OVO’s SEG tariff: is it worth it?

Every household with solar panels should be regularly looking around to ensure they’re on the best export tariff possible – and OVO is one of the biggest energy suppliers in the UK.

However, despite having roughly four million customers, the supplier’s current selection of tariffs is largely underwhelming.

In this guide, we’ll explain the ins and outs of OVO’s three export tariffs, including their rates, eligibility requirements, and sign-up processes, as well as which import rates they pair best with.

If you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll generate a quick estimate.

What SEG tariffs does OVO offer?

OVO currently offers three Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariffs: 

1. OVO’s standard SEG tariff
2. OVO’s SEG Beyond Exclusive
3. OVO’s SEG Install Exclusive

The SEG is a UK government initiative that replaced the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) in 2020, and which compels energy suppliers with at least 150,000 domestic electricity customers to pay homes for any electricity they send to the grid.

Solar homes can choose any provider’s tariff, though companies usually reserve their best export rates for their own electricity customers.

These rates have been climbing for years, as suppliers attempt to attract more households with increasingly appealing offers.

Homes with a solar & battery system can now earn hundreds of pounds per year on the right export tariff.

Let’s run through OVO’s options to see if any of them are right for you.

1. OVO’s standard SEG tariff

Export rate: 4p/kWh

To qualify for this basic tariff, you simply have to generate renewable electricity at home.

Your solar panel system can be installed by any company, and your electricity can be provided by any supplier.

As long as you have solar panels – or another renewable electricity source, like wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion, or micro combined heat and power (micro-CHP) – you can access this 4p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate.

That means there are no strings attached, which is a plus – but even if that’s your main goal, there are better tariffs available.

For example, ScottishPower’s SmartGen tariff pays 12p per kWh, allowing you to earn three times as much with no downsides.

For more information, check out our comprehensive guide to the best SEG rates.

Which import tariff should you use?

The best import tariff to use with this export rate is E.ON Next Drive.

As OVO doesn’t limit your options when you’re on its standard SEG tariff, you’re free to use the top import rate around.

E.ON Next Drive is a time of use tariff that you can access with an electric vehicle or a storage battery, which means it’s open to homes with a solar & battery system.

Every day from 12am to 7am, you can charge or power items in your home for 6.7p per kilowatt-hour (kWh), wherever you are in the UK.

At other times, you’ll pay around 27.02p per kWh, which is slightly below the April 2025 price cap – though the exact rate depends on your home’s location.

If you shift a big chunk of your electricity usage to the off-peak period – and use this cheap electricity to charge your battery every night – you can save hundreds of pounds per year.

2. OVO’s SEG Beyond Exclusive

Export rate: 12p/kWh

In February 2025, just after Ofgem raised the electricity price cap to 24.86p per kWh, and just before it increased it to 27.03p per kWh, OVO cut its middle export tariff by 20%.

The 15p per kWh rate fell to 12p per kWh, adopted a new name, and – in a crucial, positive move – dropped the requirement to install through OVO.

You can now get your solar panels from any company and qualify for this tariff.

OVO has replaced that condition with a different, less burdensome one: you must join a free service called OVO Beyond within three months of signing up for SEG Beyond Exclusive.

OVO Beyond, which launched in May 2024, gives customers the ability to attain savings and discounts by shifting their electricity usage, buying the company’s products, and staying loyal to OVO.

So it’s easier to join this tariff now, but you’ll also earn less money.

Your solar panel system also can’t be larger than 30 kilowatts-peak (kWp), but that applies to barely any domestic installations in the UK.

Which import tariff should you use?

This tariff’s requirements mean you have to sign up to an OVO import tariff, which limits your options.

The best choice at the moment is OVO Extended Fixed, a 15-month tariff which offers a price cap-beating rate of 24.94p per kWh of electricity.

Its standing charge of 48.52p per day is also significantly lower than the 53.8p per day maximum included in the price cap.

However, the tariff doesn’t offer any off-peak periods, which is a significant drawback.

You’ll also have to pay an exit fee of £75 per fuel if you switch tariffs before the end of your contract.

3. OVO’s SEG Install Exclusive

Export rate: 20p/kWh

OVO’s best tariff pays out 20p per kWh, which is up there with the very best export rates – but it comes with an orchestra’s worth of strings attached.

Firstly, you have to get your grid electricity from OVO – a step that means missing out on the best time of use tariffs on the market.

You also have to buy your solar & battery system through OVO, which is extremely limiting when it comes to an investment of this size.

You can’t shop around to get the best solar panel installer around for the lowest price possible.

And so, if you’ve already gone solar, you can’t access this tariff.

You can still sign up to SEG Install Exclusive if you get your solar panels through OVO and have your battery installed by a different company – but you’ll only receive 15p per kWh.

The 30kWp upper limit also applies to this tariff, though this won’t be an issue for the vast majority of homes.

Despite offering a top-tier rate of 20p per kWh, households can earn and save much more money on other export tariffs, without as many conditions – though there is another upside to choosing this rate, in the form of Battery Boost.

What is OVO’s Battery Boost?

Battery Boost is an add-on to the SEG Install Exclusive tariff that allows OVO to fill your battery with off-peak electricity, then sell it back to the grid at peak times.

The grid charges suppliers different prices depending on the demand and supply at any given time – so OVO will analyse these prices and choose the best times to sell and buy through your battery.

However much money OVO makes from this process, you’ll pay 10p for every kWh your battery imports, and earn 20p for every kWh your battery exports – resulting in a profit of 10p per kWh.

Roughly speaking, OVO will charge your battery to 70% each day in winter, when solar panels generate less electricity, and to 40% in the summer.

If you have a 5.2kWh battery, this means OVO will import and export around 1,030kWh per year – earning you £103 without you doing anything.

Extra income is always welcome, but it falls short of making up for OVO’s pricey import tariffs.

Octopus provides similar services through its Intelligent Octopus Flux (IOF) and Intelligent Octopus Go (IOG) tariffs.

On IOF, which is an import and export tariff, Octopus will control when your battery charges and discharges, to maximise your profits.

IOG is an import tariff aimed at electric car drivers that can charge your EV when it’s the cheapest time for Octopus to buy electricity from the grid – and whenever it happens, it costs you 7p per kWh.

Which import tariff should you use?

Just like on SEG Beyond Exclusive, you’ll be limited to choosing between OVO import tariffs.

Currently, your best option is OVO Extended Fixed, a 15-month tariff which comes with an electricity rate of 24.94p per kWh.

This is markedly lower than the price cap, as is its standing charge of 48.52p per day, which comfortably beats the 53.8p per day maximum set by Ofgem.

However, this is a flat tariff with no off-peak periods, meaning you can’t charge your battery from the grid for a cheap price.

It also includes an exit fee of £75 per fuel if you change tariffs before the end of your contract.

How much can you earn from OVO’s SEG tariffs?

A solar home can make a considerable amount of money on any of OVO’s SEG tariffs, though SEG Install Exclusive is clearly the highest earner.

Eligibility requirements for OVO’s SEG tariffs

All three of OVO’s export tariffs require you to live in an eligible area – which the great majority of Brits do – and produce renewable energy at home.

Unfortunately, all three tariffs come with a £15 exit fee if you switch export rate suppliers during your contract, with an exception for anyone who’s moving home.

Additional requirements for OVO SEG Beyond Exclusive

This 12p per kWh tariff allows households to install solar panels with a power rating of 30kWp, at most – which is more than enough for the vast majority of UK households.

You also have to receive grid electricity from OVO, and join OVO Beyond within three months of signing up for SEG Beyond Exclusive.

Additional requirements for OVO SEG Install Exclusive

To access this tariff’s 20p per kWh rate, you must buy your solar & battery system through OVO.

However, you can qualify for a 15p per kWh rate if you only get your solar panels from OVO.

You’ll also need to import your grid electricity through OVO, and have a solar panel system that’s under 30kWp.

How can you sign up for an OVO SEG tariff?

Signing up for any of OVO’s export tariffs requires you to fill out an online form.

You’ll also have to give OVO your Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or Flexi-Orb certificate, a schematic of your system, and your G98 or G99 application.

OVO will need an approval letter from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) – that is, the company that runs the hardware supplying your area of the UK with electricity.

Your DNO should also have supplied you with an export MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) – a unique, 13-digit number that identifies your electricity meter – which you’ll also need to provide to OVO.

You may also have to hand over some proof of identity – such as a copy of your passport – and proof of address, like a utility bill that has your name on it.

How long does it take?

The process can take up to 11 weeks in total, which puts it on a par with other export tariff suppliers.

Make sure you ask OVO for your export payments to be backdated to the day you submitted your export tariff application form, as companies are sometimes open to this.

Is OVO’s SEG tariff worth it?

OVO’s export tariffs are not worth it.

Their rates are too low, and both of their higher tariffs come with restrictive conditions that stop you from maximising your savings with a more profitable import tariff.

The 20p per kWh paid out to households on SEG Install Exclusive is one of the best export rates available – but the requirement to get your grid electricity from OVO blocks you from signing up to a time of use import tariff, reducing your overall savings.

Homes on E.ON Next Drive and British Gas Electric Driver can save more money overall, despite only having access to lower export rates, because they can charge their storage batteries overnight on cheap off-peak electricity.

Another point against OVO’s 20p per kWh rate is that households must go solar through OVO, which is limiting for anyone who doesn’t yet have a system, and fully excludes homes that already have solar panels.

If you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

OVO’s SEG tariff: FAQs