before assuming it can pair with your chosen import tariff.

Flux export rates

Flux is now legacy context for existing customers, not a normal current option for new signups. It used time bands that rewarded exporting during the evening peak and importing or charging at cheaper times.

That peak-window structure was the main attraction. Between 4pm and 7pm, when national demand is usually higher, Flux paid more for units pushed back to the grid. That rewarded battery owners who could store daytime solar generation and release it later.

If you already have Flux, its structure can still matter to your battery routine. If you’re choosing a setup today, the closer current comparison is usually Agile Outgoing or Outgoing Octopus paired with the right import tariff, rather than Flux itself.

Intelligent Octopus Flux is different from standard Flux. It uses Octopus-controlled battery optimisation for supported battery brands, and the current Octopus page still has a live eligibility flow for households with solar panels and a compatible battery. Treat it as a specialist current option to verify, not as a simple replacement for standard Flux or as a tariff every battery owner can join.

How export is measured

Accurate export measurement matters because it determines what you get paid. There are two methods:

Smart meter with export MPAN: This is the usual route for actual export payments. Your smart meter records export readings, and your supplier uses those readings for payment. You need a separate export MPAN registered for export. Octopus says it applies to the DNO for this during the Outgoing setup process, and the DNO stage can take one to four weeks. Almost all SMETS2 meters and most SMETS1 meters should be able to provide the export data Octopus needs, but check if your meter history is messy or if you have recently switched supplier.

Deemed export: Some older arrangements estimate export instead of measuring it directly. A common deemed-export assumption is 50% of generation, but the real result can be very different. If you’re out all day and actually export most of your generation, deemed export can underpay you. If you work from home and self-consume most of it, deemed export may be more favourable than your actual exported volume. For new export decisions, measured export is usually the cleaner setup.

The old Feed-in Tariff

If your solar panels were installed before March 2019, you may be on the old Feed-in Tariff scheme. FiT rates were significantly more generous than anything available today. Some early adopters are on generation tariffs of 40p+ per kWh, index-linked and guaranteed for 20-25 years.

If you’re on FiT: do not switch away from it. Those rates are grandfathered and cannot be re-obtained once you leave. The FiT generation payment is separate from your export payment, so you can switch your import supplier to Octopus without affecting your FiT entitlement. Just make sure you keep your FiT export arrangement intact.

Which option pays the most?

There’s no single answer because it depends on your setup and behaviour:

Export tariff	Best for	Rate shape	Predictability
SEG	Keeping a different import supplier	Basic fixed export rate, check the latest supplier terms	High
Outgoing Octopus	Solar-only households wanting simplicity	12p/kWh at the time of writing, variable with notice	High
Agile Outgoing	Households with batteries who can time exports	Half-hourly day-ahead wholesale-linked export price	Low
Flux (legacy)	Existing solar + battery customers maximising time bands	Legacy time-of-use import and export bands	Medium
Intelligent Flux	Solar + battery households with a supported battery brand	Automated battery import and export optimisation	Medium

For a solar-only household without a battery, Outgoing Octopus is still usually the simplest starting point. You can’t easily time your exports without storage, so the consistency of a flat rate is valuable.

For households with a battery choosing a tariff today, Agile Outgoing is usually the higher-upside manual route and Outgoing Octopus is the simpler fixed export option. Intelligent Octopus Flux is also worth checking if your battery is supported and you are comfortable with Octopus controlling battery optimisation. Standard Flux still matters if you’re already on it, but it is no longer the default recommendation for new customers. See our battery storage strategies guide for more on how to make the most of this.