Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, British Columbia

Model your BC Hydro or FortisBC solar bill under British Columbia's changing rules, where the old full retail rate and the new flat 10 cent Self-Generation rate can produce very different numbers.

Your numbers

1 Project details Optional
Shown on your exported report. Leave blank to skip.
2 Your usage and system
Find this on a recent utility bill, usually labeled kWh used.
Use your quoted or planned system size. Panel count times panel wattage divided by 1,000 gives a rough figure.
Solar production swings seasonally; pick a specific month type to see how your bill shifts.
Most utilities charge a flat customer or connection fee regardless of usage.
3 Your location and rate
Defaulted to British Columbia's average peak sun hours. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to British Columbia's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
British Columbia typically credits exports around 97% of retail. BC Hydro credits exports at roughly 97 percent of the tiered residential rate under its net metering program.
Some utilities charge progressively higher per-kWh rates as monthly usage climbs into higher tiers.
Accounts for inverter loss, wiring loss, dust, and temperature derate combined.
Informational only. A monthly cycle means unused export credit does not carry to the next bill; annual and rolling cycles do.

How it works

Three steps to your British Columbia solar bill estimate

Step 1

Enter your usage, system size, and season

Pull your monthly kWh from a recent bill and enter your planned or quoted system size in kW. BC Hydro customers weighing the rate change should compare the full retail export level against the new flat 10 cents/kWh to see the size of the gap. Select a season to model a specific month rather than only an annual average.

Step 2

Confirm your rate, tier, and export credit

A typical BC Hydro residential rate and full retail export credit are filled in by default, since most existing customers are still within their 10-year transition window. Swap in your own utility's tariff numbers, tier bracket, and fixed monthly fee if you have a recent bill or interconnection agreement showing them.

Step 3

Compare the result to a full retail scenario

New BC Hydro customers and rebate recipients can run the net billing vs net metering comparison tool to see what the new flat 10 cent rate costs them compared to the full 1:1 retail crediting that older accounts still keep.

How net metering works in British Columbia

A major rate change takes effect July 1, 2026

On March 24, 2026, the British Columbia Utilities Commission approved BC Hydro's request to replace its existing Net Metering Service Rate with a new Self-Generation Service Rate, compensating surplus exports at a flat 10 cents per kilowatt-hour rather than the previous full retail 1:1 crediting. This new rate takes effect July 1, 2026 for new customers and for existing customers who received BC Hydro's solar panel rebate. Against the 12.5 cent retail rate this calculator uses, that 10 cent export credit works out to 80 percent of retail, so in the export credit dropdown pick the 85 percent option, worth about 10.6 cents, which is the closest match; the 97 percent typical rate option would overstate the credit by more than 2 cents.

Most current net metering customers get a 10-year transition window

Customers already enrolled in BC Hydro's original Net Metering Service Rate, and who didn't receive the solar rebate, have 10 years from their original enrollment date before they must transition to the new Self-Generation rate. That gives most existing BC Hydro solar owners a substantial grandfather period, even as new applicants move straight to the lower flat rate.

FortisBC runs a separate, smaller-cap program

FortisBC, which serves the province's southern interior, operates its own net metering program independent of BC Hydro, capped at 50 kW versus BC Hydro's 100 kW limit, and a business sizing a larger system near that cap may find the commercial solar payback calculator a better fit than this residential-focused tool. Confirming which utility serves your address matters since the two run separate programs with different caps, and, as of mid-2026, FortisBC customers keep the older 1:1 retail crediting while BC Hydro moves to the new flat rate.

Why self-consumption matters more under the new rate

With BC Hydro's new flat 10 cent export rate sitting well below the retail rate most customers pay, using power directly from your own system, rather than exporting and buying it back later, delivers more value under the Self-Generation structure than it did under the old 1:1 program. A self-consumption battery sized to your own load profile can capture more of that value, and systems up to 27 kW can still use BC Hydro's simplified application process regardless of which rate applies, and the net billing vs net metering comparison tool can help you quantify what the change means for your numbers.

Interconnection and the off-grid comparison

Whether you connect through BC Hydro or FortisBC, the interconnection application follows a similar path, and the grid interconnection cost estimator covers what to budget for. Even under the new flat export rate, staying grid-tied remains far cheaper than going fully off-grid in British Columbia, and the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool shows how much cheaper.

Questions

Frequently asked

BC Hydro is replacing its full retail Net Metering Service Rate with a flat 10 cent/kWh Self-Generation rate starting July 1, 2026, for new customers and rebate recipients. Most existing customers get a 10-year window before transitioning. FortisBC runs a separate 50 kW program.

Electricity rates in British Columbia vary by tier under BC Hydro's structure. Starting July 1, 2026, new solar customers are compensated at a flat 10 cent/kWh Self-Generation rate rather than full retail net metering.

The BCUC approved BC Hydro's request to replace its Net Metering Service Rate with a Self-Generation Service Rate, compensating surplus exports at a flat 10 cents/kWh rather than full retail 1:1 crediting. This takes effect July 1, 2026 for new customers and rebate recipients.

No. Customers already enrolled who didn't receive BC Hydro's solar panel rebate have 10 years from their original enrollment date before they must transition to the new Self-Generation rate, giving most existing solar owners a substantial grandfather period.

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