SEG Payments Delayed: Export MPAN Set-Up and Lost Exports

If your SEG payments are delayed, the usual cause is not a supplier error. It is the export MPAN. A recent thread from a UK solar owner on Reddit, reported by Solar Now, described losing roughly 170 kWh of exports while the supplier created the export meter point number. Most owners in the thread said they would install solar again, but the wait for export set-up was a recurring grumble. Here is why it happens and how to avoid it.

What the export MPAN is and why it holds up payments

Under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), Ofgem's guidance for generators says an installation must have an export MPAN to be eligible for payments. An MPAN is a 13-digit reference that identifies an electricity connection point. You will already have an import MPAN on your bills, but the import and export numbers are different, and the guidance says to speak to your SEG licensee, who can provide the export one.

That is the step that can lag. A home with no previous export has no export MPAN, so one has to be created before the supplier can pay for anything you send to the grid. The Ofgem guidance sets no timescale for this, so there is no official clock you can point to.

Why exports before sign-up are usually unpaid

The same guidance states that SEG licensees are not required to make payments until they have received your actual export meter reading. It also says that if your meter can't be read remotely, you should agree with the supplier how readings will be taken. On top of that, the export has to be metered by a meter that takes half-hourly measurements, which in practice means a smart meter; our smart meter and solar explainer covers what to do if yours is the older type.

So electricity exported before the supplier has the MPAN and readings flowing is not guaranteed to be paid. Some suppliers may choose to be more generous than the minimum, so ask. Do not assume it.

What a gap could cost you

Using the Energy Saving Trust-based planning figure of around 13p per kWh for a typical SEG rate (rates are set by suppliers and vary widely), 170 kWh of unpaid exports would be worth roughly £22. That is an illustration, not a quote: your own figure depends on your tariff and how much you export. For a small system the loss is minor, but it grows if set-up drags on through a sunny spell, and it is entirely avoidable. For rates by supplier, see our guide to the best Smart Export Guarantee rates.

How to avoid losing exports

1. Ask your installer for the MCS certificate early. The GOV.UK SEG page lists an eligible system, a meter able to give half-hourly export readings, and proof of MCS (or equivalent) certification as the requirements. Our MCS certificate guide explains what you should receive and when.
2. Apply to your chosen SEG supplier as soon as you have the paperwork, not after commissioning week. Ofgem says you can apply to any SEG licensee, and it doesn't have to be the company that supplies your electricity.
3. Ask the supplier directly: do you need to request an export MPAN, how long does it take, and will exports from the first day be paid once it is set up?
4. Keep a log of your own readings from day one (an inverter app or the meter display) so you can show what was exported if there is a dispute.
5. Remember you can only have one SEG licensee at a time, according to Ofgem, so switching mid-year means checking that nothing falls into a gap.

Our checklist of questions to ask a solar installer is a good place to add "who handles my SEG application, and when?".

If payments never start

Ofgem says to complain to the SEG licensee first. If a satisfactory solution has not been agreed after eight weeks, the complaint may be referred to the Energy Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can make recommendations, and the supplier then has up to 28 days to act on them.

The wider lesson from the thread matches what we see in other owner complaints: the panels did their job, and the pain came from paperwork and quotes. If you are still choosing an installer, see how to compare solar quotes before you sign.