E.ON Next is one of the UK’s largest energy suppliers and, with well over 150,000 domestic customers, a mandatory licensee under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). It must offer at least one tariff that pays for the electricity your solar panels export to the grid. E.ON brands its export payments as the Next Export range — and unlike most legacy suppliers, its top tiers are genuinely competitive. The catch is who can access them.
The short answer
What is the E.ON SEG tariff?
The Smart Export Guarantee replaced the Feed-in Tariff in January 2020. There is no government-set export price — each obligated supplier sets its own rate, and the only legal requirement is that it is above zero. E.ON meets its obligation with a tiered Next Export range: the better the commercial relationship you have with E.ON, the better the rate. The Exclusive and Premium tiers are 12-month fixed products, while Flex Export is variable and can change during the year.
E.ON reads your export from your smart meter’s export register. Payments are made annually by default, though you can request up to four payments a year. That annual default is worth noting — most rivals credit quarterly.
E.ON SEG export rates (July 2026)
| E.ON product | Export rate | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Next Flex Export | 6p/kWh (variable) | Open to everyone, whichever supplier you import from |
| Next Export Exclusive | 13p/kWh (12-month fixed) | Requires an E.ON Next import tariff (time-of-use tariffs excluded) |
| Next Export Premium | 17.5p/kWh (12-month fixed) | Solar or battery installed by E.ON Installation Services |
Rates from the E.ON Next website as of July 2026. E.ON revises these periodically — confirm the current figure before switching.
The structure rewards loyalty twice over. Anyone can take the 6p Flex rate; moving your import supply to E.ON unlocks 13p; and buying your installation from E.ON unlocks 17.5p, one of the highest flat rates on the market. One caution on the Exclusive tier: if you later switch your import away from E.ON, you lose the export tariff too.
Who is eligible for the E.ON SEG tariff?
E.ON applies the standard SEG eligibility rules that every licensee must follow:
- Your technology must be solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion or micro-CHP. E.ON’s domestic export tariffs cover systems up to 15kW (5MW on Flex Export) — a balcony solar system is well within either limit.
- You need a smart meter capable of recording export half-hourly, with consent for half-hourly reads, plus your DNO approval or notification letter (G98/G99).
- 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 E.ON SEG compares to other suppliers
E.ON is unusual in spanning almost the entire SEG market by itself: its 6p baseline is mid-table, while its 17.5p top tier beats most dedicated export tariffs. Which E.ON you get depends entirely on which tier you qualify for.
| Supplier | Approx. SEG export rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| E.ON Next | 6p–17.5p/kWh | Tiered Next Export range; top tiers need E.ON import or an E.ON install |
| Octopus Energy (Outgoing Fixed) | ~15p/kWh | Among the highest flat rates; see our Octopus SEG guide |
| OVO Energy | ~12p/kWh | Competitive flat export rate |
| British Gas | ~3p–6.4p/kWh | Export & Earn Flex; higher tier requires British Gas import |
| 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 as of mid-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 weighing E.ON against the market leader, our Octopus SEG tariff guide covers the Outgoing range in detail.
Should you switch to or from E.ON for export?
The SEG lets you import electricity from one supplier and export with another. On E.ON’s open-access 6p rate, a household exporting 2,000 kWh a year earns £120 — against roughly £300 on a ~15p dedicated export tariff such as Octopus Outgoing. At that volume the £180 annual gap clearly justifies switching. Exporting only 200 kWh a year, the same gap is worth £18 and barely matters.
The calculation flips if you qualify for E.ON’s upper tiers. At 13p, Exclusive is within touching distance of the best flat rates, and at 17.5p, Premium beats them — but both lock your export to decisions about your import supplier or installer that have bigger financial consequences than the export rate itself.
Compare the whole bill, not just the export rate
What this means for balcony solar specifically
For balcony and plug-in solar owners, the E.ON 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 E.ON SEG export rate in 2026?
As of July 2026, E.ON Next pays 6p per kWh on Next Flex Export (variable, open to anyone), 13p per kWh on Next Export Exclusive (12-month fixed, requires an E.ON Next import tariff) and 17.5p per kWh on Next Export Premium (only for systems installed by E.ON Installation Services). Rates change periodically, so confirm the live figure on the E.ON Next website or the Ofgem SEG register before applying.
Can I get the E.ON SEG tariff for balcony solar?
Not currently. Every SEG tariff, E.ON'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 E.ON to use Next Export?
No. Next Flex Export at 6p per kWh is open to households that import from another supplier. However, the 13p Next Export Exclusive rate requires you to be on an E.ON Next import tariff (time-of-use tariffs excluded), and if you later switch your import away you lose the export tariff too. Under the SEG rules you are always free to import from one supplier and export with another.
Is the E.ON SEG tariff competitive?
E.ON's tiered structure spans the whole market. The 6p open-access rate is mediocre — roughly double the legacy-supplier baseline but well below dedicated export tariffs around 15p. The 13p Exclusive tier is genuinely competitive if you are happy importing from E.ON, and the 17.5p Premium tier is among the best flat rates available, though only for E.ON-installed systems. Compare the combined import and export position, not the export rate alone.
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.