The Smart Export Guarantee, explained for Teesside
The SEG is a government-backed scheme that pays you for solar electricity you export to the grid. Rates vary hugely between suppliers, from a few pence to 15p+ per kWh, so choosing your tariff matters as much as choosing your installer. You need an MCS-certified system and a smart meter to register.
Your panels will generate more than your house can use at midday, that surplus flows to the grid, and the Smart Export Guarantee is how you get paid for it. It's the scheme that replaced the old Feed-in Tariff, and while the rates are humbler, getting it right is still worth £100–£300 a year to a typical Teesside household. Getting it wrong costs exactly the same.
How it works
Every licensed energy supplier above a certain size must offer at least one SEG tariff. You register your (MCS-certified) system with the supplier of your choice, it doesn't have to be the company you buy electricity from, and they pay a set rate for every kWh your smart meter records as exported. Payments are usually quarterly, straight to your bank account.
What SEG actually pays in 2026
The spread is the story. Flat-rate SEG tariffs range from around 3p to 15p+ per kWh depending on supplier, a 5x difference for identical electrons. Some of the best rates are reserved for the supplier's own customers, and several time-of-use tariffs pay premium rates at grid-stress times and less otherwise. Rates change regularly, which is why this guide doesn't print a league table: check current rates on the day you register, not the day you read this.
For scale: a Teesside 4kWp system without a battery exports roughly half its 3,400–4,000 kWh. At 5p/kWh that's ~£90 a year; at 15p it's ~£270. Same roof, same panels, the tariff choice is the entire difference.
SEG versus a battery: the real trade-off
Every exported unit earns the SEG rate; every stored unit avoids buying electricity at your import rate (25p+/kWh for most households). That's why self-consumption beats export roughly three to one, and why batteries pay. But the two aren't enemies: a well-sized system stores through the evening, then exports the genuine surplus. SEG remains the fallback that makes every sunny afternoon worth something.
How to register
Three requirements. 1. MCS certification, your installer supplies the certificate at handover; no MCS, no SEG, no exceptions. 2. A smart meter, export has to be measured half-hourly, so a smart meter (SMETS2) is mandatory; your supplier fits one free if you don't have it. 3. DNO approval evidence, which your installer handles as part of commissioning. With those in hand, registration is an online form with your chosen SEG supplier, typically approved within a few weeks and backdated to application by the better suppliers.
Getting the pieces lined up
The practical order of operations: install → MCS certificate arrives → smart meter confirmed → register with your chosen SEG tariff → first payment lands the following quarter. The our installers you with hand over the full paperwork pack as standard. If you're comparing systems, the cost guide shows how export income fits the overall payback maths.