Your panels are on the roof and working. Weeks later, no export payment has arrived. This is common, and it is usually nothing to do with the panels.
Ofgem's Smart Export Guarantee rules say an eligible installation needs three things: proof that the installation and installer are suitably certified, an export meter, and an export MPAN. The certificate comes from your installer. The meter comes from your electricity supplier. The export MPAN is created by the network operator, which keeps the register of connection points, when your supplier or SEG licensee asks for it. Ofgem says your SEG licensee will be able to provide it. Those two are where most delays sit.
This guide explains what an MPAN is, why export needs its own one, what a meter has to be able to do, and who to chase.
Key Points
- An MPAN is a Meter Point Administration Number. Ofgem describes it as a 13 digit reference used to identify every electricity connection point in the country. Elexon calls it a unique number relating to a metering point.
- Import and export are separate. Ofgem says your import MPAN, the one on your bill, is different from your export MPAN, and that your SEG licensee will be able to provide the export one. In our experience the number itself is generated by the network operator, UK Power Networks in East Sussex, once it has been requested.
- The export must be metered, and Ofgem says that meter must be capable of taking half hourly measurements and must sit where the installation connects to the network. Your existing meter may already be able to do it, so ask.
- Your supplier fits the meter, not your solar installer. Ofgem says the supplier is responsible for fitting any smart metering equipment, and that you will not be charged separately.
- A supplier does not have to accept your request until it has readings from the export meter, and does not have to pay until it has your actual export meter reading.
- The rate is not set by the government. The supplier decides the rate, type and length of its export tariff. The only rule is that it must stay above zero.
Common Misconceptions
"My solar installer fits the export meter." No. Ofgem says your supplier is responsible for fitting any smart metering equipment.
"One MPAN covers import and export." No. Ofgem says the import MPAN on your bill is different from your export MPAN.
"A smart meter automatically means export payments." No. You also need the export MPAN and the certification evidence, and the supplier has to accept the application.
"A SMETS1 meter is useless for solar." Not true. Millions were enrolled onto the national network remotely, and the DCC says the vast majority of eligible ones have been migrated.
"The government sets the export rate." It does not. Ofgem says the supplier decides the rate, type and length, and that the only rule is that it stays above zero.
"A broken export meter is my problem." No. Ofgem says to speak to your SEG licensee if the export meter is broken or recording in error.
Real-World Advice
Our published 17 panel installation in Polegate is a 7.99 kWp array with a 10 kWh battery. The design showed it making close to three times what the household uses, so much of the year's power leaves the house on an export tariff. See the Polegate case study.
Compare that with our published 21 panel installation in Ninfield, which has 20 kWh of storage and a design that makes slightly less than the household uses, so most of the power stays in the house. See the Ninfield case study.
The export meter matters far more on the first house than the second. If your system will make much more than you use, chase the meter and the export MPAN early rather than after handover.
UK-Specific Considerations
SMETS1 and SMETS2
| SMETS1 | SMETS2 | |
|---|---|---|
| When fitted | Before the national smart metering network was available | Designed to connect directly to that network |
| Switching supplier | Some could lose smart functions when the customer switched | Switch and keep smart functions, including automatic readings |
| Position now | Millions were migrated onto the DCC network. The DCC says the vast majority of eligible meters have been migrated | On the network from the day it was fitted |
| Not in smart mode | The DCC says your supplier can advise, and that a replacement may sometimes be needed | Ask your supplier |
The DCC says the migration was designed so that the operation of your meter stays largely the same. Your in home display keeps working, and prepayment top ups are unaffected.
Note what the rules actually ask for. Ofgem's requirement is an export meter capable of half hourly measurement with an export MPAN. It does not name a meter generation. So the question for your supplier is not "is this a SMETS2" but "can this meter record my export, and can you read it remotely".
Who does what
Your installer designs, installs and commissions the system, notifies the network operator under G98 or G99, and raises your MCS certificate. Your electricity supplier fits or upgrades the meter. Your SEG licensee, the company you apply to for export payments, provides the export MPAN, sets up the export account and pays you. They can be the same company or two different ones. MCS puts the meter half simply: contact your energy provider if you want a smart meter, and it will be installed at no extra cost.
Why a first payment stalls
| What is missing | What you see | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| No export MPAN yet | No export account | Your SEG licensee, which Ofgem says will provide the MPAN. The network operator generates it once asked |
| A meter that cannot record export, or cannot be read remotely | You are asked for manual readings | Your supplier |
| A meter in smart mode | No automatic readings at all | Your supplier, which the DCC says can advise on status |
| A reading at the supplier | Application accepted, no money | Your supplier. Ofgem says payment is not required until they have your actual reading |
| Certification evidence | The supplier asks for your MCS certificate | Your installer, then MCS |
Half hourly data
Ofgem also sets how often your data is shared. If your smart meter was installed after 3 November 2022, or you have switched supplier or agreed a new contract since then, half hourly sharing is automatic and you can opt down to daily. If it was installed before then and nothing has changed since, sharing is daily and you can opt in.
When This Isn't Right For You
If you still take Feed in Tariff export payments you cannot also take SEG export. Ofgem says collecting both knowingly could constitute fraud. The way the two schemes sit together is covered in SEG export payments alongside your FIT.
If your export meter also records electricity from something the scheme does not cover, such as a battery charged from the grid rather than from your panels, Ofgem says a supplier is not obliged to pay, though it may choose to, meter separately, or estimate the ineligible share.
Before You Spend Money
Before the panels go on, ask your supplier two questions: can my current meter record export, and can you read it remotely. Ofgem says an existing meter may already be able to do it. If you have no smart meter, ask for one, because Ofgem says your supplier is responsible for fitting it and you will not be charged separately.
Ask your installer, in writing, when the network notification and the MCS certificate will be done, and get copies of both.
Compare export tariffs before you apply. Your SEG licensee does not have to be the company that supplies your electricity, and you can only hold a SEG tariff with one licensee at a time. The application is covered in the SEG tariff application process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is an export MPAN, and who gives me one?
A: It is the reference that identifies the export side of your connection. Ofgem describes an MPAN as a 13 digit reference used to identify every electricity connection point in the country, says your import and export MPANs are different numbers, and says your SEG licensee will be able to provide the export one. The network operator generates the number once it has been requested.
Q: Do I need a SMETS2 meter specifically?
A: Ofgem's requirement is a meter that can take half hourly measurements and has an export MPAN. It does not name a generation of meter. Ask your supplier what your meter can do.
Q: My first payment has not arrived. Who do I chase?
A: Start with the supplier you applied to. Ofgem says they do not have to pay until they have your actual export meter reading, so the usual question is whether a reading has reached them.
Q: Can I use a different company for export than for import?
A: Yes. Ofgem says your SEG licensee can be a different company from your electricity supplier, but you can only receive a SEG export tariff from one licensee at a time.
Summary
Getting paid for export needs three things, and only one is your installer's job. The certificate comes from the installer. The export meter and the export MPAN come from your energy supplier, and Ofgem is explicit that the import MPAN on your bill is not the same number. The meter has to take half hourly readings, and a supplier does not have to pay until an actual export reading has reached it. If nothing has arrived, work down that list and ask the supplier which piece is missing. Most delays sit there, not on the roof.