Net Metering Calculator by State
The same exported kWh is worth full retail in one state and a quarter of it next door. Model what your policy pays and what it does to your solar value.
at full retail rate
at policy export rate
self + export
blended value of production
Results update live as you type. For planning and field-check estimates — always verify against applicable standards and equipment ratings.
Net metering, net billing, and why the difference matters
Classic net metering credits every exported kWh at the full retail rate — your meter effectively runs backward, and the grid acts as a free battery. Net billing, the direction policy has been moving, credits exports at a lower "avoided cost" value while you still pay retail for imports. California's NEM 3.0 is the marquee example: export values fell roughly 75% versus the old regime, which is why battery attachment rates on new California solar jumped immediately.
Under net billing, the share of production you consume on-site becomes the dominant value driver, because self-consumed energy is always worth full retail. Shifting loads into solar hours — running the dishwasher, pool pump, and EV charger midday — or adding storage to move evening consumption onto stored solar raises the effective value of every panel on the roof.
This calculator uses a simplified per-state export factor to make the mechanics visible. Actual tariffs vary by utility, vintage, and time of export — some avoided-cost schedules pay dramatically more during summer evening hours — so treat the output as a planning estimate and confirm the live tariff before signing anything.