First, the thing most articles get wrong
If you've read that "the Smart Export Guarantee" will pay you for solar, that's Great Britain. The SEG is a licence condition on GB electricity suppliers; it does not apply in Northern Ireland, which has its own electricity market, its own regulator — the Utility Regulator — and its own network operator, NIE Networks. You can still be paid for the electricity you export. It just works differently here.
Who pays you in Northern Ireland
Your electricity supplier does, through its own export (sometimes called microgeneration) tariff. Power NI's is the best known: 9.64p per kWh exported for 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, reviewed and approved by the Utility Regulator each year, and paid to your bank account separately from your bill. Other NI suppliers publish their own export rates and conditions — it's worth comparing, because the export rate and the price you pay for electricity are both part of the deal.
You'll also hear about ROCs — Renewables Obligation Certificates. That scheme closed to new installations in 2017. If someone talks about ROC income on a new system, they're out of date.
What you need in place
- A connection NIE Networks knows about. Systems up to 3.68 kW per phase are notified after commissioning (G98); bigger systems — most solar-plus-battery setups — need a G99 application approved before install. We submit it, chase it and design to any export limit they set.
- An export-capable meter. Your meter has to record the units going out as well as coming in. If yours can't, it's changed as part of the sign-up.
- The supplier's sign-up. Each supplier has its own application for its export tariff, and it's in your name as the customer. We give you every document they ask for at commissioning and help you carry out the application if needed.
- Meter readings. Payment is based on your export readings, submitted when the supplier asks.
The maths: why self-use beats export
Every kWh you export earns the export rate. Every kWh you use yourself saves the full retail rate you would otherwise pay — which in 2026 is a multiple of 9.64p. So the same unit of sunshine is worth two to three times more used at home than sold to the grid. That's not a reason to avoid export; it's a reason to design the system so export is what's left over, not the main event:
- Size the array to your usage, not to the roof.
- Add battery storage so daytime surplus runs the evening.
- Put surplus into hot water with a myenergi eddi diverter.
- Charge the car on solar with a solar-aware EV charger.
Done well, export becomes a small annual cheque on top of a much bigger bill saving. Done badly — a big array, nobody home at noon, no storage — you give most of your generation away for pence.
What a year looks like
Export is heavily seasonal: most of the surplus happens between April and September, in the middle of the day. Through winter most homes export very little and import more, which is normal — the annual picture is what matters, and the survey models it from your actual roof and consumption.
What we do as part of the install
The NIE Networks application or notification and the commissioning paperwork are part of every Glow installation. The export sign-up itself is with your supplier and in your name — we hand over all the documentation they need and help you through it if you want. No MCS certificate is required to be paid for export in Northern Ireland. Solar panels in Belfast and NI explains the full process, or ask us on the survey.
Questions people ask
Does the Smart Export Guarantee apply in Northern Ireland?
No. The SEG is a Great Britain scheme. Northern Ireland suppliers offer their own export tariffs, approved by the Utility Regulator — Power NI's is 9.64p per kWh for 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026.
Can I be paid for export if I have a battery?
Yes. The battery takes the surplus first; anything it can't store is exported and paid for as normal.
Is the export rate the same every year?
No. Tariffs are reviewed and approved annually, so the rate can change each October. Check your supplier's current figure.
Do I have to be with a particular supplier to get paid?
Export tariffs are supplier-specific, so the rate depends on who you are with — and you can switch. Compare the export rate alongside the unit price you pay.
What is an export limit?
On some rural or constrained supplies NIE Networks cap how much you can export at any moment. It doesn't limit what you generate and use at home; we design the system around it.
Do I need MCS certification to get paid for export in Northern Ireland?
No. You need the NIE Networks connection, an export-capable meter and your supplier's export application — not MCS. We give you every document the supplier asks for and help with the application if needed.