OVO’s SEG Tariff: Is It Worth It?
Karl Wallis
Why you can trust us With 25 years of installing domestic solar systems across the UK, we’re MCS certified and proud members of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code. Our figures come from real-world performance data uploaded daily by more than 4,000 customers, alongside publicly verified Ofgem statistics.
What’s in this guide?
1. What is the Smart Export Guarantee?
2. OVO’s three tariffs explained in plain English
3. How the maths works on a typical 4 kW system
4. Import rates vs export rates: the balancing act
5. Battery strategies that put money back in your pocket
6. Case study: Anna & Mark in Manchester
7. Future outlook: Will SEG rates rise or fall?
8. Verdict: who should—and shouldn’t—choose OVO
9. Next steps: claim your personalised savings plan
OVO’s SEG tariff at a glance
• Three export rates: 4 p, 12 p, 20 p per kWh
• 20 p (“Install Exclusive”) requires you to buy panels—and ideally battery—directly from OVO
• 12 p (“Beyond Exclusive”) ties you to OVO’s import supply and its loyalty programme
• 4 p (Standard) leaves you free to shop around for import deals
• All plans include a £15 export exit fee; exclusive plans add £75 per‑fuel import exit fees
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1. What is the Smart Export Guarantee?
Back in 2020, the Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants, and the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) took over. Under SEG, any supplier with 150,000+ domestic accounts must pay households for electricity they export to the grid. Rates are set by each company, so competition, not regulation, drives payouts.
Key points to remember:
• Payments are measured in pence per kWh, exactly as you buy electricity.
• Export is tracked half‑hourly by your smart meter and credited quarterly or monthly.
• You can mix‑and‑match: battery from Brand A, panels from Brand B, SEG from Supplier C—unless you sign up to an “exclusive” tariff that restricts your freedom.
2. OVO’s three tariffs explained
Tariff Export rate. Eligibility Import requirement Strings attached
Standard SEG 4 p/kWh Any certified solar owner None £15 exit fee
SEG Beyond Exclusive 12 p/kWh. OVO import customer + join OVO Beyond Yes (flat 24.94 p/kWh) £15 export exit + £75 import
SEG Install Exclusive 20 p/kWh Purchase panels (and ideally battery) from OVO. Yes (flat 24.94 p/kWh) Same exit fees + installer lock‑in
OVO promotes “Battery Boost” with Install Exclusive: the company cycles your battery, buying at 10 p and selling at 20 p, handing you a risk-free ~£103 a year. That’s simple money, but it also hands scheduling control to OVO and still leaves you paying a high flat import price for the rest of your usage.
3. The maths on a typical 4 kW roof
A south-facing, 35° roof in Birmingham produces about 3,700 kWh per year. A household using 3,400 kWh will self-consume roughly two-thirds and export the remaining 1,260 kWh.
Tariff Annual export payout
4 p £50
12 p £151
20 p £252
So far, 20 p looks golden. But export income tells only half the story; your import cost matters more. If you import 2,500 kWh after self-consumption:
Import plan Rate Annual import cost
OVO flat 24.94 p £624
Octopus Intelligent. 7 p (6 h/night) + 30.5 p day £470
E.ON Next Drive 6.7 p (7 h/night) + 27 p day £455
*assumes 60 % night-time battery fill.
Pairing a low-cost time‑of‑use tariff with a 12p export rate routinely beats the 20p headline—because you save up to £170 more on imports than you earn in extra export revenue with OVO.
4. Import rates vs export rates: the balancing act
Think of your home like a two-way toll road:
• Every kWh in is a cost; your goal is to pay pennies, not pounds.
• Every kWh out is a revenue stream; your goal is to sell only genuine surplus.
Flat‑rate import plans penalise solar homes twice:
1. You pay top whack whenever clouds roll in.
2. You miss dirt-cheap night rates to top up the battery.
A flexible import tariff with a sub-8 p off-peak window lets you arbitrage electricity: buy low, use or sell high. Over a year, that strategy eclipses most generous export tariffs that shackle you to expensive import prices.
Ready to Power Your Future with Solar?
Join hundreds of UK homeowners and businesses already saving with GRW Solar.
Enjoy cleaner energy, lower bills, and expert support every step of the way.
Call us free on 0800 059 0606
Email:
enquires@grwsolar.co.uk
Visit grwsolar.co.uk to get your free quote today
5. Battery strategies to squeeze every watt
1. Solar‑first charging – Prioritise filling the battery with free generation between 10 am and 4 pm.
2. Night‑time top‑up – Set the battery to charge only during super‑off-peak windows (often midnight–7 am).
3. Discharge on the morning peak – 7 am to 10 am is when the grid is dirtiest and rates are highest. Let the battery shoulder kettles, showers and tumble dryers.
4. Keep a buffer – Reserve 20 % so the battery can soak up midday spikes rather than force exports at low wholesale prices.
5. Automate – Platforms such as GivEnergy Cloud, SolarEdge Home and Home Assistant can automate charge/discharge based on live rates (Octopus Agile, National Grid ESO data, etc.).
Following this routine, many of our customers cut grid imports to 800–1,000 kWh a year, savings that dwarf incremental export differences.
6. Case study: Anna & Mark in Manchester
System: 5.4 kWp panels, 9.5 kWh battery, Zappi EV charger
Lifestyle: Two EVS, both commuters; work from home twice a week
2024 performance at a glance
Metric Value
Solar generation 4,500 kWh
Home consumption 3,900 kWh
Self-consumption 68 %
Grid import 1,250 kWh
Grid export 1,440 kWh
2024 tariff choice: Octopus Intelligent Go (7 p night / 31 p day) + Octopus Fixed Outgoing (15 p export)
Stream kWh Rate Cost/Income
Night import 950 7 p £67
Day import 300 31 p £93
Export 1,440 15 p –£216
Net electricity bill: £(56) (i.e., a £56 credit)
Anna & Mark briefly considered OVO’s Install Exclusive. Their export would have fetched £288 at 20p, but their import bill would have rocketed to ~£311, flipping their annual position from a £56 credit to a £23 loss. The lesson: maximise arbitrage, not just export rate.
7. Future outlook: Will SEG rates rise or fall?
• Wholesale volatility: In 2022–23, day-ahead prices swung from –£50 to £600 MWh. Suppliers pass that volatility into time-of-use tariffs faster than they lift flat SEG rates.
• Policy pressure: DESNZ wants more flexible demand and storage, not more flat-rate exports. Expect future incentives to reward batteries that can respond within 30 minutes.
• Solar boom: As UK rooftop capacity exceeds 3 GW, midday export surges could push summer SEG rates down unless you can store and shift.
Translation: batteries plus agile import tariffs will likely deliver higher lifetime savings than chasing headline export figures.
8. Verdict: who should—and shouldn’t—pick OVO?
Choose OVO’s 20 p Install Exclusive if you…
• Want a single supplier to handle survey, install and billing
• Prefer a flat import price and don’t plan to micromanage charging schedules
• Value the guaranteed £103 Battery Boost over potential extra savings you’d earn yourself
Skip OVO and go flexible if you…
• Already own panels or want a choice of local installers
• Have—or plan to add—an EV and a battery, so off-peak electricity matters
• Are comfortable using an app to schedule charging cycles
• Aim to slash imports below 1,500 kWh a year and export the true surplus
8. Verdict: who should—and shouldn’t—pick OVO?
Choose OVO’s 20 p Install Exclusive if you…
• Want a single supplier to handle survey, install and billing
• Prefer a flat import price and don’t plan to micromanage charging schedules
• Value the guaranteed £103 Battery Boost over potential extra savings you’d earn yourself
Skip OVO and go flexible if you…
• Already own panels or want a choice of local installers
• Have—or plan to add—an EV and a battery, so off-peak electricity matters
• Are comfortable using an app to schedule charging cycles
• Aim to slash imports below 1,500 kWh a year and export the true surplus
Ready to Power Your Future with Solar?
Join hundreds of UK homeowners and businesses already saving with GRW Solar.
Enjoy cleaner energy, lower bills, and expert support every step of the way.
Call us free on 0800 059 0606
Email:
enquires@grwsolar.co.uk
Visit grwsolar.co.uk to get your free quote today
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