Exporting your excess energy to the grid

With most solar systems, there will be periods that your energy production is greater than the amount of energy you are consuming. Many systems will try and utilise this excess energy by storing it in a battery, to allow you to use it later, or even divert it to heat hot water tanks.

Depending on the equipment you have installed and the way it's been configured, your home should try and maximise it's 'self-consumption'; this means using as much of the energy as possible and sending it back to the grid is a last resort. This is because it makes much more sense financially to use this energy rather than selling it to the grid, and potentially buying it back at a higher price throughout the day.

This is where the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) comes in. The SEG replaced the Feed In Tariff in 2019 and states that some suppliers must offer you a value for your exported energy. This is where you need to shop around, as some suppliers will offer you significantly more than others.

How do I find the best SEG provider?

As with any price comparrison these days, shopping around online is your best bet. Check out comparrison websites and individual energy suppliers to find exactly how much they offer you for a unit of exported electricity. Energy suppliers will pay you for each kW (unit) of electricy you export to the grid. This unit of electricity is measured in the same way as the energy you buy from the grid.

It's well worth shopping around to find the best prices, as it may not be the supplier that you're currently with. Many suppliers now offer specific tariffs with fantastic export rates and also dual tariffs, which allow you to take advantage of lower cost energy overnight, or during off-peak periods, which is ideal for topping up your battery storage.

Do I need to buy and sell my electricity from/to the same company?

This is an important one - No!

You do not have to buy and sell your electricity to the same company. If you find that your best buying prices and selling proces are from different providers, you are able to separate them both and take advantage of the best rates possible.

Whilst it's worth shopping around and factoring this in to your decisions, you will often find that if you combine your buying and selling of electricity to a single supplier, they may offer you preferential export rates that are ony available to existing customers.