Net Metering Savings Calculator
Calculate your annual net metering credit value based on monthly solar production and home consumption.
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- EIA · NREL · IRS data
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100% = full retail net metering
Monthly Production
Net metering policies vary widely by state and utility. Check with your specific utility for their current policy and rates.
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How the Net Metering Savings Calculator works
The formulas, data sources, and assumptions behind every number you see above.
Net metering credits you for excess electricity your solar system exports to the grid. The value depends on your utility's policy:
- Full retail net metering: every exported kWh credits at your full retail rate. - Net billing / value-of-solar: exports credit at a lower 'avoided cost' rate.
We calculate on a monthly basis: kWh consumed offset by your production credits at your retail rate, while excess production credits at the export rate. The annual total is the sum across 12 months.
Use standard NREL monthly seasonal factors as a starting point — production is highest May–August and lowest in winter.
What to know before acting on this estimate
Context, trade-offs, and next-step guidance that a simple number can't capture.
Net metering is the policy backbone of residential solar economics. When the sun is shining and your panels produce more than your house uses, the excess flows back to the grid. Net metering is how your utility credits you for that exported electricity.
In states with full-retail net metering (still a majority of states in 2026), every exported kWh credits at the same rate you pay to buy electricity. This makes the math simple and favorable: your annual bill effectively reflects your net (production minus consumption) usage at retail rates.
A growing number of states have moved to net billing or value-of-solar tariffs, where exports credit at a lower wholesale-equivalent rate. California's NEM 3.0 transition in 2023 set the precedent. Net billing reduces solar economics by 10–25% compared to full retail net metering, but solar still pencils out in most cases — particularly when paired with battery storage to maximize self-consumption rather than relying on grid export credits.
Check your state's specific policy at the DSIRE database (dsireusa.org) before sizing your system.
FAQ: Net Metering Savings Calculator
The questions homeowners most often ask about this calculator.