Why Your Solar Export Payments Are Wrong — Or Missing Completely
The short version
You installed solar panels. You were told you’d get paid for the energy you export back to the grid. But the payments aren’t arriving, they’re lower than they should be, or they stopped completely when you switched supplier.
You’re not imagining it. You’re not doing anything wrong. You could be losing money every single day this isn’t fixed.
Here’s exactly what’s happening, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Not sure what’s wrong?
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What export payments actually are
When your solar panels generate more electricity than your home is using at that moment, the surplus flows back into the national grid. Under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), your energy supplier is legally required to pay you for every unit you export — as long as you have a smart meter that can measure it.
The key phrase there is a smart meter that can measure it.
Not just any smart meter. A smart meter that is correctly commissioned, actively communicating with your supplier, and sending half-hourly export data.
If any part of that chain is broken, your payments stop. Or they never start.
Why payments go wrong — the seven most common causes
1. Your meter lost communication when you switched supplier
This is the most common cause by far — and suppliers don’t always highlight this clearly.
When you switch energy supplier, your smart meter has to be “recommissioned” by the new supplier. This means your new supplier’s systems need to establish communication with your meter through the Data Communications Company (DCC) — the government-backed network that connects all smart meters in Great Britain.
This process frequently fails, or takes weeks to complete. During that time your meter goes into what’s called SMETS1 legacy mode — it still functions as a basic meter, but it’s no longer sending smart data. Including your export readings.
No export readings = no export payments.
This is one of the most common causes we see – particularly after a supplier switch – and it isn’t always clearly explained during the process.
2. You have a SMETS1 meter that hasn’t been enrolled
If your smart meter was installed before 2019, it’s almost certainly a SMETS1 meter — the first generation of smart meters. These meters were built to proprietary standards by individual suppliers, which means when you switch, they often lose their smart functionality entirely.
The government mandated a migration process to bring all SMETS1 meters onto the DCC network — effectively upgrading them remotely to behave like second-generation SMETS2 meters. But this migration isn’t always completed automatically.
How to check: Ask your supplier directly — “Has my SMETS1 meter been enrolled on the DCC network?” If they can’t give you a straight answer, escalate to their smart meter technical team.
3. Your export meter register isn’t set up correctly
Your smart meter has multiple registers — essentially different counters that measure different things. One measures electricity imported from the grid. Another should measure electricity exported to the grid.
If your meter was installed or recommissioned without the export register being correctly configured, your export readings will show zero — even if you’re physically sending power back to the grid.
What to ask: “Can you confirm my export register is active and sending readings? What was my last export reading and when was it received?”
4. Your SEG application wasn’t completed properly
Getting export payments isn’t automatic. You have to apply for a SEG tariff with your supplier, and they have to confirm your meter is capable of providing half-hourly export data.
If your application is incomplete, if your meter details don’t match what’s on your supplier’s system, or if they haven’t verified your installation with your MCS certificate, payments won’t start.
5. Half-hourly data isn’t reaching your supplier
Even if your meter is communicating, if the half-hourly interval data isn’t getting through cleanly, your export readings may be incomplete or missing entirely.
Your supplier may be estimating your export rather than measuring it. Estimated exports are almost always lower than actuals.
How to check: Log into your supplier’s app or online account and look at your half-hourly data. If you see gaps, zeros, or flat lines during daylight hours when your panels should be generating, your data isn’t getting through.
6. Your meter is in “dumb mode” after a firmware update
Smart meters receive remote firmware updates pushed out by the DCC. Occasionally these updates cause meters to behave unexpectedly. Some meters have temporarily lost their export measurement capability after a firmware update.
If your payments stopped suddenly with no obvious trigger — no switch, no engineer visit — a firmware update may be the cause.
7. Your generation meter and your smart meter aren’t talking to each other
Some solar installations have a separate generation meter that records total generation, and rely on the smart meter to record export separately. If these two systems aren’t properly integrated, the data your supplier receives may be incomplete.
If you have a separate generation meter, make sure your supplier knows about it and has the correct meter serial numbers on file.
How to calculate if you’re being underpaid
You shouldn’t have to do this — but you do, because suppliers rarely flag it themselves.
Step 1 — Find your generation data
Your solar inverter app (SolarEdge, SolarmanPV, Enphase, GivEnergy etc.) will show you total generation in kWh.
Step 2 — Estimate your self-consumption
A rough rule of thumb: households self-consume approximately 40-50% of what they generate.
Step 3 — Calculate expected export
Generation minus self-consumption = expected export.
Step 4 — Compare to what you’ve been paid for
Log into your SEG account and check how many kWh you’ve been paid for over the same period.
Step 5 — Check the rate
SEG rates vary by supplier and tariff. Make sure you know what rate you’re supposed to be on and that it matches what you’re actually being paid.
What to do — the exact steps
Step 1 — Get your export readings directly from your meter
Don’t rely on your supplier’s app. Go to the meter itself. On most SMETS2 meters you can scroll through the display to find your export register reading. Take a photo with the date. This is your evidence.
Step 2 — Contact your supplier’s smart meter team specifically
Don’t call general customer service. Ask specifically for the smart meter technical team or SEG team. Say exactly this:
“My solar export payments have stopped / are lower than expected. I need you to confirm my export register is active, that half-hourly export data is being received, and that my meter is correctly commissioned on the DCC network. I’d also like to know the date of the last export reading you received.”
Step 3 — Request backdated payments
If your payments stopped due to a meter or commissioning failure on your supplier’s side, you are entitled to backdated payments for the period you should have been paid. Ask explicitly: “I would like backdated export payments calculated from the date my data stopped being received.”
Step 4 — Log it in the Problem Tracker
Use our Problem Tracker to log your issue. This starts your 90-day clock. Under Ofgem rules, suppliers must resolve smart meter issues within 90 days.
Step 5 — Escalate if needed
If your supplier hasn’t resolved the issue within 8 weeks, you can escalate to the Energy Ombudsman free of charge. The Ombudsman can order suppliers to make backdated payments and compensate you for the inconvenience.
Quick reference — questions to ask your supplier
- Is my meter correctly commissioned on the DCC network?
- Is my export register active and configured correctly?
- What was the last export reading you received, and when?
- Is half-hourly interval data being received for my supply?
- Has my SMETS1 meter been enrolled on the DCC network?
- Can I have backdated payments for the period I wasn’t being paid?
Written by a qualified UK smart meter installer. If your export payments are wrong or missing, log your problem at tracker.smartmeterhelp.co.uk — it takes 60 seconds and starts your 90-day clock.
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