Signing up for the right tariff is an important part of getting the most out of your Sunsave solar & battery system. Fortunately, your Solar Specialist has already worked out which tariff would save you the most money, based on your Sunsave Proposal.

British Gas Electric Driver is available to anyone with a solar & battery system from Sunsave connected to Hive.

This tariff comes with an off-peak overnight rate from 12am to 5am, which makes it the perfect time to fill up your Sunsave battery with cheap electricity. Then for the rest of the day, you can use that low-cost energy to power your home.

To get paid for all the electricity you send to the grid, you’ll also need to sign up for British Gas’s Export and Earn Plus tariff alongside your Electric Driver import tariff. You’ll be able to move onto both of these tariffs once your Sunsave system has been installed.

Finally, there’s an added benefit you won’t want to miss out on: Hive Solar Saver. This gets you 25% off the cost of any electricity you use outside of the 12am-5am off-peak period, and is exclusively available for customers who have a solar and/or battery system connected to Hive. You’ll receive an email inviting you to sign up for this offer after your Sunsave and Hive install.

Before your install

1. Switch to British Gas as your electricity provider.

If you need to get a smart meter installed, we recommend starting the process now – otherwise, it’s best to switch a couple of weeks before your Sunsave install.

Start your sign up.

If you will incur exit fees for leaving your current tariff, it may be better to switch your electricity provider at a later date.

2. Get a smart meter installed, if you don’t already have one.

Just ask British Gas, and they’ll install it for free.

After your install

1. Sign up to Electric Driver.

You can start this process as soon as your Sunsave install is complete. (If you already have an EV, you can sign up before your Sunsave install).

Sign up to Electric Driver.

You can also sign up through your British Gas account if you’ve already switched your supply to British Gas.

2. Check you have all the right documents.

Here are all the files you’ll need to sign up to an export tariff.

• Your MCS or Flexi-Orb Certificate. You’ll receive this in your Export Tariff Pack, usually within one week of your install.
• Proof of address. Examples include a council tax statement or bank statement.
• A photo of your smart meter or export meter. This is your pre-existing electricity meter or smart meter, not the new solar generation meter we’ve installed! The photo needs to clearly show the meter’s serial number, make, model, and export reading.
• Schematic diagram. You will find a digital copy of your solar & battery schematic diagram (also known as a single-line diagram, or SLD) in your Export Tariff Pack.
• DNO approval letter. This proves that we’ve cleared your solar exports with your DNO (District Network Operator). You’ll find this in your Export Tariff Pack.

3. Sign up to British Gas Export and Earn Plus.

Once you have all the documents above, you can apply for the export tariff.

Sign up for British Gas Export and Earn Plus.

You will need to fill out the Smart Export Guarantee form and submit it to British Gas. The sign-up process can take up to 28 days, after which point, export payments will be made into your nominated account every three months. It will take approximately four months in total to receive your first export payment, but this will include payment for all exports since the first meter reading you submitted to British Gas.

4. Sign up for the Hive Solar Saver offer.

After your Sunsave with Hive install, an invitation will be sent to the email address you registered with Sunsave to sign up for the Hive Solar Saver offer. Your discount will be applied to your next electricity bill and will appear as ‘Hive Solar Saver Credit’.

5. Get your battery set up to maximise savings from your tariff

Your Sunsave Installation Owner will be happy to help with this once you’re up and running with the Electric Driver tariff.