Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Georgia

Enter your exact usage, system size, and rate details to see how Georgia's net metering policy affects your solar bill, with precise controls for season, tiered rates, and fixed fees.

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 Georgia's statewide average. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Georgia's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Georgia typically credits exports around 50% of retail. Georgia Power caps net metering participation and credits exports below retail once the cap is reached.
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 Georgia 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. If you only know your panel count, multiply it by each panel's wattage and divide by 1,000 to get a kW figure first. Select a season to model a specific month rather than only an annual average.

Step 2

Confirm your rate, tier, and export credit

Georgia's typical residential rate and export credit level are filled in by default. Swap in your utility's actual 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

Run the net billing vs net metering comparison tool to see exactly how much Georgia's current export credit rate costs you compared to full 1:1 retail crediting.

How net metering works in Georgia

A capped pilot program that filled up in 2021

Georgia Power's net metering program was structured as a capped pilot from the start, limited to 5,000 participants or 32 MW of capacity, whichever came first, under a rule the Georgia Public Service Commission oversees. That cap was reached in mid-2021. Customers who enrolled before the cap filled keep retail-rate crediting for their exports; everyone who has installed since is compensated under the newer RNR-Instantaneous Netting structure instead, the Solar Avoided Cost rate plus a 4 cent/kWh adder, together landing around 7.2 cents/kWh, about half the retail rate.

A bill to expand the cap hasn't passed yet

The Georgia Homegrown Solar Act, introduced in 2023, proposed raising the net metering cap from roughly 0.2% to 5% of annual peak demand, a large expansion that would open the program back up to full retail crediting for many more homeowners. As of now, it hasn't passed, and the original cap remains the operative rule for Georgia Power customers.

Self-consumption is the more reliable value driver right now

With the program capped and most new installs falling under the lower Solar Avoided Cost rate, sizing a system to raise your own self-consumption rate, rather than exporting heavily, delivers more predictable value than counting on a favorable export rate.

Interconnection still runs through Georgia Power either way

Regardless of which compensation rate applies, connecting a system still requires Georgia Power's standard interconnection review and equipment sign-off, and Georgia's tax credit and rebate estimator is worth checking before that process starts.

Would off-grid make more sense given the capped program?

Even with the program capped and most new systems earning a reduced export rate, staying grid-tied remains far less expensive than going fully off-grid, since off-grid systems need enough battery capacity to cover the worst week of the year rather than everyday cycling. The grid tie vs off grid comparison tool compares both paths using Georgia's actual numbers, and the grid interconnection cost estimator covers what either path costs to physically connect.

Questions

Frequently asked

Georgia Power's net metering pilot, capped at 5,000 participants or 32 MW, filled up in mid-2021. Customers enrolled before that keep retail-rate crediting; new customers since are compensated under RNR-Instantaneous Netting, the Solar Avoided Cost rate plus a 4 cent/kWh adder, together landing around 7.2 cents/kWh, about half the retail rate.

The average residential rate in Georgia is about 15.8 cents per kWh. Georgia Power's net metering pilot filled its cap in mid-2021; new customers since are compensated at the lower Solar Avoided Cost rate.

The original net metering pilot, capped at 5,000 participants or 32 MW, filled up in mid-2021 and is no longer accepting new participants at retail-rate crediting. New solar customers are instead compensated under RNR-Instantaneous Netting, the Solar Avoided Cost rate plus a 4 cent/kWh adder, together landing around 7.2 cents/kWh, about half the retail rate.

Possibly. The Georgia Homegrown Solar Act, introduced in 2023, proposed raising the cap from roughly 0.2% of peak demand to 5%, which would open full retail net metering back up to far more homeowners. It hasn't passed as of now, so the original cap remains in effect.

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