The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the Great Britain scheme that lets eligible small-scale low-carbon generators receive payments from electricity suppliers for electricity they export to the grid, when the scheme criteria are met. Ofgem's SEG page lists solar PV, wind, micro-CHP, hydro and anaerobic digestion among the technology types, with capacity limits (up to 5 MW generally, or up to 50 kW for micro-CHP). Ofgem's SEG generators page is clear that your SEG licensee need not be your current energy supplier. GOV.UK says you must show that your installation and installer are certified through MCS or an equivalent scheme.
What it means for a home battery
SEG is about exported units. A home battery is about shifting imported units on a time-of-use tariff, and optionally storing surplus solar instead of exporting it. If your export tariff pays only a few pence per kWh while your day-time import rate is several times higher, using surplus solar at home through the battery can beat exporting it on those kWh. That trade-off is why Habo's solar-plus-battery guide separates retrofit storage from export income.
SEG does not set a single national export price. Suppliers publish their own outgoing rates. Some products go beyond a flat SEG rate. Habo's note on paused Flux-style options is in Octopus Flux and export tariffs. Tariff shifting without solar still works on eligible night-rate products such as Octopus Go (Go needs an EV charged at home under terms 2.1.3); see best tariffs for battery storage. Check current SEG and outgoing offers with your supplier before you count export income in a payback sheet. Habo's offer is an electrician-wired EcoFlow STREAM from £2,499. Join the waitlist.
Eligibility and metering rules sit with the scheme and your supplier. Before you count export income, confirm the installation type, capacity and that your meter can record export separately. Ofgem's SEG pages and your supplier's outgoing tariff terms are the live sources to check, not a quote that freezes last year's rate.
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Frequently asked questions
Ofgem says eligible installations include solar PV, wind, micro-CHP, hydro and anaerobic digestion up to the scheme capacity limits, when the scheme criteria are met. GOV.UK also requires MCS (or equivalent) certification for the installation and installer, and Ofgem says your SEG licensee need not be your current supplier.
SEG is the scheme. An export tariff is the supplier's rate under that scheme (or a related outgoing product) for each kWh you export.
No. A battery can store surplus for later home use instead of exporting it. That can be worth more than a low export rate, but it depends on your import tariff and usage.
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