Scottish Power SEG Tariff: Is It Worth It? (2026)

Scottish Power is one of the UK's largest energy suppliers, serving more than four million domestic and business customers across Great Britain. If you have solar panels installed at home, Scottish Power is one of the obligated suppliers you can register with under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) to earn money for every unit of electricity you send back to the grid. This review explains exactly what Scottish Power's SEG tariffs offer, who qualifies, and how they stack up against the competition — so you can decide whether switching to or staying with Scottish Power for your export payments makes financial sense.

What is the Smart Export Guarantee?

The Smart Export Guarantee launched on 1 January 2020 and replaced the Feed-in Tariff for new installations. Under the scheme, licensed electricity suppliers with more than 150,000 customers are legally obligated to offer at least one export tariff to eligible small-scale generators. Crucially, the rate must always be greater than zero — but beyond that, suppliers set their own prices and terms.

To qualify for any SEG tariff (not just Scottish Power's), your installation must meet Ofgem's baseline requirements:

• Renewable technology of 5 MW or below — in practice, almost all domestic solar PV systems are well within this limit
• An MCS-certified installation (or equivalent accreditation such as Flexi-Orb, NICEIC or NAPIT)
• A half-hourly capable export meter — typically the smart meter you'll already have or be offered at sign-up
• An export MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO)

Once those boxes are ticked, you apply directly to whichever SEG supplier you choose. You are not obliged to register with your import (gas and electricity) supplier — you can mix and match freely.

Scottish Power SEG tariff: the current rates

Scottish Power operates three tiers under the SmartGen brand, each with different conditions attached:

• SmartGen — 6p/kWh: the open-access tariff available to any eligible solar owner, regardless of who supplies their electricity imports. No switching required.
• SmartGen Premium — 12p/kWh: requires you to also take your electricity imports from Scottish Power. Double the rate, but you must be — or become — a Scottish Power import customer.
• SmartGen Premium Plus — 15p/kWh: the top-tier rate. In addition to importing from Scottish Power, your solar panels or battery system must have been installed by Scottish Power's own installation service.

All three tariffs are variable — Scottish Power can change the rate, and the export price is not linked to Ofgem's price cap. Payments are made every 90 days, and Scottish Power will backdate payments to the date your application was submitted, so there is no financial loss from a slightly slower sign-up process (which can take up to six weeks).

For a typical 4 kWp system exporting around 1,500–2,000 kWh per year, the three rates translate to roughly £90–£120 per year at 6p, £180–£240 at 12p, and £225–£300 at 15p. The difference between the open-access rate and the premium tier is meaningful over a system's lifetime.

Eligibility and requirements

Beyond the Ofgem baseline above, Scottish Power's own conditions for each tier are:

• SmartGen: renewable system up to 5 MW, MCS or equivalent certification, half-hourly export meter, and DNO confirmation of grid connection. You must own the system (tenants can apply with written landlord permission and proof of system ownership).
• SmartGen Premium: all of the above, plus a live Scottish Power electricity import tariff at the same address.
• SmartGen Premium Plus: all Premium conditions, plus the solar or battery system was installed by Scottish Power.

The requirement to own the system is worth noting for anyone who purchased panels under a lease or rent-a-roof arrangement — in those cases, the installer or finance company typically owns the panels and holds the SEG rights. Check your original contract if you are unsure.

Is Scottish Power SEG available across the UK?

Yes. Despite the brand's Scottish identity, Scottish Power supplies energy customers across all of Great Britain — England, Scotland and Wales. Their SEG tariffs are available nationwide wherever you import from (or switch to) Scottish Power. There are no postcode restrictions specific to the SEG product.

This matters for Scottish homeowners in particular. Scotland has historically had some of the highest solar irradiance variability in Great Britain, but modern installations routinely generate meaningful export volumes even in northern regions. If you are in Scotland and also considering the Home Energy Scotland interest-free loan for your solar installation, that funding route is separate from — and complementary to — the SEG. You can use a Home Energy Scotland loan to fund the panels, then register those panels for SEG export payments once they are commissioned. See our guide to solar panel grants in Scotland for the full picture on the Home Energy Scotland scheme, ECO4 eligibility and other funding options available north of the border.

How Scottish Power SEG compares to other suppliers

The SEG market in 2026 is competitive, with rates varying widely. Here is how Scottish Power's tiers sit relative to the main alternatives:

• British Gas Export and Earn Plus — 15.1p/kWh (requires British Gas import)
• Good Energy Solar Savings Export — 15p/kWh (open to all, no import switch needed)
• E.ON Next Export Exclusive — 16.5p/kWh (requires E.ON import)
• Scottish Power SmartGen Premium Plus — 15p/kWh (requires SP import + SP installation)
• Scottish Power SmartGen Premium — 12p/kWh (requires SP import)
• Octopus Outgoing Octopus — 12p/kWh (requires Octopus import)
• Scottish Power SmartGen — 6p/kWh (open to all)
• OVO SEG — 4p/kWh (open to all)

The headline finding: if you are already a Scottish Power import customer, SmartGen Premium at 12p/kWh matches Octopus's Outgoing Octopus rate — making it a competitive choice without switching your energy supply. SmartGen Premium Plus at 15p/kWh is genuinely strong, but only if you're willing to let Scottish Power install your system, which reduces your ability to shop the market on installation cost and hardware.

The open-access SmartGen at 6p/kWh is not compelling when Good Energy offers 15p with no import conditions at all. If you want to keep your import supplier and maximise export income, Good Energy is the stronger choice for a no-strings export tariff.

For a deeper look at how Octopus Energy's export tariffs work — including the Flux time-of-use tariff that can pay much more for battery-stored export during peak hours — our dedicated Octopus review covers the full picture.

Solar grants in Scotland: the bigger picture

If you are based in Scotland and evaluating whether to go solar, the SEG is just one piece of the financial picture. The Home Energy Scotland scheme — administered by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government — offers interest-free loans of up to £17,500 repayable over 10 years to help fund solar PV and battery storage installations. A 1.5% administration fee applies, but this still makes it one of the most affordable routes to financing a home solar system available anywhere in Great Britain.

ECO4 is also active until December 2026 and can fund solar panels for low-income households with an EPC rating of D or below. Both routes are compatible with subsequent SEG registration — meaning you can use Scottish Government or ECO4 funding to reduce your upfront cost, then earn ongoing SEG export income once the panels are live. Our article on solar panel grants in Scotland explains each scheme's eligibility criteria in full.

More broadly, if you are still weighing up whether solar panels are worth it, the SEG is one of several revenue streams — alongside reduced bills and battery self-consumption — that affect the payback calculation. For Scottish households with access to interest-free financing, the numbers often stack up more favourably than in regions with higher borrowing costs.

Is Scottish Power SEG worth it?

Scottish Power's SEG offering is worth registering for in the right circumstances — but it is not the automatic default for everyone.

Register for SmartGen Premium (12p/kWh) if you are already a Scottish Power import customer, or are considering switching to them for supply anyway. The rate matches Octopus Outgoing Octopus and is a solid, straightforward fixed-rate SEG product.

Consider SmartGen Premium Plus (15p/kWh) only if you are genuinely comfortable having Scottish Power install your panels and manage your energy supply. The premium is real, but you give up the ability to independently source your installation — and competitive MCS installers may offer better hardware or total-cost pricing.

Avoid SmartGen at 6p/kWh if you have any flexibility at all. Good Energy's 15p no-strings-attached rate is more than twice as good for open-access customers. The 6p tier exists mainly as Scottish Power's regulatory minimum; it is not designed to be attractive.

If you are ready to compare installation quotes and check your export tariff options, get quotes from MCS-certified installers — the SEG tariff you can access may depend partly on which supplier you choose for import, so it is worth considering the full picture from day one.