UK Heat Pump Electricity Tariffs & SEG Solar Export

28 January 2026

A simple overview of how pricing, export and batteries work

As more UK households move to heat pumps and solar, electricity tariffs have become just as important as the technology itself. The way you buy electricity and the price you’re paid for exporting it can make a real difference to running costs.

This guide explains, in plain English, how heat pump tariffs, solar export, and batteries work together, and why system design should always come first.

🔌 Heat Pumps & Electricity Tariffs — The Basics

Heat pumps run entirely on electricity, so the tariff you’re on plays a big role in how much they cost to run.

Many UK suppliers now offer time-of-use tariffs, where electricity prices vary depending on the time of day. Most fall into three broad price periods:

Time period	Typical use	Approx. import price
Off-peak	Overnight / low demand	~14–22p per kWh
Standard / daytime	Normal household use	~24–30p per kWh
Peak (often 4–7pm)	High grid demand	~30–40p+ per kWh

The principle is simple:use more electricity when it’s cheap, and less when it’s expensive.

Well-designed heat pump systems naturally do this by:

• Pre-heating the home outside peak hours

• Running at lower, steady outputs

• Working with weather compensation rather than short bursts of demand

⚡ Main UK Heat Pump Time-of-Use Tariffs

Several UK suppliers now offer tariffs designed specifically for heat pump households.

EDF – Heat Pump Tracker

• Discounted electricity typically:

  • Early morning (around 4–7am)

  • Mid-afternoon (around 1–4pm)

• No requirement for specific heat pump or battery brands

• Smart meter required

ScottishPower – Heat Pump Saver

• Cheaper electricity typically:

  • 11am–4pm daily

• Higher rates outside this window

• No brand-specific battery or inverter requirements

E.ON Next – Next Pumped

• Lower rates across much of the daytime

• Higher prices during the evening peak (often 4–7pm)

• No requirement for specific equipment brands

British Gas – Heat Pump Tariff

• Discounted electricity during:

  • Overnight hours

  • An afternoon window

• No requirement to buy equipment from British Gas

Octopus Energy – Cosy

• Multiple off-peak windows, typically:

  • Early morning

  • Afternoon

  • Late evening

• Works with most heat pumps and batteries

• Smart meter required

• Not brand-specific

☀️ Solar & the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)

If you have solar panels, any electricity you don’t use in your home is exported to the grid. Under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), suppliers pay you for this exported energy.

Typical SEG export rates (2025–26):

Export tariff type	Approx. export payment
Basic SEG tariffs	~4–6p per kWh
Mid-range SEG tariffs	~12–18p per kWh
Premium time-of-use export	Up to ~30p per kWh (peak windows only)

Export payments depend on:

• Your supplier

• Time of day (for smart export tariffs)

• Whether you have a battery

• Meter capability (half-hourly export readings)

🔋 Batteries — Why They Matter

A home battery adds flexibility. It allows you to:

• Store solar energy instead of exporting it immediately

• Use stored energy during expensive peak hours

• Avoid buying high-cost electricity later

• Export electricity when export prices are highest (on some tariffs)

Typical comparison:

• Off-peak charging: ~14–22p per kWh

• Peak import avoided: ~30–40p+ per kWh

In many cases, using stored energy yourself is more valuable than exporting it, depending on your tariff.

🐙 Octopus Export Tariffs — Important to Understand

Octopus offers some of the highest headline export rates, but the detail matters.

Octopus Outgoing (Standard SEG)

• Fixed export rate (around ~15p per kWh)

• No battery brand restrictions

• Works with any compliant solar system

Octopus Flux

• Time-of-use import and export

• Higher export rates during peak windows (often 4–7pm)

• Requires Octopus as your supplier

• Battery strongly recommended

• Not restricted to specific battery brands

Intelligent Octopus Flux

• Highest export rates (up to ~30p per kWh in peak periods)

• Requires:

  • Octopus as supplier

  • Smart meter

  • Specific supported battery brands

  • Supplier-controlled battery operation

• Most restrictive option in terms of hardware compatibility

🔓 Design First, Tariff Second

Energy tariffs change regularly. Heat pumps, solar panels and batteries are long-term investments.

Some tariffs — particularly those with very high export rates — only work if:

• You use specific products

• You stay with one supplier

• The supplier controls your battery

Other tariffs work with any well-designed system, allowing you to switch suppliers freely as the market evolves.

Why system design should always come first

• Tariffs change fast; hardware lasts decades Heat pumps and batteries typically last 20–25 years. Tariffs can change or disappear within months.

• Supplier support lists can change A battery supported today may be removed tomorrow — that’s a commercial decision, not a technical one.

• High export rates come with strings attached The best headline rates often mean less control and less flexibility.

• Lock-in reduces choice Systems tied to one supplier limit your ability to move when better options appear.

• Avoiding peak imports is often better value Avoiding 30–40p electricity is often worth more than exporting for a few hours at a high rate.

• Good systems should work with any supplier Open, high-quality equipment keeps your options open.

✅ Bottom Line

Tariffs should adapt to your system — not the other way around.

A well-designed heat pump, solar and battery system should:

• Work efficiently on today’s tariffs

• Remain flexible for future changes

• Avoid unnecessary supplier lock-in

• Deliver long-term value, not short-term optimisation

If you’d like help understanding how tariffs might work with your home — or how

to design a system that stays flexible — that’s exactly what we do.

Find out more