Solar Feed-in Tariff Calculator (U.S. Net Metering)

Estimate your annual solar export revenue. Covers NEM 1.0 retail credit and NEM 3.0-style avoided-cost export rates.

Self-consumption is the share of your solar production you use as it's generated, rather than exporting. Homes without a battery typically self-consume 25–40% of production; adding storage or shifting usage to daytime raises that share.

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HOW IT WORKS

How does the solar feed-in tariff / net metering calculator work?

The calculator estimates your system's annual production from its size and local sun hours, splits that production into energy you self-consume and energy you export, and values each at a different rate — mirroring how U.S. net metering and net billing programs actually pay for solar.

1

Enter system size & sun hours

Set your system's DC size in kW and your location's average peak sun hours per day.

2

Set rates & self-consumption

Enter your retail and export rates, and what share of production you use directly.

3

View your annual value

See your export revenue, self-consumption savings, and total annual value.

Why production and usage are estimated separately

Annual production depends on your system's size and local sunlight, not on how much electricity your household uses — so this calculator estimates it independently using a standard derate factor for real-world losses. Usage only enters the picture afterward, to check whether your self-consumed solar covers it or whether you'd still owe the utility for the remainder.

THE CALCULATIONValue = (self-consumed kWh × retail rate) + (exported kWh × export rate)

Production = system size (kW) × peak sun hours × 365 × 0.77 derate. Self-consumed is production × your self-consumption %; exported is the remainder.

Worked example: a system with a modest export gap

EXAMPLE

A 6 kW system, 4.5 peak sun hours, 30% self-consumption, $0.16/kWh retail, $0.05/kWh export

Suppose you install a 6 kW system in a region averaging 4.5 peak sun hours per day, use 9,000 kWh per year, self-consume about 30% of your production, pay $0.16/kWh at retail, and your utility's net billing tariff credits exports at $0.05/kWh.

  1. Annual production: 6 × 4.5 × 365 × 0.77 ≈ 7,588 kWh.
  2. Self-consumed: 7,588 × 30% ≈ 2,277 kWh.
  3. Exported: 7,588 − 2,277 ≈ 5,312 kWh.
  4. Self-consumption savings: 2,277 × $0.16 ≈ $364.
  5. Export revenue: 5,312 × $0.05 ≈ $266.
  6. Total annual value: $364 + $266 ≈ $630.

For comparison, under full-retail 1:1 net metering, that same production would be worth about $1,214 — all 7,588 kWh credited at the $0.16 retail rate. The roughly $584 gap is the practical effect of a $0.05 export rate instead of full retail credit.

Result: about $630 in total annual value under this net billing tariff, versus roughly $1,214 under full-retail net metering.

Why self-consumption became more valuable under net billing

When export and retail rates were equal under older net metering programs, it didn't matter financially whether you used your solar power immediately or exported it and drew it back later — both were worth the same. Under net billing tariffs with a lower export rate, using your own solar power directly (or shifting usage and storage to capture more of it) is worth more than exporting it, which is why battery storage and load-shifting have become more financially relevant in net billing regions.

Common ways to use this calculator

Estimating annual solar value

See your total bill credit from a given system size and set of rates.

Comparing tariff structures

Run the same system under different export rates to see the impact of net billing vs. net metering.

Sizing a system to usage

Check how a larger system's extra export is valued versus a right-sized one.

Evaluating battery storage

Raise the self-consumption percentage to see how much more a battery could be worth versus exporting.

Privacy and appropriate use

Your inputs are processed directly in your browser and are not sent to a database. This is a simplified annual estimate using a standard derate factor and flat rates; real net metering and net billing programs often use hourly or seasonal rates, rollover credits, and additional fees not modeled here — check your utility's tariff for exact terms.

Calculate your export value ↑Also estimate loan payments →
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions about the solar feed-in tariff calculator (u.s. net metering).

Clear answers about production estimates, self-consumption, and net metering vs. net billing.

What is a feed-in tariff, and does the U.S. actually use them?

A feed-in tariff is a fixed rate paid for every unit of renewable energy exported to the grid, common in parts of Europe. The U.S. mostly uses net metering and net billing instead, which credit exported solar against your bill rather than paying a separate tariff — this calculator models that U.S.-style export credit, using "feed-in tariff" loosely to mean your export rate.

What's the difference between this and full-retail net metering?

Under full-retail net metering (common in older NEM 1.0/2.0 programs), every kWh you export is credited at the same rate you'd pay to buy it — a 1:1 exchange. This calculator lets you set a separate, usually lower, export rate to model newer net billing tariffs, where exported energy is worth less than energy you use yourself.

What is NEM 3.0 / net billing?

NEM 3.0 (adopted in California and referenced by similar policies elsewhere) credits exported solar at an avoided-cost rate — roughly what the utility would have paid to generate or buy that power — rather than the full retail rate. This avoided-cost rate is often a fraction of the retail rate, which is why self-consumption and battery storage became more valuable under these newer tariffs.

Where does the annual production estimate come from?

Annual production = system size (kW) × peak sun hours per day × 365 days × a 0.77 derate factor. The 0.77 figure is the classic PVWatts default derate, accounting for inverter efficiency, wiring losses, soiling, shading, and other real-world losses between a panel's nameplate rating and its actual delivered energy.

How should I set my self-consumption percentage?

Self-consumption is the share of your solar production you use as it's generated rather than exporting to the grid. Homes without a battery and with typical daytime-light usage patterns often self-consume roughly 25–40% of production; adding battery storage or shifting usage (like running appliances midday) can push that meaningfully higher.

How do I find my export or feed-in rate?

Check your utility's net metering or net billing tariff sheet, usually available on their website or your interconnection agreement. Under NEM 3.0-style programs, the rate typically varies by hour and season (the Avoided Cost Calculator in California, for example); use an average figure for a rough annual estimate.

Why is my export credited at a different rate than my retail rate?

Utilities and regulators argue that exported solar is worth less to the grid than retail electricity, since retail rates include costs like transmission and grid maintenance that exported power doesn't offset. This is the central policy debate behind the shift from full-retail net metering to lower, avoided-cost export rates.

Is my data stored?

No. All inputs and calculations run directly in your browser and are not sent to a server or saved in an account. General site usage may be measured through Google Analytics as described in our Privacy Policy.