The SEG launched on 1 January 2020 and is a government scheme in which electricity suppliers (SEG Licensees) are required to pay customers for the electricity they export back to the grid. The rate which you will be paid for your electricity is set by the supplier – and they change them fairly often, so keep an eye out. Solar Energy UK maintains a list of the latest rates.
In order to meet the government criteria set out by the SEG, your system must be installed by a MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certified installer or equivalent. Some electricity companies will now buy power from non-MCS certified installations, but they are not required to do so by the government (and so this could change).
If your system doesn’t qualify for SEG, you won’t be able to sell your energy back to the grid.
The good news is if your system was installed by Glowb, it will be MCS certified and therefore will be eligible for SEG from all electricity suppliers. Our helpful team would be delighted to help you through this process, including providing all the documents you need to submit to your electricity supplier (e.g. your MCS certificate and your G98/G99 approval from the grid company). Each supplier has their own process so we’ve linked the process for each supplier below for your convenience.
Am I eligible to apply for SEG?
- Your installation must be generating energy via solar panels
- You need either a SMETS1 or SMETS2 Smart Meter installed to measure the export units (or a meter that can measure at half-hourly intervals). Smart meters are provided by your energy supplier. Although we will provide you with a generation meter, not all of the SEG agreements allow them to be used as evidence of export. If you don’t have one, you can request for it from your energy supplier
- Installations needs to be smaller than 5MW (don’t worry, almost all domestic installations are smaller than this)
- For solar panel installations up to 50kW, you must provide proof of MCS certification or equivalent for the installation and installer in accordance with EN 45011* or EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012**
- You’ll need confirmation from the grid company that you can connect connect (a G98 or G99 certificate). We’ll help you with this, the paperwork will typically arrive several weeks after your installation
- Your SEG supplier might ask you to show proof or statement that the standards or certification requirements have been met
* EN 45011 is a standard for third-party certification bodies. These are the requirements Glowb must meet to show we can competently and reliably certify products
** EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012 are sets of standards and requirements for organisations that certify and validate products, processes and services
How do I apply for the SEG scheme?
You can apply for SEG as soon as your system has been installed and you have your MCS certificate or equivalent as well as the response to your G98/G99 application.
Each SEG supplier has their own application process, so you might find the below helpful for your application with your chosen supplier. We recommend researching each supplier to understand what they can offer you because some suppliers pay you back more than others – you don’t have to stick with your existing energy supplier. Solar Energy UK shares details into what each supplier can offer you, click here to have a read.
