EDF is one of the UK’s largest energy suppliers and, with well over 150,000 domestic customers, is a mandatory licensee under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). That obligation means EDF must offer at least one tariff that pays for the electricity your solar panels send back to the grid. EDF brands its export payments as Export + Earn. The questions that matter: what does EDF actually pay, who can sign up, and is it the best home for your export?
The short answer
What is the EDF SEG tariff?
The Smart Export Guarantee replaced the Feed-in Tariff in January 2020. There is no government-set export price under the SEG — each obligated supplier sets its own rate, and the only legal requirement is that the rate is above zero. EDF meets its obligation with the Export + Earn range. It is a variable tariff, so EDF can change the rate, and in practice EDF has positioned itself toward the lower-to-middle of the market rather than competing for the top export spot.
EDF reads your export from your smart meter’s export register and credits the payment to your EDF account, typically each quarter. As with other suppliers, the payment is account credit that offsets your import bill rather than a separate cash payout, unless your account moves into surplus.
EDF SEG export rate (2026)
EDF has offered a couple of Export + Earn variants. The figures below are approximate and move over time — use them as a guide and confirm the live rate before you apply.
| EDF product | Approx. export rate | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Export + Earn (standard) | ~3p/kWh | Available whether or not you import from EDF |
| Export + Earn (EDF import customers) | ~5.6p/kWh | Higher rate reserved for EDF import customers |
Approximate rates, last checked July 2026. EDF revises these periodically — confirm the current figure before switching.
This mirrors the structure used by most legacy suppliers: a low baseline rate open to everyone, and a somewhat better rate for customers who also buy their import electricity from the same company. Even EDF’s higher tier sits below what the best dedicated export tariffs pay.
Who is eligible for the EDF SEG tariff?
EDF applies the standard SEG eligibility rules that every licensee must follow:
- Your technology must be solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion or micro-CHP, with total installed capacity of 5MW or less (50kW for micro-CHP). A balcony solar system is well within this limit.
- You need a meter capable of recording export half-hourly — in practice a SMETS1 or SMETS2 smart meter in smart mode, or a dedicated export meter.
- Your installation must hold a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate — or the equivalent Flexi-Orb certification — covering both the equipment and the installation work.
The MCS barrier affects balcony solar owners
How EDF SEG compares to other suppliers
The defining feature of the SEG market is how widely rates differ. The best export rate available is roughly four to five times EDF’s baseline. If you generate and export a real surplus, choosing the right export supplier matters more than almost any other decision you make about your system.
| Supplier | Approx. SEG export rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Energy (Outgoing Fixed) | ~12p/kWh | Cut from 15p on 1 March 2026; Agile/Flux variants vary by time of day |
| OVO Energy | ~12p/kWh | Competitive flat export rate |
| E.ON Next | ~6p–17.5p/kWh | Tiered Next Export products; the 17.5p Premium is for E.ON’s own installations only |
| British Gas | ~3p–6.4p/kWh | Export & Earn Flex; see our British Gas SEG guide |
| EDF | ~3p–5.6p/kWh | Export + Earn; higher tier for EDF import customers |
| Scottish Power | ~5p–12p/kWh | Higher rate for Scottish Power import customers |
Indicative rates, last checked July 2026, drawn from supplier sites and the Ofgem SEG register. Rates change often — always verify before switching.
For a complete side-by-side of every major UK export rate, see our SEG export rates comparison for 2026. If you are deciding between EDF and British Gas specifically, our British Gas SEG tariff guide breaks down the Export & Earn Flex products in detail. We also cover the market-leading Octopus SEG tariff and the tiered E.ON SEG tariff in dedicated guides.
Should you switch away from EDF for export?
The SEG lets you import electricity from one supplier and export with another. So if you are an EDF import customer, you can keep EDF for your day-to-day bills and sign up to a higher-paying export tariff such as Octopus Outgoing purely for export. The two arrangements are completely independent — you are not locked into taking export from your import supplier.
Whether switching is worthwhile comes down to volume. A household exporting 200 kWh a year earns about £6 at EDF’s ~3p baseline versus £24 at Octopus’s ~12p — an £18 annual gap. For a larger rooftop system exporting 2,000 kWh a year, that same rate difference is worth £180 a year, which clearly justifies switching. The more you export, the more the headline rate matters.
Compare the whole bill, not just the export rate
What this means for balcony solar specifically
For balcony and plug-in solar owners, the EDF SEG tariff — like every SEG tariff — is currently unavailable because of the MCS certification requirement. The government’s March 2026 legalisation announcement acknowledged this gap directly, and Ofgem is consulting on a simplified registration route for plug-in devices. Until that arrives (industry expectation is 2027), balcony solar pays you back through self-consumption rather than export earnings.
That makes using as much of your own generation as possible far more valuable than chasing export rates. Our self-consumption guide and smart tariffs guide explain how to maximise the value of every unit you generate while SEG access for plug-in solar remains pending.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EDF SEG export rate in 2026?
EDF’s Export + Earn tariff pays around 3p per kWh on the standard product, rising to roughly 5.6p per kWh for customers who also import their electricity from EDF. These are variable rates that EDF reviews periodically, so confirm the current figure on the Ofgem SEG register or the EDF website before applying.
Can I get the EDF SEG tariff for balcony solar?
Not currently. Every SEG tariff, EDF’s included, requires your installation to hold MCS (or Flexi-Orb) certification. There is no MCS pathway for a DIY plug-in balcony solar system you connect yourself, so balcony solar owners cannot register for SEG payments today. A simplified route is under consultation following the March 2026 legalisation announcement and is expected around 2027.
Do I have to import my electricity from EDF to use Export + Earn?
No. The standard Export + Earn rate is open to households that import from another supplier. EDF reserves its higher export rate for customers who also buy their import electricity from EDF. Under the SEG rules you are always free to import from one supplier and export with another.
Is the EDF SEG tariff competitive?
EDF’s Export + Earn rate is mid-table at best. Its higher tier (~5.6p/kWh) is broadly comparable to British Gas and Scottish Power but well below market-leading rates of 12p/kWh or more. If you export a meaningful surplus you are usually better off on a dedicated export tariff such as Octopus Outgoing. If you barely export, the difference is small and EDF may be perfectly adequate.
Work out what export is worth to you
Estimate your generation and self-consumption first — for balcony solar, that is where the savings come from today.