Surrey is split between two network operators. Guessing from the county sends your G99 application to the wrong desk — and changes your export tariff region.
If you are getting solar or a battery quoted in Surrey, one detail decides where your grid paperwork goes and which export rates you can be paid - and plenty of quotes get it wrong by assuming a whole county has one network operator. Surrey does not.
The split, in plain terms
Western Surrey is SSEN, the operator that also covers Hampshire. Our postcode checks put Godalming (GU7), Haslemere and Farnham in SSEN's Southern region. North-eastern Surrey is UK Power Networks: Epsom (KT17 and KT18) sits in UKPN's South Eastern region. The boundary runs through the county, not around it, so “Surrey is UKPN” and “Surrey is SSEN” are both wrong depending on which side of it you live.
Why it matters more than it sounds
Two reasons. First, the paperwork: a solar-only system up to 3.68kW per phase is notified under G98 after commissioning, but a battery or a larger array needs G99 approval from your operator before installation - and an application filed with the wrong operator is simply time lost. Second, money: your export tariff region follows your network. On 25 September 2026 Octopus Flux paid 29.00p per kWh for exports between 4pm and 7pm in the SSEN Southern region and 29.79p in the UKPN South Eastern region, with Outgoing Octopus at a flat 12p in both. Those are the rates a battery is sized against.
How to check, properly
Do not infer it from the county or from a neighbouring town. The reliable method is a postcode-level lookup of the grid supply point, which is what we run before any application; your MPAN - the long number on your electricity bill - also starts with a distributor ID that identifies the operator. If an installer cannot tell you which operator your address is on, they have not checked.
What we do about it
We confirm the operator from the postcode, file the G98 notification or G99 application ourselves, and size the battery against the export rates for the region you are actually in rather than a national average. Local detail for the two sides of the split is on our solar panels Godalming page for western Surrey and solar panels Epsom for the north-east. The same split catches people out in Sussex: solar panels Uckfield and the rest of East Sussex are on UK Power Networks, while Hampshire is SSEN.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Godalming SSEN or UKPN?+
SSEN. GU7 sits in SSEN's Southern region, the same operator as Hampshire, even though much of Surrey is UK Power Networks. Haslemere and Farnham are also SSEN.
How long does a G99 application take?+
It varies by operator and by what you are connecting, which is why it is filed before installation rather than after. The point to hold on to is that it must be approved first for a battery or a larger array - and that an application sent to the wrong network operator is time lost, not time saved.
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