Feed in Tariff and Smart Export Guarantee
Your reward for doing good for the planet.
We’re proud to support renewable energy sources wherever we can – and that includes working with you. If you’ve got a solar PV panel system at your home or business then we’re able to offer you a financial incentive for the electricity you generate.
We previously offered the Feed-in Tariff (FiT)
The government's Feed-in tariff programme ended for new solar PV installations in March 2019. The Feed-in Tariff was a government subsidy scheme designed to reward people for microgeneration of renewable energy. It was created to encourage people to install renewable electricity-generating technologies at home. Some of the larger energy suppliers are mandatory participants in the FiT scheme, but we are happy to be involved on a voluntary basis.
Now, we offer the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
Basically, SEG is a smart idea where people with solar panels, wind turbines (or similar) get paid for putting home-generated green energy onto the grid. This awesome environmental initiative replaces the government’s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) that ended in March 2019.
Our SEG tariff is powered by OVO Energy.
Remember, your consumption tariff and your export tariff are separate. You can keep your great rates for the energy you use on your existing Spark tariff, and OVO will pay you for the energy you generate using your export tariff. There is no need to switch your supply from Spark to apply for SEG through OVO.
We're proud to be part of OVO Group, and we're now an SEG licensee. If you're eligible you could get:
Price per kWh |
Type of technology |
System size |
Initial contract |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
OVO SEG Tariff (AET20) |
4p |
All eligible technologies |
Solar, anaerobic digestion, hydro, wind up to 5MW capacity, up to 50kW for micro-combined heat and power (Micro-CHP) |
12 months |
Visit OVO Energy website to apply
FAQ - Everything you need to know about SEG
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Am I Eligible for SEG payments?
Yes, depending on a few things. For example, no matter what type of renewable generation you have, your installation has to be located, fully installed and made in Great Britain. Also:
- Your installation must be signed up to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), or an equivalent scheme that shows your installation is certified.
- You’ll need a smart meter or an export meter that can measure the electricity you export and take half-hourly readings.
- Your export meter must have an export Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN). If you don’t have this, we can register one for you.
- You can’t be receiving FiT export payments when signing up for SEG.
- You can’t be receiving any public grants that can make you ineligible for SEG.
Full terms can be read here.
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How long does my SEG contract last?
12 months.
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How do I sign up for SEG?
The SEG tariff is being powered by OVO Energy, the application for this can be located here.
Once you’ve submitted your application, we’ll then need you to send the following items by email:
- Proof of ID showing your full name – like a valid passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate, or firearms licence.
- Proof of ownership for your installation – it can be a paid-in-full invoice, or a letter from your installer, building contractor or solicitor that shows you’re the owner. If the system was already installed when you moved into your home, you’ll need a Land Registry document, and a Fixtures and Fittings form – all clearly showing your name and your address.
- Proof of address – like a utility bill, or a bank, building society or credit union statement from the last 3 months. You can also send us a council tax bill, an electoral register entry, or an HMRC tax statement for the current year.
- An MCS certificate or equivalent – you should get this from your installer. You’ll see the certificate number at the top of the document (it’ll look like this: MCS-01234567-A). Or, you might get a Flexi Orb certificate (the number for this will be in the middle of the doc and it’ll look like this: Flexi-01234567890).
- Distribution Network Operator (DNO) notification.
Good to know:
If you don’t have any of the certificates above or you’re not sure if you’ve got the correct ones, we’ll check it for you.Read more about what you need here.
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When will my contract start?
As soon as we have an export MPAN registered for your installation – this can take up to 2 weeks. Once we have it, we’ll get in touch to ask for your meter readings. After that, your contract kicks in. Done.
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Do I have to send my meter readings?
Yes. We’ll ask for these every 3 months, and you can take them from your export meter (if you don’t know how, it’s best to get in touch with your installer).
If you’re taking your export readings using your meter, it’s easy:- Got a first-generation SMETS1 smart meter from OVO? Then, press 9 twice.
- Got a next-generation SMETS2 smart meter from OVO? Then press A 5 times.
Not sure which is which? If your serial number starts with 19P, you’ve got a SMETS1 meter. If it starts with 19M, it’s a SMETS2.
After that, you’ll see your export reading (it’ll be followed by EXPkWh). -
Is there a limit on how much electricity I can export?
You can export as much as you want, but the provider of your solar panels will have a set maximum output (you’ll see this on your installation contract). If you extend the capacity of your system, please let us know so we can verify if you are still eligible.
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If I’m with you, can you send my SEG payments to my energy account?
No – those are made separately to your energy ones, directly into your bank account.
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If I’m already getting my export paid via FiT, can I switch to SEG?
No. In order to switch to SEG you need to stop your FiT export payments (you'll still receive your FiT generator payments). If you want to opt in and out of your FiT, please note that you can only do this once every 12 months.
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If I’m on FiT with another supplier, can I still join OVO?
Of course. If you apply for our SEG tariff through OVO Energy then you'll need to stop your FiT export payments. OVO doesn't have to be your consumption supplier for you to apply for our SEG tariff.
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What if I move home and I’m on SEG?
Your SEG contract ends when you sell your home. Please provide 28 days notice and supply a closing reading. If the new owners want to receive SEG payments, they’ll need to sign up for it themselves.
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I just bought a house with solar panels. What now?
If the previous owners were signed up to FiT, you’ll need to check who the FiT provider is and complete a ‘Change of ownership’ form. Then you can switch to another provider. If the panels haven’t been registered for FiT, then you have until 31st March 2020 to do it (as long as your system was installed before this date). After that, you can only get SEG payments.
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My smart meter isn’t working. What should I do?
Let us know as soon as possible as this may affect your SEG payments.
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What if I don’t have copies of the right documents?
There are only certain documents that can make you eligible for SEG (see above). If you don’t have them or can’t send them to us, we’ll have to put your application on hold until we get everything we need. If we don’t hear from you within 3 months, we’ll assume you no longer want to sign up for SEG.
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What if I don’t agree with your decision?
We’re more than happy to take another look at your application. But remember that you have to meet all the criteria needed – otherwise we can’t sign you up for SEG payments.