Fixed Price Certificates: what the proposed Renewables Obligation reform means

Published 5 November 2026. Consultation status checked against DESNZ's publication and consultation document.

The UK government is consulting on replacing tradable Renewables Obligation Certificates with a fixed-price certificate system. The proposal concerns support for generation already covered by the Renewables Obligation, rather than a new grant for households buying solar panels.

A change in the administration of a support scheme does not establish the saving for an individual electricity customer. Keep that distinction in mind when reading claims about cheaper bills.

What is being proposed?

The DESNZ consultation, published on 3 November 2026, asks how a Fixed Price Certificate system should work. It covers pricing and payments, supplier levies, reconciliation, stability and transition arrangements.

The consultation document proposes a transition no sooner than the 2028/29 scheme year. Responses close on 12 January 2027. Those are a proposed earliest start and a consultation deadline, not a final implementation commitment.

Why fixed prices would be different

A tradable certificate has a market context as well as an administrative role. A fixed-price arrangement changes the way support is valued and paid. That can alter the balance of risks between generators, suppliers, intermediaries and customers.

The practical outcome depends on the final valuation method and existing contracts. Different power-purchase agreements may distribute certificate income differently. A scheme-wide average cannot tell every generator what their receipts would become.

Does this change a domestic solar export tariff?

This consultation is not an offer of a new household export rate. If you own rooftop solar, identify the actual scheme and contract under which you are paid before drawing conclusions. Keep an export tariff agreement separate from generation-support paperwork and from the electricity import tariff.

For someone considering new solar, the useful calculation remains a quotation based on the home, expected generation, self-consumption, purchase price and an available export tariff. A future policy scenario should not become a guaranteed payment in that calculation.

What could it mean for bills?

Supplier scheme costs can matter to the wider cost of electricity, but a policy adjustment does not establish an immediate reduction on every household bill. Timing, the final design and other parts of the retail price all matter.

The consultation includes modelling rather than a promise of a fixed saving. Avoid turning an illustrative scenario into a personal payback figure, or assuming a revenue-neutral aggregate result leaves every generator in the same position.

What to watch next

Look for the government's response, final valuation and payment arrangements, transition provisions and a confirmed implementation date. Generators should review the document against their contracts. Households can follow the policy without changing a tariff solely because a consultation has opened.