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What is the export tariff and how much does it pay?
The Export Tariff is a payment for energy you generate via your solar panels which you don't use and send back to the grid (unless you have an export meter, it's normally assumed there's a 50:50 split). As of 31 March 2019 the rate is 5.03p/kWh.
You need A 'D' rating on your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) (click to read more about this) to get the full feed-in payment (4.07p/kWh). If the EPC rating of your house is below D, this falls to 0.43p/kWH, making the incentive considerably less attractive. You need an EPC if you're selling any property or are a landlord; these are valid for 10 years.
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3
Can you claim the feed-in tariff if you buy a house where solar panels are being leased?
When you lease solar panels from an energy company (they effectively lease your roof space for a period and in return give you reduced price or free electricity for the energy you generate in return), the company normally itself claims any payments from the feed-in and/or export tariff.
In general terms this means that, unless the seller of the property with solar panels that you're buying actually owned the panels outright, it's unlikely that you'll be able to be remunerated by the feed-in and/or export tariff. You should, however, investigate the relevant contract's terms.
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4
When buying your solar panelled property, what should you do to ensure you get payments from the feed-in tariff?
You must communicate with the existing energy company which the previous owner was using and had the contract with.
Once you know which company this is, you simply ask the company to transfer the existing feed-in tariff contract, assuming it still has time left to run from the original 20 years, to your name/s.
How do you find out whom the seller's electricity supplier is?
This information should be in Property Information Form TA6 (click to find out more) which the seller has to fill in and send (via their solicitor) to your conveyancing solicitor.
If this information isn't given for any reason, you should immediately flag it up for further enquiry via your solicitor.
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5
Does the feed-in tariff end if the energy company it was signed with go out of business?
No.
The way the contracts were written, they are attached to the relevant properties rather than the people who signed them, as previously stated.
This means that even if, during the 20-year length of the contract, the energy supplier which originally signed the contract went bust, another energy company has to honour the contract's terms for the remaining duration.
An Ofgem spokesperson told us that there might be some work involved in finding a company to take on the remaining contract, but as a rule of thumb, this should not prove too difficult if you approach a large energy company.
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6
Where can I find out more about buying a house with solar panels?
Please read our companion article Buying a House with Solar Panels
Looking at Buying a House with Solar Panels?
Whether you're buying a house with solar panels you'll own yourself or where you'll be carrying on an existing lease the panels, our experienced property lawyers can help ensure that you're buying with confidence.
* Fixed Fee – No Sale No Fee – On all Mortgage Lender Panels
