PrepayPower Microgeneration Rate 2026: 15.89c/kWh

PrepayPower pays 15.89c per kWh including VAT (14c excluding VAT) for surplus solar electricity exported to the grid under the Clean Export Guarantee. That is the lowest standard rate among the Irish suppliers we track. Until July 2026 it was joint-lowest with Yuno Energy, its sister brand — both are operated by the same company, Yuno Limited — but Yuno has since raised its rate to 17.16c and PrepayPower has not followed. The bigger difference is how the money arrives. Because PrepayPower customers pay as they go rather than getting bills, export payments land as top-up credits on your PrepayPower account twice a year, in May and November, with an emailed statement each time.

What PrepayPower Pays for Exported Solar

PrepayPower's current Clean Export Guarantee rate is 14c per exported unit (kWh) excluding VAT, which works out at 15.89c including VAT. The supplier notes the rate is subject to change based on market prices, so treat it as variable rather than fixed. Both figures are quoted exactly as PrepayPower publishes them (“14c* (15.89 inc. VAT)”), though the pair does not reconcile at the 9% VAT rate that applies to electricity — 14c plus 9% is 15.26c. Ask PrepayPower which figure lands on your account before budgeting on the higher one.

Your total payment is simple to calculate: multiply the rate by the number of units you exported in the payment period. The export quantity, whether metered or deemed, appears on the payment statement PrepayPower emails you with each credit.

One quirk worth knowing: PrepayPower and Yuno Energy used to quote the identical 15.89c figure, and that was no coincidence — PrepayPower's legal name is Yuno Limited, the same stable that runs Yuno Energy. The two brands have since parted company on export rate: Yuno moved to 17.16c in July 2026 while PrepayPower stayed at 14c ex VAT / 15.89c inc VAT. Shared ownership no longer means a shared export rate, so check both before assuming.

How PrepayPower's Rate Compares

At 15.89c including VAT, PrepayPower sits at the bottom of the Irish market on its own. Every other supplier we track pays 17.16c or more.

Rates as of 12 September 2026 from supplier pages and published trackers. Rates are variable and can change with notice; check supplier websites before switching. Full comparison: CEG rates in Ireland.

In money terms, a typical 4 kWp system exporting around 1,500 kWh per year earns roughly €238 per year on PrepayPower's 15.89c rate. The same export at 19.5c with Electric Ireland or SSE Airtricity is about €293, at 18.5c with Bord Gáis, Energia, Flogas or Pinergy about €278, and at Yuno's 17.16c about €257. The gap between PrepayPower and the rest of the market is real but modest, roughly €19 to €55 a year for an average home, so the right decision usually comes down to the whole plan rather than the export rate alone.

Who Qualifies for PrepayPower's Export Payment

PrepayPower can only pay export credits to its own electricity customers. If your electricity comes from another supplier, you register for the Clean Export Guarantee with that supplier instead. To qualify with PrepayPower you need:

• An active PrepayPower electricity account
• A registered microgeneration device, which for most homes means rooftop solar PV
• A completed NC6 form with ESB Networks, normally submitted by your installer, so your exports can be recorded on the grid

The scheme itself is not PrepayPower's invention. The Clean Export Guarantee has applied across all Irish suppliers since 15 February 2022, and it obliges every supplier to offer an export payment. What each supplier chooses to pay is up to them, which is why rates vary as widely as they do.

Metered vs Deemed Export on a Prepay Meter

How PrepayPower measures your export depends on the meter in your home, the same as any other supplier:

• Metered export: if you have a smart meter, you are paid for every unit your meter actually records flowing out to the grid
• Deemed export: with other meter types, you are paid on an estimated export quantity, calculated by ESB Networks using a formula set by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU)

Your metered or deemed export quantity is shown on every payment statement PrepayPower sends, so you can check the maths behind each credit. If your home can take a smart meter, getting one installed is usually worthwhile: metered export pays you on real numbers, and a well-sized system typically exports more than the deemed formula assumes. ESB Networks aims to install a smart meter within four months of a valid NC6 registration.

How and When PrepayPower Pays You

This is where PrepayPower differs most from billed suppliers. There is no bill to credit, so export payments arrive as top-ups to your PrepayPower account, and they come twice a year, in May and November. Each payment covers the export period since the last one, and an emailed statement accompanies every credit showing the units and the rate applied.

Practical points for prepay solar owners:

• It is not real-time netting. Your exports do not offset your top-ups as you go. You top up as normal all year, and the export money lands in two lumps
• Keep your details current. Payments are applied to the account holder, so tell PrepayPower if the account holder's name, phone number or email changes
• Leaving PrepayPower? You still get what you are owed. Any outstanding export payment is sent to you by post after you switch away
• Questions: PrepayPower handles microgeneration queries on freephone 1800 911 842

Tax on PrepayPower Export Income

Microgeneration income is taxable in Ireland, but the first €400 per person per year is exempt from income tax, USC and PRSI under a Revenue disregard. On PrepayPower's 15.89c rate, a typical 3 to 5 kWp home system earns well under that threshold, so most PrepayPower solar owners owe nothing and have nothing to file for it. Income above €400 is declared on your annual return and taxed at your marginal rate. The full detail, including how the exemption works for jointly assessed couples, is in our guide to tax on solar export income.

How to Start Receiving Export Payments from PrepayPower

If you already have solar panels and a PrepayPower account, check whether your NC6 form was submitted; your installer normally does this at installation time. Once ESB Networks has your registration and export data starts flowing, PrepayPower includes you in the next May or November payment run. If you think you are exporting but no credit has arrived, ring PrepayPower and confirm your microgeneration registration is active.

If you are planning a new installation:

1. Choose an SEAI-registered installer; they submit the NC6 form to ESB Networks as part of the job
2. ESB Networks processes the form and arranges a smart meter where the home can take one
3. Your exports are recorded, and PrepayPower credits your account in the next twice-yearly payment run
4. Apply for the SEAI solar grant through your installer at the same time; it is separate from, and stacks with, export payments

Frequently Asked Questions