Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Vermont

Model your solar bill under Vermont's Category I net metering, where a siting adjustor now subtracts from the blended rate under the PUC's May 2026 order.

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 Vermont's average peak sun hours. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Vermont's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Vermont typically credits exports around 90% of retail. Net metering credited near retail with a small monthly adjustment; among the most generous net billing states.
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 Vermont 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. Vermont Electric Cooperative customers should also account for VEC's separate 4 cent/kWh siting fee, which applies on top of whatever category rate you enter. 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 Vermont residential rate is filled in by default. Since Category I's effective rate runs below the blended rate after its siting adjustor, avoid assuming full 1:1 crediting here. Swap in your own tariff numbers and fixed monthly fee if you have a recent bill 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 Vermont's current export credit rate costs you compared to full 1:1 retail crediting.

How net metering works in Vermont

A category system, not a single flat rate

Vermont assigns every solar system to one of several categories based on size and site type, each with its own siting adjustor subtracted from a statewide blended residential rate. Under the Public Utility Commission's May 2026 order, the blended rate rises to $0.2071/kWh effective August 1, 2026, up from $0.18398/kWh. Category I, covering systems 15 kW or smaller, the range that covers virtually all residential installs, carries the smallest reduction of any category, a siting adjustor of negative 5 cents/kWh for new systems, giving an effective rate of $0.1571/kWh if you transfer your renewable energy credits to your utility.

The math is more favorable than it first looks, but still a net reduction for new systems

Vermont's Public Utility Commission reviews and adjusts net metering compensation every two years. In its May 2026 order, the Commission widened Category I's siting adjustor from negative 4 to negative 5 cents/kWh for new systems, but raised the underlying blended rate by 2.31 cents/kWh at the same time, so new systems still come out about 1.3 cents/kWh ahead overall compared to what they'd have earned under the prior rates. Existing systems, whose blended rate updates automatically but whose adjustor is locked in, see a larger increase, about 2.3 cents/kWh, since only their blended rate moves.

Whatever rate you lock in stays fixed at your interconnection date

Once your system interconnects, your specific adjustor is locked in for a defined term, insulating you from future PUC reductions during that window. This is a meaningful protection given the pattern of year-over-year rate cuts, and it's part of why REV, Vermont's renewable energy trade association, has encouraged homeowners to interconnect sooner rather than wait. The payback period calculator can help you see what locking in today's adjustor is worth compared to a future, potentially lower one.

Some utilities add their own extra charges or incentives

Green Mountain Power customers with systems under 15 kW can earn an additional 3 cents/kWh by agreeing to transfer their renewable energy certificates to the utility. Vermont Electric Cooperative, on the other hand, charges systems 150 kW and smaller a 4 cent/kWh siting fee on all energy produced for applications dated August 1, 2024 or later, a cost that applies regardless of your net metering category, and the tax credit and rebate estimator for Vermont can help weigh that against available incentives.

Interconnection and the off-grid comparison

Every Vermont solar installation requires a Certificate of Public Good from the Public Utility Commission before interconnection; the grid interconnection cost estimator covers the equipment and application costs on top of that certificate process. And with Category I still offering a rate above the base retail value, staying grid-tied remains far cheaper than going fully off-grid in Vermont; the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool shows exactly how much cheaper.

Questions

Frequently asked

Vermont assigns residential systems to Category I, which carries a negative 5 cent/kWh siting adjustor against a statewide blended rate of $0.2071/kWh as of August 1, 2026, giving an effective rate of $0.1571/kWh with your renewable energy credits transferred. That's still an improvement for new systems, since the Commission's May 2026 order raised the underlying blended rate enough to outpace the wider adjustor.

The blended residential rate in Vermont is $0.2071 per kWh as of August 1, 2026. Category I systems earn that rate minus a 5 cent/kWh siting adjustor, for an effective rate of about $0.1571/kWh with RECs transferred.

The Public Utility Commission reviews net metering compensation every two years. Its May 2026 order widened the Category I siting adjustor, but raised the underlying blended rate by enough that new systems still come out about 1.3 cents/kWh ahead overall. Existing systems, whose blended rate updates automatically, see a larger gain of about 2.3 cents/kWh.

Yes, for applications dated August 1, 2024 or later. VEC charges systems 150 kW and smaller a 4 cent/kWh siting fee on all energy produced, regardless of your net metering category. This is separate from and in addition to whatever adjustor rate your system's category earns.

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