Octopus SEG tariff — 2026 commercial solar export rates explained.

Octopus SEG rate 2026: how much does Octopus pay for export?

The standard Octopus SEG tariff pays a flat 4.1p/kWh in 2026, and you can take it while keeping your existing import supplier. That is the rate most “octopus seg” searchers are actually quoted — and it is only mid-pack. The genuinely good Octopus export rate is a different product: Outgoing Octopus pays a flat 12p/kWh, but only if you also import from Octopus. A third product, Agile Outgoing Octopus, is dynamic and tracks day-ahead, half-hourly wholesale prices (peaks have historically cleared 25-40p/kWh). As an independent, commission-free commercial-solar funding specialist we sell no tariffs, so we can be straight about this where Octopus’s own marketing leads with the higher gated number.

Octopus SEG vs Outgoing Octopus vs Agile Outgoing

These three are constantly confused, and the difference is worth thousands of pounds a year to a commercial exporter. Here is the clean comparison no brand or installer page lays out for the “octopus seg” searcher:

Indicative 2026 rates, verified July 2026 against Octopus’s published SEG and Outgoing pages — including the Outgoing Fixed cut from 15p to 12p/kWh with effect from 1 March 2026. Octopus reviews rates roughly annually — always confirm the current figure with Octopus before signing.

Should you take Octopus SEG (4.1p) or switch import to Octopus for Outgoing (12p)?

This is the real question behind “octopus seg vs outgoing octopus”, and no contestable page answers it for a business. The trade-off is simple: stay with your current import supplier and take the 4.1p Octopus SEG tariff, or move your import to Octopus and unlock the 12p Outgoing rate. On a 250kWp commercial site exporting around 60,000 kWh/year, the gap is stark:

That ~£4,740/year delta is the whole story — switching import to Octopus is usually worth it unless Octopus’s business import rate for your site is materially worse than your current deal, or you are locked into a fixed-term import contract with exit fees. The honest move is to model the import-rate difference alongside the export uplift, not the export figure in isolation. We do that modelling free and take no supplier commission either way.

Octopus SEG eligibility checklist

To qualify for any Octopus SEG or Outgoing product, you need all of the following:

• MCS or Flexi-Orb certification on the install, in the business name.
• Total installed capacity of 5MW or less (50kW for micro-CHP).
• A half-hourly-capable smart meter that records exported kWh.
• A DNO-approved export MPAN — the supply number Octopus enrols you against.
• Not already claiming Feed-in Tariff export on the same installation (you keep generation FiT, but cannot also claim SEG export).
• Eligible technology — solar PV, wind, hydro, micro-CHP or anaerobic digestion. The non-solar technologies matter for agricultural and mixed-generation commercial sites.

How to apply for Octopus SEG: the 5 steps and real timeline

The application is online and stalls in one predictable place — the DNO export-MPAN step. Here is the real end-to-end timeline, including the step brand pages mention but installer pages skip:

1. Sign up online — apply through the Octopus Outgoing / SEG application with your MCS or Flexi-Orb certificate and meter details. No phone-only route.
2. Octopus processes the application — eligibility confirmed, typically within about two working days.
3. DNO creates the export MPAN — your Distribution Network Operator sets up the export meter point. This is the bottleneck and usually takes one to four weeks.
4. MPAN enrolled to Octopus — once the export MPAN exists it is enrolled to your chosen Octopus product, around five working days.
5. Submit first meter reading — send a first export reading with a photo, and payments begin against your actual metered export.

Octopus SEG for business and commercial solar

Octopus’s own SEG page is written for households and links out to business with a single line; consumer comparison sites age and never model commercial volumes. For a commercial exporter the picture is different: large export volumes, a business import contract, and half-hourly settlement all change the maths. On big roofs with modest daytime self-consumption — warehouses, distribution centres, agricultural buildings, offices with low weekend load — the export tariff is a material revenue line, and the 4.1p-vs-12p decision compounds across hundreds of thousands of exported kWh over a system’s life. As an independent funding specialist we model your half-hourly export profile against your import contract and the wider funding stack — Annual Investment Allowance, 0% VAT and any grants — so the SEG choice reflects your full commercial position, not just the headline rate. Free funding review.

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

Set honestly against the market, the standard Octopus SEG tariff at 4.1p is mid-pack, while Outgoing Octopus at 12p is among the best simple flat rates — level with EDF Export 12M Small Business and Scottish Power SmartGen+ since the 1 March 2026 cut — but the 12p tier locks you into Octopus import. The column that matters for a commercial operator is whether the rate is switch-free:

Indicative 2026 rates for comparison, Octopus figures verified July 2026; confirm current figures with each supplier. See our full SEG comparison, EDF SEG, British Gas SEG and OVO SEG pages for detail.

Octopus Energy operates two SEG products

Octopus Outgoing Fixed — 12p/kWh flat

Level with the top of the UK commercial flat-rate tier in 2026. Pays 12p/kWh on every exported kWh, irrespective of when the export happens. Predictable, simple, and the right choice for commercial sites without battery storage or active management capability. Octopus raised this rate from 12p to 15p in early 2025, then cut it back to 12p with effect from 1 March 2026 — which leaves it matching EDF Export 12M Small Business (12p) and Scottish Power SmartGen+ (~12p) rather than clear of them.

For a typical 250kWp commercial site exporting 60,000 kWh/year, Outgoing Fixed delivers £7,200/year of recurring revenue (60,000 kWh × 12p) — compared to £3,000/year on a typical 5p flat-rate offer from OVO, Shell Energy or E.ON Next.

Octopus Outgoing Agile — dynamic, 25-40p peak

Half-hourly variable rate that tracks wholesale electricity prices on the GB grid. Rates are published 24 hours ahead. During winter peak windows (typically 4-7pm Mon-Fri, January-February), rates regularly clear 30-40p/kWh. During overnight surplus periods (2-5am summer), rates can fall to 0p or briefly negative.

For sites with battery storage that can shift exports into peak hours, Outgoing Agile delivers materially more revenue than Outgoing Fixed. Typical year-average is 14-18p/kWh, with active management pushing it to 18-22p/kWh on well-managed battery sites. For a 250kWp commercial site with 100kWh battery: ~£10,500-£13,000/year of export revenue, against ~£7,200 on Outgoing Fixed at 12p.

Eligibility and application process

Three requirements:

• MCS certificate in your business name confirming the solar PV system is under 5MW. The MCS commercial certificate (MCS 020) is the standard.
• Smart meter capable of half-hourly export readings. Most modern UK commercial meters qualify (SMETS2). Octopus installs one at no charge if needed.
• Octopus Energy import supply. Unusually for UK SEG, Octopus requires you to also be on Octopus import. British Gas, EDF and Scottish Power offer SEG-only contracts.

Application via octopus.energy/smart/outgoing/. Approval typically 5-10 working days. SEG payments start the next billing cycle.

Octopus SEG vs the other major UK suppliers

Octopus led the UK commercial SEG market on both flat and dynamic products through 2024-25. Since the 1 March 2026 cut to Outgoing Fixed its flat rate is level with the best in the market rather than ahead of it, while it still leads on dynamic export. Approximate 2026 commercial SEG rates by supplier:

• Octopus Outgoing Fixed — 12p/kWh flat (cut from 15p on 1 March 2026)
• Octopus Outgoing Agile — 14-18p/kWh average, 25-40p peak
• EDF Export Variable — 12-18p banded (semi-dynamic), 13p typical
• EDF Export 12M Small Business — 12p flat
• Scottish Power SmartGen+ — 12p flat (requires SP import)
• British Gas Export & Earn Plus — 6.4p flat (requires BG import)
• E.ON Next Export — 5.5p flat
• OVO SEG — 4-5.5p flat
• Good Energy Generation Tariff — 5-8p flat
• Shell Energy Export — 3.5p flat

The ~12p commercial SEG flat band (Octopus, EDF, Scottish Power) pays roughly 2-3x what the 4-6p band (OVO, Shell, E.ON Next, British Gas) pays. For a typical commercial solar site exporting 60,000-150,000 kWh a year, that is £4,000-£10,500/year of differential (a ~7p gap on each exported kWh). Full supplier comparison.

Switching SEG-only without changing import (Octopus exception)

Octopus is the exception among UK SEG suppliers — it requires you to also be on Octopus import. If you currently have import with another supplier and want Octopus SEG specifically, you have to switch import to Octopus too. The two contracts can be switched in parallel; takes 14 days. Octopus business import rates are typically competitive with the rest of the UK market for commercial sites.

If switching import is not practical (e.g. you are mid-contract on a fixed-term import deal with another supplier), EDF Export 12M Small Business at 12p can be signed as SEG-only without changing import — and since Octopus cut Outgoing Fixed to 12p on 1 March 2026 that is the same headline flat rate, without the import switch.

Battery storage materially improves Octopus Outgoing Agile economics

The biggest economic question for commercial solar in 2026 is whether to add battery storage. For sites considering Octopus Outgoing Agile, the calculation tilts heavily toward including battery: shifting exports from non-peak to peak hours via battery cycling is the main mechanism by which Agile pays more than Fixed.

Worked example. A 500kWp commercial PV system on a manufacturing site, exporting 110,000 kWh/year (about 22% of generation). Without battery, Outgoing Agile averages around 14p — now a shade above the 12p Outgoing Fixed rate, but carrying half-hourly price risk. With a 200kWh battery cycling once daily and shifting exports into peak windows, Outgoing Agile averages 19-22p — £5,500-£8,800 more revenue per year than the unmanaged 14p Agile average (110,000 kWh × 5-8p), or £7,700-£11,000 more than Outgoing Fixed at 12p (110,000 kWh × 7-10p). The battery itself adds £80,000-£100,000 capex but pays back faster on Agile than Fixed.

For commercial solar projects considering Octopus SEG, our standard recommendation is: with battery, Outgoing Agile; without battery, Outgoing Fixed at 12p for predictable revenue — or Agile if you can tolerate half-hourly variation for a slightly higher expected average. Full battery analysis.

Octopus SEG and the broader 2026 commercial solar funding stack

SEG is one component of the active 2026 commercial solar economics — it sits alongside Annual Investment Allowance (capex tax relief), 0% VAT (capex reduction), PPAs (alternative zero-capex structures), and direct grants where eligible (REPF, Local Growth Fund). For sites running their own solar (not under a PPA where the funder takes the SEG revenue), Octopus Outgoing Fixed or Agile is typically a strong SEG choice — though since the 1 March 2026 cut, EDF Export 12M Small Business matches the 12p flat rate without requiring an import switch, so the flat-rate decision is now about import terms rather than the export rate itself.

Related

• Smart Export Guarantee — full SEG explainer
• Compare SEG tariffs from all UK suppliers
• British Gas SEG tariff guide
• EDF SEG tariff guide
• OVO SEG tariff guide
• Annual Investment Allowance on solar