Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Nova Scotia

Model your solar bill under Nova Scotia Power's Self-Generating Option, which credits exports at the full retail rate and skips the formal application for systems under 27 kW.

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 Nova Scotia's average peak sun hours. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Nova Scotia's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Nova Scotia typically credits exports around 100% of retail. Nova Scotia Power net metering credits exports 1:1 with an annual true-up.
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 Nova Scotia 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. Nova Scotia Power's rate changed on May 1, 2026, so use a recent bill rather than an older one for your usage figure. Select a season to model a specific month rather than only an annual average.

Step 2

Confirm your rate, tier, and export credit

The current Nova Scotia Power residential rate and base charge, both updated May 1, 2026, are filled in by default. Swap in your own 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

Since Nova Scotia Power credits exports at the full retail rate, the net billing vs net metering comparison tool is mainly useful here for comparing what a lower-credit structure elsewhere would cost you by contrast.

How net metering works in Nova Scotia

Residential systems under 27 kW skip the formal application entirely

Nova Scotia Power's Self-Generating Option lets residential customers with systems up to 27 kW connect without going through a formal net metering application process, a notably simpler path than most other provinces require. Surplus energy is banked monthly against future consumption, crediting exports at the full retail rate offset.

Any leftover annual balance resets rather than paying out

Credits bank monthly throughout the year, letting summer surplus offset winter usage, but any positive balance remaining at year-end resets rather than being paid out in cash or carried into the following year. That makes sizing a system to closely track your annual usage more valuable than building in a large ongoing surplus, and the payback period calculator can help judge whether a smaller, closely matched system pays back faster than an oversized one.

Larger and commercial systems require a formal application

Systems between 27 kW and 1,000 kW fall under Nova Scotia Power's commercial net metering program instead, which does require a formal application. The retail-rate credit structure still applies, but commercial accounts remain subject to demand charges that the simpler residential Self-Generating Option doesn't carry, and the commercial demand charge calculator can estimate what that adds to the bill. The net billing vs net metering comparison tool can help commercial account holders understand what those demand charges mean for total savings. A low export rate makes a battery worth a look. The battery charge time from solar calculator in our Battery & Storage section can help you size one to cover your evening use.

Nova Scotia's program isn't affected by New Brunswick's proposed changes

Neighboring New Brunswick has an active regulatory proceeding that could shift its net metering structure, but that filing has no bearing on Nova Scotia; NS Power's terms remain governed entirely by its own separate provincial framework regardless of what happens next door. Run the commercial demand charge calculator with your own numbers before you decide.

Interconnection and the off-grid comparison

Residential systems under 27 kW benefit from Nova Scotia's simplified, application-free connection process; the grid interconnection cost estimator still helps with budgeting for equipment and any commercial-scale application costs. And with full retail crediting available for most residential systems, staying grid-tied remains far cheaper than going fully off-grid in Nova Scotia, and the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool shows how much cheaper.

Questions

Frequently asked

NS Power's Self-Generating Option lets residential systems under 27 kW connect without a formal application, crediting exports at the full retail rate offset. Credits bank monthly but reset at year-end rather than paying out. Larger systems need a formal commercial application.

As of May 1, 2026, Nova Scotia Power's standard residential rate is 19.128 cents per kWh, plus a $20.08 monthly base charge. Residential solar systems under 27 kW connect through the Self-Generating Option, crediting exports at that same full retail rate.

Not if your system is 27 kW or smaller. Nova Scotia Power's Self-Generating Option lets residential customers at or under that size connect without going through a formal net metering application, a notably simpler path. Systems between 27 kW and 1,000 kW require a formal commercial application instead.

No. New Brunswick has an active regulatory filing that could change its own net metering structure, but that proceeding has no effect on Nova Scotia. NS Power's terms are governed entirely by its own separate provincial framework.

Related tools

Compare Nova Scotia's policy to other structures

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