Net metering calculator, Arkansas

How net metering works in Arkansas

Act 278 rewrote the rules starting in late 2024

The Arkansas Cost-Shifting Prevention Act of 2023, known as Act 278, replaced the state's 1:1 net metering with an avoided-cost export structure for any system installed after September 30, 2024. Systems interconnected before that cutoff kept the old retail-rate crediting for a 20-year grandfather period running through June 1, 2040. Entergy's replacement tariff, called Non-Legacy Net-Metering, recalculates its export rate annually against regional wholesale power prices, and as of early 2026 that rate sits at roughly 2.47 cents/kWh, a fraction of the 14.4 cent retail rate it's measured against. At 2.47 cents against the 14.4 cent retail rate, exports earn about 17 percent of retail, so pick the 30 percent option in the export credit dropdown, worth about 4.3 cents, as the closest match; the 70 percent typical rate option would overstate the credit by more than 7 cents.

New rules beyond just the lower rate

Act 278 changed more than the credit rate itself. Banked export credits no longer roll over indefinitely at every true-up the way they used to, new solar projects are capped at 5 megawatts, and credits can only be applied within a 100-mile radius of the system that generated them, restrictions that didn't exist under the earlier program; Arkansas's broader incentive summary is worth a look too, since Act 278 only touches net metering itself.

Self-consumption matters more under the new tariff

With exports now credited well below the retail rate, and credits no longer carrying forward indefinitely, a system sized to closely match your own usage tends to perform better financially than one built to maximize total output; Arkansas's tax credit and rebate estimator is worth checking before you decide how large to go, especially once you weigh what pairing it with storage would do to those numbers.

Interconnection review still applies either way

Whether your system falls under the old grandfathered terms or the new Act 278 rate, your utility still has to review and approve an interconnection agreement before it can operate. The grid interconnection cost estimator covers what that typically costs. The Arkansas's broader incentive summary publishes the current rules, so confirm the details there before you file anything.

Is off-grid worth it given the rule changes?

Even with Act 278's reduced export value, staying grid-tied is still dramatically cheaper than going fully off-grid, since off-grid systems require enough battery capacity to cover the worst week of the year rather than typical daily cycling. The grid tie vs off grid comparison tool compares both paths using Arkansas's current numbers.