EDF SEG tariff — the 15p rate is gated, and the open rate is 3.0p.

EDF SEG tariff rates 2026

Rates verified June 2026 directly from EDF’s published tariff pages. EDF’s 2026 lineup is a set of named tariffs, and the headline numbers are gated. The much-quoted 15p and 18p rates need you to be on EDF for import, or to buy your solar and battery system from EDF. The only EDF SEG rate genuinely open to any business with no strings attached is SEG Export Variable at 3.0p/kWh. As an independent commercial-solar funding specialist we take no installer commission and sell no tariffs, so we can show this honestly — EDF’s own marketing leads with the gated tiers.

Indicative EDF rates, verified June 2026 from EDF’s published tariff pages; page and rival-supplier rates reviewed July 2026. SEG tariffs reset periodically — always confirm the current rate with EDF before signing. The 15p (Export 12m) tier requires an EDF import contract; the 18p (Export Exclusive) tier requires buying solar + battery from EDF.

EDF SEG vs the rest of the UK market (2026 rates)

Across the whole market, EDF’s gated 15p Export 12m is competitive but no longer best-in-class, and its open 3.0p rate trails almost every rival. The column that matters for a commercial operator is “customer required?” — several top payers lock you into their import supply, while a handful pay switch-free.

Indicative 2026 rates for comparison, rival-supplier figures verified July 2026 — including Octopus’s cut of Outgoing Fixed from 15p to 12p effective 1 March 2026. Confirm current figures with each supplier. See our full SEG comparison, Octopus SEG, British Gas SEG and OVO SEG pages for detail.

EDF SEG for businesses — commercial & small business tariffs

EDF runs a dedicated Export 12M Small Business tariff at 15p/kWh for SMEs on an EDF business supply contract — the same headline as the consumer Export 12m, but gated to EDF business import. There is no separate “business premium”; in fact commercial export rates across the market tend to lag the very best residential offers, for three structural reasons:

• Bundling economics — suppliers subsidise the top rates to win a customer’s import or to sell an install; a SEG-only commercial site offers neither, so it gets the unsubsidised rate.
• Market size and volume — fewer commercial SEG accounts means less competitive pressure on business-specific export products than on the high-volume residential market.
• Metering readiness — older CT-metered commercial sites are harder to enrol on half-hourly export settlement, which caps access to the keenest dynamic rates.

The most SEG-ready commercial property types are those with large roofs and modest daytime self-consumption, so a high share of generation is exported: offices and professional-services premises (low weekend demand), warehouses and distribution centres (vast roof area, light load), and agricultural and rural buildings (seasonal demand, big sheds). For those sites the export tariff is a material revenue line, not an afterthought — and it sits on top of the capital-allowance funding on the install itself.

EDF SEG eligibility checklist

• System under 5MW (50kW for Micro-CHP) total installed capacity.
• Eligible technology — solar PV, wind, hydro, Micro-CHP or anaerobic digestion.
• Smart or half-hourly export meter capable of recording exported kWh (EDF arranges an upgrade free if yours can’t).
• MCS or Flexi-Orb certification in the business name (or equivalent ROO-FIT certification).
• Not already on the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) or another SEG licensee for the same installation.
• GB only — England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland runs a separate scheme.

EDF SEG vs Feed-in Tariff (FiT)

The Smart Export Guarantee replaced the Feed-in Tariff for new applications in 2020. The two are different instruments: the FiT paid a government-set rate for both generation and export on a long, index-linked contract; the SEG pays only for export, at a rate each supplier sets itself and can change. If your installation was accredited on FiT before the 2020 transition you stay on it (it’s usually far more generous) and cannot also claim SEG. Every commercial install commissioned since 2020 routes through SEG, which is why supplier choice — and the rate table above — now drives your export revenue.

Are EDF SEG rates going up?

Over the long run yes — both EDF’s variable floor and the premium market have risen sharply since 2020. EDF’s open SEG Export Variable has climbed from 1.5p at launch to 3.0p, with the EDF-customer Variable Value tier at 5.6p, while the gated fixed tiers now reach 15–18p. The wider market has moved from a 3–6p early-SEG band to 14–18p premium tiers in 2026.

The important 2026 qualifier is that the market’s headline flat rate has since come down. Octopus raised Outgoing Fixed from 12p to 15p in early 2025, then cut it back to 12p on 1 March 2026. So the best flat commercial export rates now cluster around 12p — Octopus Outgoing, EDF Export 12M Small Business and ScottishPower SmartGen+, each with its own import condition — while the strongest overall returns sit with dynamic tariffs such as Octopus Outgoing Agile and Intelligent Octopus Flux, which still peak near 30p for sites that can shift export with battery storage. Treat “export rates only go up” as an assumption to re-test at every renewal rather than a trend to bank on.

Indicative progression for context; figures rounded, market column re-checked July 2026. The long-run trend has been upward, but premium tiers are gated and can be cut — Octopus cutting Outgoing Fixed from 15p back to 12p on 1 March 2026 is the market’s first significant downward move, so re-check the open vs gated rate each year.

EDF SEG worked example — re-based on the live 2026 rate

For a 500kWp commercial site exporting 120,000 kWh/year, here is the export-income line on EDF’s current gated rate versus a legacy SEG, shown separately from any import-bill savings:

• Export income on EDF Export 12m (15p, EDF import customer): £18,000/year
• Export income on a legacy 3–6p SEG: £3,600–£7,200/year
• Annual export-income uplift from moving up: £10,800–£14,400/year
• Import-bill savings from self-consumed generation are separate and additional — typically the larger half of total benefit on a daytime-load site.

Honest sidebar: that £18,000 export line assumes the gated 15p Export 12m, which needs an EDF import contract. EDF’s genuinely switch-free SEG rate is just 3.0p — worth £3,600/year on the same site. So the worked example is real only if you take EDF for import (or buy an EDF solar + battery system for the 18p tier). If you want EDF’s top rate without moving import, you can’t — and a rival open-market or import-bundled supplier may pay more. We model both the export tariff and the capital-allowance funding on the install together, so the comparison reflects your full commercial position, not just the headline export number.

How to apply for the EDF SEG tariff — step by step

As independent funding specialists this is the part we handle for clients. The application is online and stalls in predictable places; the route you take depends on whether you’re already an EDF import customer.

1. Gather your documents — MCS (or Flexi-Orb) certificate in the business name confirming the system is under 5MW, your export MPAN from your electricity bill, and confirmation of a smart or half-hourly export meter.
2. Choose your route — EDF import customers apply on their existing account for the fastest approval; SEG-only applicants on another supplier set up a standalone export contract with no import switch.
3. Submit the online application — enter business details, the MCS certificate number and meter point reference, and upload the certificate.
4. EDF verifies eligibility — it checks the MCS certificate and confirms the meter records exported kWh (arranging a free upgrade if not). EDF import customers: ~5–7 working days; SEG-only: ~10–14 working days.
5. Tariff goes live and payments begin — the tariff activates from your next billing cycle and EDF pays against your actual metered export.

Source note: all EDF rates and tariff names on this page were re-verified on 25 August 2026 directly against EDF’s own published tariff pages — edfenergy.com/sme-business/smart-export-guarantee-tariffs for the business lineup and edfenergy.com/energy-efficiency/smart-export-tariff for the residential one — and cross-checked against the live SERP. Rival-supplier rates were re-verified in July 2026, which picked up Octopus cutting its flat Outgoing Fixed rate from 15p to 12p/kWh effective 1 March 2026 — every Octopus flat-rate comparison on this page reflects the 12p rate. We are an independent funding specialist — we lodge the SEG application for the business and take no installer or supplier commission.

EDF operates three business SEG products — two of them gated

Export 12M Small Business — 15p/kWh flat (EDF import customers only)

Pays 15p/kWh flat across all exported electricity on a fixed 12-month term with no exit fee. Predictable and simple — but it is restricted to existing EDF business electricity customers, so it is not a tariff you can sign while buying import from someone else. That single condition is the thing most pages on this subject get wrong. The right choice for commercial sites without battery storage that want better than 6p but don\'t want to switch import to Octopus.

EDF Export Variable — 12-18p banded by daypart

Semi-dynamic structure with banded rates by daypart. Peak rate (4-7pm Mon-Fri) approximately 18p; standard mid-day rate approximately 13-14p; off-peak overnight rate approximately 12p. Less aggressive than Octopus Outgoing Agile (which goes full half-hourly with 25-40p peaks) but cleaner economics for sites that prefer banded rather than fully variable. Annual average around 13p/kWh.

The gating condition almost every page gets wrong

EDF is widely written up as the supplier that will pay a good SEG rate without taking your import contract. Checked against EDF’s own published tariffs on 25 August 2026, that is not correct: the 15p Small Business rate and the 5.6p Variable Value rate are both explicitly limited to existing EDF electricity customers, and the 18p Export Exclusive additionally requires that you bought the system from EDF. The only EDF tariff genuinely open to anyone is SEG Export Variable at 3.0p. For completeness, most rival commercial-grade SEG products are gated the same way:

• Octopus Outgoing Fixed (12p since 1 March 2026, down from 15p) and Outgoing Agile (dynamic) — require Octopus import
• British Gas Export & Earn Plus (6.4p) — requires BG import
• Scottish Power SmartGen+ (12p) — requires SP import

So for a commercial operator on a fixed-term import contract with another supplier, EDF does not solve the problem: the only rate you can sign is 3.0p. The realistic options are to price the value of moving import to EDF against your current contract and any exit fee, or to compare open-market SEG rates from suppliers that do not gate them. This is materially valuable — switching just the export contract is 14 days with no exit fees, while breaking a fixed-term import contract often triggers exit fees.

EDF SEG worked example — and why the gating changes the answer

For a typical 500kWp commercial site exporting 120,000 kWh/year, currently on a 5-6p SEG (OVO, British Gas, E.ON Next, Shell):

• Current SEG revenue: £6,000-£7,200/year
• EDF Export 12M Small Business at 15p, if EDF supplies your import: £18,000/year
• EDF SEG Export Variable at 3.0p, the only rate open if EDF does not supply your import: £3,600/year — worse than the tariff you are on
• So the uplift is £10,800–£12,000/year if you move import to EDF as well — and negative if you do not. Price the import move, not just the export rate
• 25-year cumulative differential (CPI-adjusted): £200,000+
• Switching effort: 14 days and no SEG exit fee — but reaching the 15p rate means moving your import contract to EDF, which may carry its own exit cost and is the real decision

EDF Export Variable vs Octopus Outgoing Agile

Both are dynamic-style products but structurally different:

EDF Export Variable

• Banded by daypart (peak/standard/off-peak), not half-hourly
• Peak rate ~18p, standard ~13-14p, off-peak ~12p
• Annual average ~13p
• SEG-only available without EDF import
• Lower active-management requirement

Octopus Outgoing Agile

• Full half-hourly variable, 48 daily rates published 24h ahead
• Peak rates 25-40p in winter; can go negative overnight
• Annual average 14-18p (well-managed battery sites)
• Requires Octopus import
• Higher active-management upside, particularly with battery storage

For sites with battery storage and willingness to switch import to Octopus, Outgoing Agile pays more. For sites without battery, or sites unwilling/unable to switch import, EDF Export Variable is the workable choice.

EDF SEG application process

1. Visit the EDF SEG application portal
2. Enter business details, MCS certificate number and meter point reference
3. EDF verifies the MCS certificate (5-10 working days)
4. Smart meter capability confirmed; if upgrade needed, EDF arranges installation
5. Tariff goes live; payments start the next billing cycle

For SEG-only customers (not on EDF import), the process takes 10-14 days end to end. For EDF import customers, faster — typically 5-7 days.

EDF SEG application — the documents and exact steps

The EDF SEG application is an online process, and it stalls in predictable places. Getting these four documents right before you start is the difference between a 5-day and a 5-week approval:

• MCS certificate (or ROO-FIT/equivalent) — issued by your installer at commissioning, in the business name (not the director\'s personal name), confirming the PV array capacity is under 5MW. This is non-negotiable across every UK SEG supplier — no certificate, no payments. If you\'ve lost it, your installer can re-issue from the MCS database.
• Export MPAN — the 13-digit supply number for your meter point, on your electricity bill. For a SEG-only application EDF uses this to confirm the meter and check it isn\'t already enrolled on another export contract elsewhere.
• Smart or half-hourly export meter — EDF pays on actual metered export, so the meter must record exported kWh. Most SMETS2 and commercial CT meters qualify. If yours doesn\'t, EDF arranges the upgrade free; budget an extra 2-4 weeks for the meter exchange visit.
• Bank details and business identifiers — sort code, account number and (for larger entities) company registration, so EDF can set up the quarterly export payment.

The two application routes

1. EDF import customer (fastest, ~5-7 working days): your supply account is already verified, so EDF only needs the MCS certificate and a meter capability check. The SEG product is added to your existing account.
2. SEG-only / import elsewhere (~10-14 working days): you stay with your current import supplier and EDF sets up a standalone export contract. EDF independently verifies the MCS certificate and confirms the export meter before activating. No import switch, no exit fees, import contract untouched.

After approval — what to expect

Once EDF confirms, the tariff goes live from the start of your next billing cycle and you\'re paid quarterly against the kWh your meter actually exported — there\'s no annual reconciliation and no "deemed export" estimate to argue over. If readings don\'t flow automatically (common on older CT-metered commercial sites), EDF accepts manual export readings to keep payments moving while the smart data link is fixed. Keep the original MCS certificate filed — if you later switch to a higher-paying SEG, the new supplier will ask for the same document.

EDF Energy SEG tariff vs the rest of the SEG-only field

The EDF Energy SEG tariff occupies a specific, valuable niche: it\'s the best-paying contract that doesn\'t demand an import switch. Among genuinely SEG-only-accessible products, EDF Energy SEG at 12p flat sits at or near the top — well clear of British Gas (6.4p), OVO (5p), E.ON Next (5.5p) and Shell Energy (3.5p). The products that could beat it all lock you into their import supply — and since Octopus cut Outgoing Fixed from 15p to 12p on 1 March 2026, its flat rate now only matches EDF Energy SEG at 12p rather than beating it. Only the dynamic products (Octopus Outgoing Agile and Intelligent Octopus Flux, peaking near 30p) still pay more, and only on a site that can shift export into peak windows with battery storage. So the decision is straightforward: if your import is staying put, the EDF Energy SEG tariff is the rational choice; if you\'re free to move import, Octopus pays more only on a dynamic tariff. Either way, anything still sitting on a 5-6p legacy SEG is leaving four-figure annual revenue on the table.

Related

• Octopus SEG tariff (Outgoing Fixed 12p; dynamic Agile/Flux peaks ~30p)
• British Gas SEG tariff
• OVO SEG tariff
• All UK SEG suppliers compared
• Smart Export Guarantee — full SEG explainer