# Octopus non MCS self-install PV export tariff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Heatpump\ **Created:** [22 July 2026 16:07 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166 "2026-07-22T16:07:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marko\_Cosic](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/marko_cosic/32/26497_2.png) [@Marko\_Cosic](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/Marko_Cosic)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2026 18:45 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/21 "2026-08-13T18:45:53Z")
> [@Johnmo](#): > > Export payments are basically MCS closed shop thing, that Octopus have bypassed also, but they still need to tick various boxes, hence the cost. This isn’t the case. Here’s some history for those who are curious: Suppliers are welcome to offer an export tariff. No requirement for MCS. No requirement for any paperwork other than the system being registered with the DNO. Suppliers don’t really WANT to offer an export tariff. The electricity is not worth nearly what they are offering to pay for it (because most of your unit rate in summer isn’t actually the electricity cost but all of the other overheads) but they feel obliged to “compete” on it and they feel obliged not to offer pricing that isn’t “offensive” and doesn’t draw attention to just how ludicrous the overheads are. Suppliers are OBLIGED to offer an export tariff under the SEG if you have MCS approved solar though. Octopus marketing department once made the mistake of - falsely - claiming that they were “not allowed to” offer an export tariff "unless the system was MCS approved and then doubling down on this claim when challenged. I threatened Octopus with asking Ofgem to revoke their supply license on the basis of them dishonestly claiming that they were not allowed to offer an export tariff unless the system was MCS approved. This made it up to their in house counsel who told marketing to hurry up and change their marketing claims because they were in breach of the terms of their supply license. The “ok, we are going to pretend to offer export for non-MCS solar, but we’re going to add lots of hoops to jump through” and “and now we are going to charge you for jumping through the hoops that we have invented” steps are tools to limit demand. They DO NOT want to be eating the cost of setting up export MPANs and administering export payments for every Tom, Dick, and Harry throwing in DIY solar / Balcony Solar. Hence the paperwork. There are NO boxes that Octopus “need” to tick. The boxes are created by Octopus so that they can claim to be “pro” export payments without really being pro export payments. Other suppliers never made the mistake of pretending - lying to consumers - that the only reason they didn’t offer export tariffs for all systems was because it wasn’t allowed without an MCS certificate. The other suppliers just said “we offer an export tariff where we are obliged to do so” and left it at that. ---
**Author:** ![Marko\_Cosic](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/marko_cosic/32/26497_2.png) [@Marko\_Cosic](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/Marko_Cosic)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2026 18:47 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/22 "2026-08-13T18:47:36Z")
> [@designerguy](#): > > I can only think this is a hangover from the original MCS scheme to provide a more controlled solar generation installation process and also as an industry reward for the training they needed at the time. (A bit of a closed shop effectively). Per the above - this is all due to Octopus having once upon a time lied about “not being able to offer export tariffs unless the system is MCS approved” - in order to pretend that this wasn’t their choice but an externally imposed requirement. They then backtracked…removing the MCS requirement…but setting up their own artifical documentation requirements to suppress demand for a “product” that they lose money on and will lose more money on as Balcony Solar etc kick off. ---
**Author:** ![Johnmo](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Johnmo](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/Johnmo)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2026 18:57 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/23 "2026-08-13T18:57:37Z")
The above all well and good, but I couldn’t find any other supplies that were willing to pay a penny without an MCS ticket. If you could share the other suppliers that actually pay for exports without an MCS ticket it would be welcome. Companies paying around 3-4p are of zero interest as you may as well make hot water via a diverter. ---
**Author:** ![Marko\_Cosic](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/marko_cosic/32/26497_2.png) [@Marko\_Cosic](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/Marko_Cosic)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2026 19:46 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/24 "2026-08-13T19:46:26Z")
Nobody wants to pay for your resi solar @Johnmo - the cost of administering the export MPAN etc exceed the value of the electricity The money is currently in arbitrage - batteries and load shifting away from 4-7pm so that you avoid paying for the distribution network that they have arbitrarily decided to fund by levying a charge on every kWh shipped between 4-7pm… ---
**Author:** ![Johnmo](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Johnmo](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/Johnmo)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2026 20:09 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/25 "2026-08-13T20:09:54Z")
They pay me the same as everyone else, currently get 12p, may change to Prime and get 9 or 16p depending time of day, that’s fixed for year. Interested to see what other suppliers are offering non-MCS installs. I couldn’t find any? Plus Axle pay me on top of that at £1 per kWh, so yesterday got nearly £11 in two hours. ---
**Author:** ![designerguy](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/designerguy/32/32881_2.png) [@designerguy](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/designerguy)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2026 22:01 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/26 "2026-08-13T22:01:44Z")
The energy supplier, such as Octopus, has a commercial and operational license with the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) and Data Communications Company (DCC). This means that Octopus may have had specific agreements on reviewing documentation for meter export data access and it is probably still changing as we discuss this. Agreed that they do not want too many homeowners getting 12p/kWh through the peak solar generation period when the market is half this. They are a commercial company like any other and are rapidly changing the industry with proprietary technology for consumer energy management via Kraken etc. However… I have given up on getting an export MPAN through Octopus it is just too much hassle as they currently still want an EIC specifically created by the installing electrician at the time of instal. Mine was some years ago and other work was done at the same time so do not have the correctly worded EIC. An EICR which can be done later at any time will not do apparently! I will wait for all these arbitrary rules to be dropped which I am sure they will eventually. The unrestricted 12p/kWh though will likely reduce once Octopus have reached their customer targets in this domestic micro generation sector, which must really be tiny for them at the moment but it will inevitable grow bigtime. Also …I use virtually all my solar on site anyway with the EV’s etc. which is what I installed the solar panels for anyway. But. And it is a big BUT the new Axle Virtual Power Plant experiment is a great success for me. I have had 5 events in just the past week on the South Coast totalling payments of over £16 of cash earnings exporting at a rate of up to 3.6kW as allowed on my G98 DNO approved system. _This is not an export tariff_ but it seems to be much more profitable for my circumstances and it apparently genuinely helps the grid. I always remind myself though that the TOU and export market can change greatly as the suppliers are in it to make money. When everyone is doing it the rewards will reduce. Any long term investments we make should come with that understanding. ---
**Author:** ![designerguy](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/designerguy/32/32881_2.png) [@designerguy](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/designerguy)\ **Post date:** [14 August 2026 12:13 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/27 "2026-08-14T12:13:41Z")
You are right that suppliers do not really want to pay out for domestic residual solar without arbitrage as it is uneconomic. It is more likely to be about getting data from the early adopters. Octopus wants to sign up the microgeneration customer to collect data for Kraken to make it more effective franchise for the future. When that is achieved I am sure solar export rates will return to near statutory levels. ---
**Author:** ![Johnmo](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Johnmo](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/Johnmo)\ **Post date:** [14 August 2026 13:01 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/28 "2026-08-14T13:01:57Z")
So makes sense to fill your boots while you can and get the equipment paid for. ToU tariffs may just follow as well. But this year to date I have imported £450 of energy, while exporting exported £200, so cost so far is £250. Plus since May earned £92 from Axle, so really cost is £158. Have used 7000kWh which at capped rates would have cost £1800, so far this year I am up £1650 already. So will keep taking it while it’s available, makes payback super quick. ---
**Author:** ![designerguy](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/designerguy/32/32881_2.png) [@designerguy](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/designerguy)\ **Post date:** [14 August 2026 21:40 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/29 "2026-08-14T21:40:25Z")
Yes definitely take advantage of the current rates while you can. To make it even more complicated I see that the cost of my battery storage has now fallen to about half what it was five years ago. It is a good guess that this trend will continue and completely change the payback calculation. This payback uncertainty is the price we pay for being early adopters but I do not regret going 100% electric it is definitely the future. ---
**Author:** ![glyn.hudson](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/user_avatar/community.openenergymonitor.org/glyn.hudson/32/35003_2.png) [@glyn.hudson](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/u/glyn.hudson)\ **Post date:** [16 August 2026 16:44 UTC](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166/30 "2026-08-16T16:44:59Z")
Some interesting videos on the subject: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EZv7ibLVj0E/maxresdefault.jpg "This Solar Export Story Shouldn’t Be Possible") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZv7ibLVj0E) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FSZhGxESm_Y/maxresdefault.jpg "Octopus Energy Unplugs MCS Certification for Solar Panel Installations") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSZhGxESm_Y) Agree, there’s a very good chance that fixed export rates will reduce significantly. Dynamic i.e timed export at certain times is probably the future. I’m currently on Octopus Agile export, the export rate during the day is often only a couple of pence, but increases to 20p/kWh during the evening peak, this works well for me since half my array faces West and I do a forced battery export to capitalise on the peak export rates [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8q4ouCf-kzg/maxresdefault.jpg "Will You Soon Be Charged For Export in the UK?!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4ouCf-kzg) [Previous page](https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/octopus-non-mcs-self-install-pv-export-tariff/30166.md?page=1)