Net billing credits the solar energy you export at a separate export rate that is lower than the retail price you pay for electricity. Energy you use at the moment your panels produce it still saves you the full retail price, because you avoid buying it. Under net billing, the share of your solar you use at home matters a great deal: running the dishwasher, laundry or EV charging during sunny hours raises your savings, and a battery can store midday output for the evening. California's Net Billing Tariff, Arizona's Resource Comparison Proxy and many municipal export rates are forms of net billing. When comparing quotes, ask the installer which export rate they assumed and how much of your production they expect you to use on site.
Related terms and pages
- Net metering: Billing in which solar power you export offsets power you buy, kWh for kWh, at the retail price.
- Resource Comparison Proxy (RCP): Arizona's export rate for APS and TEP solar customers, reset yearly and locked for new customers.
- Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC): The California model that sets hourly values for solar exports under the Net Billing Tariff.
- Self-consumption: The share of your solar output you use in your home as it is produced.
- California Net Billing Tariff