Smart Export Guarantee for Businesses: Rules, Metering and the Export MPAN
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
Who has to offer a Smart Export Guarantee tariff to a business?
Every mandatory SEG licensee, and any voluntary licensee that has opted in. Ofgem says licensees "must offer a SEG tariff to all eligible generators". A mandatory licensee is a supplier with at least 150,000 domestic electricity customers and "cannot opt-out"; smaller suppliers can join as voluntary licensees for a whole SEG year (1 April to 31 March). Ofgem's list for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 names 12 mandatory licensees (British Gas, E (Gas and Electricity), E.ON Next, EDF, Utility Warehouse, Foxglove, Fuse, Octopus, OVO, ScottishPower, So Energy and Utilita) and four voluntary ones (Pozitive Energy, Ruby Electricity, Smart Pay Energy and Voltx Power).
Being listed does not make every tariff open to a business. In Year 5 (April 2024 to March 2025) Ofgem counted 50 tariffs from 11 licensees: 21 were open to all eligible generators and 29 applied only to generators meeting extra criteria, such as importing electricity from the same supplier.
You are not tied to your import supplier: Ofgem says your SEG licensee "does not need to be the same company as your current energy supplier". Each licensee sets its own rate and terms, with one floor, that a tariff "must always remain above zero". The SEG rates page covers comparing offers.
What makes a commercial system eligible?
The scheme covers solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro-CHP in Great Britain, up to a total installed capacity of 5MW (50kW for micro-CHP). Article 3 of the Smart Export Guarantee Order 2019 fixes "the specified maximum capacity" at "5 megawatts of total installed capacity". If a site later adds capacity, British Gas says anything over 5MW "won't be paid for".
Beyond size, licensees ask for evidence:
- Certification. Octopus asks you to show the installation and installer are certified through MCS "or equivalent". British Gas says the same and accepts an MCS, Flexi-Orb or accreditation certificate. The Welsh Government's technical note (updated 11 September 2026) lists an MCS certificate "or proof the installation and installer are accredited in accordance with EN 45011 or EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012".
- Grid compliance. The same note adds proof of DNO Engineering Recommendation compliance and an electrical schematic drawing.
- No FiT export for the same electricity. Ofgem says you cannot receive both; see FiT export vs SEG.
Ofgem points generators to its "SEG: Guidance for Generators" for the full requirements, and each licensee publishes its own application process, so the licensee's form, not a general rule, decides what it accepts for a system of your size. Battery export can qualify: EDF says electricity fed into the grid is eligible where an eligible renewable installation is linked to the battery.
What is an export MPAN, and how does a business get one?
An MPAN (meter point administration number) identifies a meter point. British Gas says the export supply number "is linked to the electricity you export to the grid" and differs from the number on your import bills. Elexon notes that the scheme "has introduced the need to register and settle export MPANs" under the Balancing and Settlement Code, so a site without one has nothing for a licensee to pay against.
The route runs through the network operator (DNO), normally via the installer:
- Apply to the DNO before installing. The Energy Networks Association says a generator above 3.68kW per phase falls under EREC G99.
- Commission and send evidence. Where the DNO does not witness commissioning, it must receive evidence of compliance "within 28 days of commissioning".
- Receive the MPAN. "If the installation is capable of export, the DNO will automatically issue an export MPAN to the customer or their installer."
- Get the DNO response. SSEN says most suppliers "will require a 'DNO Response' in order to apply for an export tariff".
- Apply to a licensee with the certificate, MPAN and meter details.
Who issues the number varies by network and size. SSEN says a supplier arranges it under 30 kilowatts, its network planner from 30 to 50 kilowatts and an account manager above 50. British Gas creates the MPAN itself only below 30kW. Ask your DNO which route applies.
A system already exporting without an MPAN has three routes, set out in the Welsh Government note. Ask a licensee, though licensees "are not obliged" to arrange an MPAN or meter. Apply to the DNO for a new export connection, which can need retrospective compliance testing if no record exists. Or appoint a Meter Operator to fit a separate half-hourly export meter. An export MPAN left unregistered for a year or more "may become void".
Why does the export meter have to record half-hourly?
Because payment and settlement run on export readings. Ofgem says "SEG payments are calculated by using export meter readings". The Welsh Government note says generators "cannot supply or sell electricity" over the distribution network "without an export meter", and a purchaser will want evidence of a meter "capable of recording and storing half-hourly data". Licensees say the same in their own terms: British Gas wants a smart meter that "records export readings every 30 minutes", EDF a "smart meter or half-hourly electricity meter", and E.ON Next a "smart export meter" plus consent for half-hourly data. The note also flags a cost: the benefits "will likely need to be weighed up against ongoing direct meter operator charges".
How long does the process take?
The pages checked give no single end-to-end figure, so the table gathers what each organisation states. These are published windows and maximums, not typical results.
| Step | Timescale stated | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DNO quotation, connection application above 3.68kW per phase up to 50kW | Up to 45 working days | SSEN |
| Fast-track route for small-scale generation (aggregate up to 32 A or 60 A per phase) | Planned commissioning between 10 working days and three months after application | Energy Networks Association |
| Licensee application, including MPAN creation | Up to 10 weeks at present; the DNO step "can take weeks" | Octopus |
| Payment once running | Every 3 months, within 28 days of the export reading | British Gas |
SSEN adds that the connection process "varies according to the size of the generation equipment", so a larger commercial connection can follow a different route.
What should a business check before choosing a licensee?
- Size band. British Gas splits its business rates at 15kW and runs to 5MW; Octopus limits its business export tariff, Panel Power, to systems under 150 kWp.
- Import link. British Gas pays a better rate where it supplies the business electricity and moves you to a non-supply tariff if you change import supplier. EDF reserves two of its three small-business tariffs for its own electricity customers.
- Fixed or variable, and exit terms. EDF says its variable prices "may go up or down". E.ON Next lists a 12-month fixed business tariff, and EDF and E.ON Next both state no exit fees.
- Export limits. The scheme caps export only at what the system can generate (British Gas and EDF say so). A connection agreement can set a separate limit, covered in the export limitation guide.
The savings calculator shows what export is worth against a bill, and commercial PV systems covers the equipment side.
Sources and last checked
- Ofgem: SEG generators; SEG electricity suppliers; supplier list 2026-27; Year 5 annual report, 5 December 2025, checked 22 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk: Smart Export Guarantee Order 2019, checked 22 October 2026.
- Welsh Government: Connecting on-site generation to the grid (updated 11 September 2026), checked 22 October 2026.
- Networks: SSEN; Energy Networks Association, checked 22 October 2026.
- Elexon: BSC Issue 91, checked 22 October 2026.
- Licensee pages, used only for facts about that supplier: British Gas business; EDF; E.ON Next; Octopus SEG; Octopus Panel Power, checked 22 October 2026.
Common questions
Can I sell export to a different supplier from the one I buy from?
Yes. Ofgem says a generator can apply to any SEG licensee, and the licensee does not have to be the current energy supplier. Some tariffs do require an import contract with the same supplier, so read each licensee's own page first.
Does the scheme pay for everything my array generates?
No, only for export. Ofgem says payments are calculated from export meter readings, and British Gas says import and export are measured separately. Power used on site never reaches the export meter, so it earns nothing under the scheme.
What if my installation has no MCS certificate?
Ask the licensee what else it accepts. Octopus and British Gas both say "MCS or equivalent", British Gas names a Flexi-Orb certificate and an accreditation certificate, and the Welsh Government note refers to accreditation under EN 45011 or EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012.
What happens to my export tariff if I change electricity supplier?
It depends on the licensee. British Gas says it moves you automatically to its non-supply export tariff from the date you change import supplier. Check the terms of any tariff that links export to import before you switch.