Net Metering
Net metering is the system that lets you get credit for the solar energy your panels produce. Understanding how it works helps you see why solar can lower your electricity costs, even when the sun isn't shining.
What Is Net Metering?
Most residential solar systems in Central Oregon are connected to the utility grid. When your panels produce more electricity than your home is using, the surplus flows back to the grid through your meter. Your utility tracks that energy and credits it to your account. When your home needs more power than your panels are producing, such as at night or on cloudy days, you draw electricity from the grid and those credits offset what you would otherwise pay.
Think of it as a running balance. During the long, sunny summer months, your panels are likely producing more than you use, and those credits build up. In the winter, when daylight hours are shorter, you draw on those credits to offset the energy you pull from the grid.
Net Metering and Outages
One thing that surprises many homeowners is that a grid-tied solar system without a battery will lose power during an outage, just like any other home on the street. Because electricity flows both directions on a net-metered line, your system is required to shut down when the grid goes out. This protects utility workers who may be repairing the lines.
If keeping your home powered during outages is a priority, pairing your solar system with battery storage allows your home to disconnect from the grid and run independently.
Net metering rules vary by utility. Each have their own policies for how credits are calculated, carried forward, and settled at the end of the year. As a local installer that works with all of these utilities, Sunlight Solar helps you understand how net metering applies to your specific situation and factors it into your system design and your quote.
How Credits Work
Each month, your utility records how much energy you used and subtracts how much your solar system sent back to the grid. You pay the net difference. If your panels produced more than you consumed, the excess credits roll forward to the following month.
Credits typically accumulate through the summer and get used during the fall and winter. Any remaining credits reset at the end of your utility's annual billing cycle, which for most Oregon utilities falls at the end of March. That's why proper system sizing matters. We design your system based on your actual energy usage so your annual production aligns with what you consume over the course of a full year.
