Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Pennsylvania

Enter your exact usage, system size, and rate details to see how Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania's average peak sun hours. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Pennsylvania's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Monthly excess credits roll forward at full retail value. Any balance left at the annual true-up is paid at the lower price to compare.
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 Pennsylvania 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

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

How net metering works in Pennsylvania

The AEPS Act mandates full retail crediting statewide

Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) Act requires all electric distribution companies to offer net metering at the full retail rate for systems up to 50 kW. PECO, PPL, Duquesne Light, and the other major utilities all currently follow this 1:1 crediting structure, one of the more consistent statewide mandates in the country.

The PUC approved PPL's rate case in June 2026, with provisions aimed at large net metering projects

PPL Electric Utilities filed a rate case on September 30, 2025 that included new provisions for net metering customer-generators. On June 4, 2026, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved the settlement with one modification, excluding agricultural biogas customer-generators from a classification designed for large "no-load" net metering facilities, meaning projects built mainly to export power. New tariffs apply to service on and after July 1, 2026. The commission's summary does not indicate that ordinary residential rooftop systems were moved off full retail crediting, so confirm how PPL classifies your system before you sign.

Why watching your specific utility matters right now

Since the approved PPL provisions apply only to PPL customers rather than all Pennsylvania utilities, homeowners with PECO, Duquesne Light, or another provider aren't directly affected by this specific proceeding, and Pennsylvania's tax credit and rebate estimator applies regardless of provider. If you're a PPL customer weighing solar, ask PPL how its new tariff provisions classify your system before finalizing your decision.

Leftover credits are cashed out at your price to compare each year

Within the year, credits accumulate and roll forward month to month at full retail value. At the annual true-up, Pennsylvania's net metering rules direct the utility to pay any remaining excess at its price to compare, the supply-only part of your rate, which is lower than full retail because it leaves out distribution charges.

Interconnection and the off-grid comparison

Connecting a system still requires standard utility interconnection review, and the grid interconnection cost estimator covers what that typically costs. With full retail crediting still the statewide standard, staying grid-tied remains far cheaper than going fully off-grid in Pennsylvania, and the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool shows how much cheaper.

Questions

Frequently asked

Pennsylvania's AEPS Act requires all utilities to offer full retail net metering up to 50 kW. The PUC approved PPL's rate case settlement on June 4, 2026, which added provisions aimed at large net metering projects, but it applies only to PPL customers and the commission's summary does not point to ordinary residential systems.

The average residential rate in Pennsylvania was about 21.7 cents per kWh as of July 2026, per EIA data. The AEPS Act requires full retail net metering statewide, and any excess credits left at year-end are paid at the lower price to compare.

The PUC approved PPL's rate case settlement on June 4, 2026, with new tariffs for service on and after July 1, 2026. The settlement added a classification for large 'no-load' net metering facilities built mainly to export power and excluded agricultural biogas customer-generators from it. It applies only to PPL customers, and the commission's summary does not indicate that ordinary residential systems were moved off full retail crediting, so confirm your classification with PPL.

The AEPS Act sets full retail crediting as the statewide standard for all electric distribution companies up to 50 kW, but individual utilities can still ask the PUC for changes through rate cases, as PPL did. If you're not a PPL customer, PPL's approved provisions don't directly affect your utility's terms.

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