Feed-in tariffs: get money for generating your own electricity
Overview
You can apply to get payments from your energy supplier if you generate your own electricity, for example with solar panels or a wind turbine. This is called a ‘feed-in tariff’ (FIT).
The Ofgem website has details about the scheme rules and available tariffs.
Changes to the scheme
The scheme will stop accepting new applications after 31 March 2019.
If you’ve installed solar panels and had a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate issued by 31 March 2019, you can apply to your energy supplier until 31 March 2020.
How the scheme works
If your application is successful, you’ll get a set amount for each unit (kilowatt hour or kWh) of electricity you generate - a ‘generation tariff’. The rates vary depending on:
- the size of your system
- what technology you install
- when your system was installed
- how energy efficient your home is
You need to use a certified installer.
You can get payments from your current energy supplier, or you can choose a different one from the list of registered suppliers.
Contact installer companies or an electricity supplier for more information.
The export tariff - selling surplus energy
As well as the generation tariff, you can also sell any extra units you do not use back to your electricity supplier. This is called an ‘export tariff’.
You’ll get 5.24p per unit of electricity.
You can sell back half of the units of electricity you generate. You’ll need an export meter if your installation is above 30kW.
You’ll also save money on your electricity bills for the energy you do use.
How much you could get
Use the Energy Saving Trust calculators to estimate how much you could earn using the FIT scheme and selling unused energy back.
Use the:
- solar energy calculator if you want to install solar panels
- cashback calculator if you’re considering installing wind turbines, hydroelectricity or micro combined heat and power systems