Smart Meter Not Recording Solar Export
If your panels are generating but your export is not showing, the problem is usually administrative, not a fault on your roof. In Ireland two different bodies are involved: ESB Networks operates the meter and grid connection, while your electricity supplier handles billing and the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) payment. Most missing-export cases come down to a step in the microgeneration paperwork not being completed, rather than a broken meter.
Quick Answer
The most likely cause is that your microgeneration paperwork is not complete, not a broken meter. First, confirm you actually have an ESB Networks smart meter (not the older accumulation meter). Then check that the NC6 notification was submitted to ESB Networks by your installer, that the export register is active for your MPRN, and that your supplier has enrolled you on the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG). Until all four are done, recorded export may not show or be paid.
Why is my smart meter not recording solar export?
For accurate CEG export payments you need an ESB Networks smart meter (part of the National Smart Metering Programme, NSMP) that actually records the electricity you send to the grid. When export is not showing, it is usually one of the causes below, listed most-likely-first.
No smart meter installed yet
ESB Networks is still completing the national rollout. If you still have the older accumulation (spinning-disc style) meter, your export is not being measured at all. Until a smart meter is fitted, your supplier may apply a deemed (estimated) export rather than a metered figure.
Smart meter installed but the export register is not active
A smart meter can be fitted and reading your import while its export register is not yet activated or configured for your MPRN. The hardware is there, but the part that counts what you send out has not been switched on, so export reads as zero.
NC6 microgeneration notification not completed
The NC6 is the form that tells ESB Networks you have a microgenerator connected. If your installer did not submit it (or it has not been processed), your export is often not read as microgeneration, so it does not flow through correctly.
Supplier has not enrolled you on CEG
Even with a working meter and a recorded export figure, your electricity supplier has to enrol you on the Clean Export Guarantee for that export to be paid. If enrolment is missing, the meter may be recording export that simply is not appearing on your bill as a credit.
Data lag between ESB Networks and your supplier
ESB Networks reads the meter and passes the data on; your supplier then bills it. There is often a lag of one or more billing cycles before recorded export shows up on your statement. A genuinely new connection can look like missing export simply because the data has not caught up yet.
What you can safely check yourself
These are all app, display, or paperwork checks. None of them require opening any equipment. Work through them in order before you contact anyone, so you can describe exactly where the problem sits.
- 1
Confirm your panels are actually generating
Open your inverter monitoring app and confirm the system is producing power during daylight. If generation itself is zero on a bright day, the issue is the system, not the meter — see your inverter or installer first.
- 2
Confirm you have a smart meter, not an accumulation meter
A smart meter has a digital display and is part of the NSMP rollout. The older accumulation meter cannot record export at all. If you are unsure which you have, ESB Networks can confirm it against your MPRN.
- 3
Find your MPRN
Your MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) is printed on your electricity bill. You will need it for every conversation with ESB Networks and your supplier, so have it ready.
- 4
Ask your installer whether the NC6 was submitted
The NC6 microgeneration notification to ESB Networks is normally the installer's job. Ask them to confirm it was submitted and accepted. Keep a copy of the confirmation for your records.
- 5
Ask ESB Networks to confirm the export register is active
Contact ESB Networks (the meter operator) and ask them to confirm that the export register is active for your MPRN. This is the single check that tells you whether the meter is even set up to count export.
- 6
Ask your supplier to confirm CEG enrolment
Contact your electricity supplier (the people who bill you) and confirm you are enrolled on the Clean Export Guarantee. Ask whether they are currently applying metered export or a deemed/estimated figure.
A quick way to narrow it down
If ESB Networks confirms the export register is active and showing figures, but those figures are not on your bill, the problem is on the supplier/CEG side. If ESB Networks says the register is not active or the NC6 is missing, the problem is on the connection side. Knowing which side it sits on saves a lot of back-and-forth.
When to call your installer or an electrician
The checks above are safe because they are app, display, and phone calls. Anything beyond that is electrical work.
Call your SEAI-registered installer
- The NC6 was never submitted or you cannot get confirmation.
- The system is generating but the inverter shows export-related faults.
- The system is still under warranty — let them handle hardware.
Call a registered electrician
- You suspect a wiring or connection fault and the installer is unavailable.
- Use only a RECI / Safe Electric registered electrician in Ireland.
- Never open the inverter or DC side yourself to investigate.
ESB Networks vs your supplier: who does what
Most confusion about missing export comes from there being two different bodies involved. Knowing which one to call for which problem is half the battle.
| Body | What they do | Call them about |
|---|---|---|
| ESB Networks (DSO) | Operates the smart meter and the grid connection. Processes the NC6 microgeneration notification and reads the export register. | Whether you have a smart meter, whether the export register is active for your MPRN, NC6 status. |
| Your electricity supplier | Handles billing and the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) payment. Receives the meter data from ESB Networks and credits your export. | CEG enrolment, whether export is metered or deemed, missing export credits on your bill. |
| Your installer | Designs and connects the system and normally submits the NC6 on your behalf. | NC6 confirmation, inverter or wiring faults, warranty issues. |
In short: ESB Networks owns the meter and the connection, your supplier owns the bill and the CEG payment. If export is recorded but not paid, that is a supplier question. If export is not being recorded at all, that is an ESB Networks / NC6 question. For more on the payment side, see CEG payments not received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my solar export not showing on my ESB smart meter?
Usually because a step in the setup is incomplete rather than a meter fault. Common reasons are no smart meter fitted yet, the export register not being active for your MPRN, the NC6 microgeneration notification not being submitted to ESB Networks, your supplier not having enrolled you on CEG, or simple data lag between ESB Networks and your supplier. Check those in that order.
Do I have a smart meter or the older accumulation meter?
A smart meter is part of the National Smart Metering Programme (NSMP) and has a digital display, while the older accumulation meter cannot record export at all. If you are unsure, ESB Networks can confirm which meter you have against your MPRN, which is printed on your electricity bill.
What is the NC6 and do I need it for solar export?
The NC6 is the microgeneration notification that tells ESB Networks you have a microgenerator connected to the grid. It is normally submitted by your installer. Without it, your export is often not read as microgeneration, so it may not flow through correctly. Ask your installer to confirm it was submitted and accepted.
Should I call ESB Networks or my supplier about missing export?
It depends on where the problem sits. ESB Networks operates the meter and grid connection, so call them about whether you have a smart meter, whether the export register is active, and NC6 status. Your supplier handles billing and the CEG payment, so call them about CEG enrolment and missing export credits on your bill.
Can I fix a missing-export problem myself?
You can do all the safe checks yourself: confirm generation in your inverter app, confirm you have a smart meter, find your MPRN, and contact your installer, ESB Networks, and supplier. You must never open an inverter or touch DC wiring, as solar DC carries lethal voltage. For any electrical work use a RECI / Safe Electric registered electrician or your SEAI-registered installer.
Related Guides
Solar Troubleshooting
Diagnose common solar faults: generation, inverter, battery, export.
CEG Payments Not Received
Why export payments may be missing and how to fix enrolment.
Export Payments
Sell surplus electricity at 15–32c/kWh.
Solar Panels Not Generating
No output? Inverter, isolator and breaker checks first.
Sources
- ESB Networks: Connecting a microgenerator and smart metering, esbnetworks.ie
- CRU: Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) information for customers, cru.ie
- SEAI: Solar Electricity Grant and microgeneration support, seai.ie
Last updated: June 2026
Fact-checked by John Rooney, Solar Energy Editor. Editorial policy
John Rooney is the founder of Solar Info and has been covering the Irish solar energy market since 2023. He fact-checks all content against official SEAI data and maintains relationships with SEAI-registered installers across Ireland.
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