The Utility Warehouse (Electricity Plus Supply Ltd) set its UW Smart Export Guarantee - Standard tariff at 2 pence per kWh, effective from 01 May 20221. The tariff is a Standard Variable rate and, according to the supplier, is "available to everyone"1. UW describes itself as a mandatory SEG licensee1.
The Smart Export Guarantee has operated since 1 January 2020, paying households for electricity exported to the grid1. UW lists the eligible generating technologies as solar PV panels, a domestic wind turbine, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro-combined heat and power1. Eligibility rules for the scheme, including certification and metering requirements, sit outside the tariff itself.
UW operates a second, higher export rate for customers who bundle services. The UW Smart Export Guarantee - Bundle tariff pays 8 pence per kWh, effective from 01 October 2024, and requires Energy plus two or more additional services1. UW names those additional services as Broadband, Mobile and Insurance, and states that Bill protector and Cashback Card are excluded1.
| Tariff | Type | Unit rate | Effective from | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UW Smart Export Guarantee - Standard | Standard Variable | 2 pence per kWh | 01 May 2022 | Available to everyone1 |
| UW Smart Export Guarantee - Bundle | Standard Variable | 8 pence per kWh | 01 October 2024 | Energy plus two or more additional services1 |
The supplier states that customers move between the two rates according to how many services they hold.
"If at any point you cancel an additional service or make changes to your account which means you are no longer eligible for our Bundle tariff rate, we'll switch you on to the Standard tariff. Likewise, if you add a qualifying service we'll switch you onto the Bundle tariff."
Why it matters for households
For a home with solar PV, the export rate is the price paid for each unit sent to the grid rather than used on site. At 2 pence per kWh, the Standard rate is a variable rate, so it can change, and it sits well below the 8 pence per kWh UW pays to bundled customers1. The gap between the two rates means the value a household receives for the same exported unit depends on how many other services it buys from the same supplier, not on how much electricity it generates.
That structure affects the economics of a home's energy independence in a direct way. Self-consumption, meaning using generated electricity in the home instead of exporting it, avoids buying that unit at the import price, while export earns the tariff rate. Where the export rate is low relative to import prices, the return from a solar installation depends more heavily on how much of the generation a household uses itself. The published figures do not state how the 2 pence per kWh rate compares with UW's import prices, and no such comparison has been reported in these pages.
The Bundle rate also ties the export price to holding broadband, mobile or insurance products with the same supplier. A household that cancels one of those services drops to the Standard rate under UW's stated policy1. The sources do not report how many customers hold each tariff, nor how UW's rates compare with those paid by other SEG suppliers.
What happens next
No further change to either UW tariff has been reported. The Standard rate of 2 pence per kWh has an effective date of 01 May 2022 and the Bundle rate of 8 pence per kWh has an effective date of 01 October 2024; both are described as current1.