SOLAR BATTERIES & EXPORT (SEG) · UK · 2026
Solar batteries and export payments explained
A battery is the difference between using half your solar and using most of it. Here's what storage costs, how much it shortens payback, and the best Smart Export Guarantee rates for selling what you don't use back to the grid in 2026.
Why a battery changes the maths
Solar generates most in the middle of the day, when many homes use least. Without storage you typically use just 30–50% of what you generate and export the rest for a modest SEG rate. A battery stores the surplus for the evening, lifting self-consumption toward 80% — so you avoid buying that electricity back at the £1,862 Ofgem cap rate.
Storage adds roughly £2,500–£10,000 (a 4–5 kWh unit is around £3,000–£5,000), taking a full solar-plus-battery package to about £8,000–£14,000. In return it usually brings payback forward by a couple of years and unlocks premium time-of-useexport tariffs. There's 0% VAT on batteries too, until March 2027. See total costs in our cost guide.
Best Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) rates, 2026
Get paid for the surplus you export
| Tariff | Export rate | Who can get it |
|---|---|---|
| Ecotricity — Smart Export | 16p | Any supplier accepted |
| British Gas — Export & Earn Plus | 15.1p | British Gas electricity customers |
| EDF — Export 12m | 15p | EDF customers |
| E.ON Next — Export Exclusive v3 | 13p | E.ON customers |
| Octopus — Outgoing Octopus | 12p | Octopus customers with solar (was 15p to 1 Mar 2026) |
| Octopus — Intelligent Flux | up to ~32p peak | Octopus + supported battery (time-of-use) |
Sources: Ofgem, Which? (2026). Installer-exclusive tariffs (Good Energy 25p, OVO 20p) need their install — see supplier solar.
Get a solar + battery quote
The right battery size depends on your usage pattern and export tariff. Get free, no-obligation quotes from Blue Ape Renewables's MCS-certified team for solar with and without storage, so you can compare the payback both ways.
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