Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Hawaii

Enter your exact usage, system size, and rate details to see how Hawaii'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 Hawaii's statewide average. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Hawaii's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Hawaii typically credits exports around 25% of retail. Customer Grid Supply program credits exports well below retail; older Net Energy Metering customers are grandfathered.
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 Hawaii 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

Hawaii'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 Hawaii's current export credit rate costs you compared to full 1:1 retail crediting.

How solar export works in Hawaii

A newer tariff replaced CGS Plus and Smart Export in 2024

Hawaii's legacy Net Energy Metering (NEM) program, which credited exports at full retail, closed to new applicants years ago; homeowners who enrolled before that closure remain grandfathered. Customer Grid-Supply Plus (CGS Plus) and Smart Export, once the interim options for new customers, both closed to new enrollment by early 2024. New solar customers today sign up for Smart Renewable Energy (SRE) Export instead, a time-of-use tariff with export rates that vary by island and by time of day, reset every three years by the PUC.

SRE Export pays differently depending on the hour

SRE Export credits exports at a different rate for daytime, evening peak, and overnight hours, with overnight paying the most on every island since that's when the grid needs supply most and solar isn't producing. Existing CGS Plus and Smart Export customers transition onto SRE Export automatically seven years into their current contract, and CGS Plus participants can still be curtailed as a block during a grid emergency in the meantime, typically only after nearly every other generation source has already been cut first. The Hawaii PUC's distributed energy resources page tracks how these programs continue to evolve.

A battery still makes sense even without the old Smart Export rules

SRE Export doesn't require a battery the way the now-closed Smart Export program did, but the rate structure still rewards one: charging a battery from midday solar and exporting or self-consuming it during the pricier evening peak captures far more value than exporting at the lower daytime rate. Hawaii's tax credit and rebate estimator can help offset that battery cost.

Why self-consumption dominates the math in Hawaii regardless

With retail electricity the highest in the country by a wide margin, every kWh used directly from your own panels carries far more value in Hawaii than in almost any other state, which is exactly why raising your own self-consumption matters more here than the specific export tariff rate. The grid tie with battery backup comparison tool shows what a battery does to that calculation. The Hawaii PUC's distributed energy resources page publishes the current rules, so confirm the details there before you file anything.

Interconnection and whether off-grid makes sense here

Both CGS Plus and Smart Export still require a standard utility interconnection review before your system can operate. Hawaii is also one of the few states where full off-grid independence gets seriously considered given the state's electricity prices; the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool runs that comparison directly.

Questions

Frequently asked

Hawaii's legacy net metering, plus the later CGS Plus and Smart Export tariffs, are all closed to new applicants. New customers sign up for Smart Renewable Energy (SRE) Export instead, a time-of-use tariff that pays different export rates by hour and island. Retail rates here are the highest in the US, around 52 cents/kWh.

The average residential rate in Hawaii is about 52.0 cents per kWh, the highest in the US by a wide margin. New solar customers sign up for the Smart Renewable Energy (SRE) Export tariff rather than legacy net metering or the now-closed CGS Plus and Smart Export programs.

If you're enrolled in Customer Grid-Supply Plus (CGS Plus), still closed to new participants but common among existing customers, yes. The utility can curtail the entire group of CGS Plus participants together during a grid emergency, typically only after nearly every other generation source has already been reduced. This controllability condition is specific to CGS Plus and doesn't apply to Smart Export, SRE Export, or legacy NEM customers.

It isn't required the way the now-closed Smart Export program required it, but it still pays off. SRE Export credits overnight export at a meaningfully higher rate than daytime export on every island, so charging a battery from midday solar and using or exporting it during the evening peak or overnight captures more value than exporting at the daytime rate.

Related tools

Compare Hawaii's policy to other structures

Grid tie vs off grid comparison Net billing vs net metering Buy all sell all vs net metering Avoided cost rate calculator Grid export cap calculator Grid interconnection cost estimator Grid tie with battery backup comparison All grid and off-grid tools