Exported electricity before signing up for Standard Export Guarantee

pramsay13

Our solar panels were installed in May. 
We are currently with Bulb and they installed a new smart meter after a few weeks.
On 16th June we applied for the Octopus Smart Export Guarantee. At this point we had exported 86kWh. 
Octopus eventually signed us up on 18th August when the export reading was 894kWh so that's what they will pay us from.
Do we lose the 894 units we have exported or will someone pay us for them?

Heedtheadvice

I suspect the simple answer is lost.

Screwdriva

Gone but not forgotten. Your energy replaced fossil fuel power for the homes in your immediate vicinity.

[Deleted User]

pramsay13 said:

Our solar panels were installed in May. 
We are currently with Bulb and they installed a new smart meter after a few weeks.
On 16th June we applied for the Octopus Smart Export Guarantee. At this point we had exported 86kWh. 
Octopus eventually signed us up on 18th August when the export reading was 894kWh so that's what they will pay us from.
Do we lose the 894 units we have exported or will someone pay us for them?

I assume that it took until the 18th August for Octopus to get an export MPAN for your meter from your DNO. DNOs are not known for their speed. Octopus can only pay you SEG from the date that they had access to your export data: that is, the 18th August.

Out-of-interest, what is the size of your array? Your export is very high.

ispookie666

I'm at 2MW and counting 😜

pramsay13

[Deleted User] said:

pramsay13 said:

Our solar panels were installed in May. 
We are currently with Bulb and they installed a new smart meter after a few weeks.
On 16th June we applied for the Octopus Smart Export Guarantee. At this point we had exported 86kWh. 
Octopus eventually signed us up on 18th August when the export reading was 894kWh so that's what they will pay us from.
Do we lose the 894 units we have exported or will someone pay us for them?

I assume that it took until the 18th August for Octopus to get an export MPAN for your meter from your DNO. DNOs are not known for their speed. Octopus can only pay you SEG from the date that they had access to your export data: that is, the 18th August.

Out-of-interest, what is the size of your array? Your export is very high.

3.95kWp - it's actually my mum and dad's and they were away for a few weeks during the summer. 

pramsay13

Screwdriva said:

Gone but not forgotten. Your energy replaced fossil fuel power for the homes in your immediate vicinity.

I get that and it's wonderful, but it's the fact it took Octopus a month to sign us up that seems a bit harsh. 

marka1869

Solar panels were fitted to my roof exporting electricity from the beginning of November 2022. At the time I was with British Gas. I changed over to Octopus at the beginning of May 2023 to get their 15p export rate. They finally started recording my exported electricity from early March 2025. Over 2 years exporting from an 8kW system with no payment. Octopus tell me it has been used somewhere. If it has been used then someone has paid for it. If someone has paid for it then an electricity company has received that payment. Who has benefited financially from my exported electricity pre May 2025? It certainly wasn't me!

QrizB

marka1869 said:

Octopus tell me it has been used somewhere.

It will have gone into your local distribution network.

marka1869 said:

If it has been used then someone has paid for it. If someone has paid for it then an electricity company has received that payment.

Well, yes and no.

Your neighbours (who will have used it) will have had that usage recorded on their meters. They will have paid their suppliers for it, and their suppliers will have purchased an equivalent amount of electricity on the wholesale market.

marka1869 said:

Who has benefited financially from my exported electricity pre May 2025? It certainly wasn't me!

We all have.

Your 15MWh (my guess?) of unpaid export will be 15MWh less of a discrepancy between the amount of electricity put into the grid, and the amount taken out. This discrepancy is generally considered to be "losses", so you've offset some of those.

That's something like £1000 of offset shared between 25 million electricity consumers, so 0.004 pence each.

Qyburn

marka1869 said:

Solar panels were fitted to my roof exporting electricity from the beginning of November 2022. At the time I was with British Gas. I changed over to Octopus at the beginning of May 2023 to get their 15p export rate. They finally started recording my exported electricity from early March 2025. 

Why did it take so long, and were you chasing Octopus? They faffed around getting our export set up, not for two years or anything remotely like that. Even so it was raised as a complaint, and once we were established on the tariff they credited us for the 320 kWh exported during their delay.

Suebee42

I am having problems getting my Export MPAN. Solar panels installed in February and still waiting for Export MPAN. Octopus say it takes 2-4weeks to get this from DNO. In April, after contacting them, I was told paperwork hadn't been provided for application but would sort it out. Said I would get paid for energy being exported as was their fault. Month later, still waiting. Being given run-around by customer service. Contacted DNO and they have no record of any paperwork from Octopus for my address!! Official complaint raised and next step will be energy ombudsman. Not sure how their complaints procedure and customer service works but it needs a complete overhaul. Have they over-stretched themselves going into installation market??