Arkansas · Net metering
AR Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Arkansas -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Avoided cost rate
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 17.2 yr
- Arkansas baseline payback
- 2
- other Arkansas programs
What it means
In Arkansas, a 6 kW system already pays back in about 17.2 years on ~$959/year of modeled savings, and the AR Net Metering stacks on top of that, on top of any federal credit.
- Avoided cost r…
- stated benefit
- 17.2 yr
- baseline payback (pre-incentive)
- 3
- Arkansas programs that stack
- full
- net-metering policy
Payback and savings are modeled from public NREL/EIA data; the program benefit is summarized from DSIRE and may change.
Program description
Arkansas net metering provides monthly credits for excess generation at utility avoided cost.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Avoided cost rate
- State electricity rate
- 11.4¢/kWh
- Arkansas solar score
- 24/100
How Arkansas compares to the U.S. average
Why this incentive matters more (or less) here - Arkansas's solar fundamentals against the national average.
Source: NREL irradiance and U.S. EIA rates; payback modeled by PlainSolarData. Bars are scaled to the larger of the two values per metric.
Solar's trajectory in Arkansas
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Arkansas reported to the EIA.
Arkansas's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Arkansas's 2 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
What this shows Arkansas tracks 2 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this incentive fits Arkansas's solar picture
The AR Net Metering governs how Arkansas credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Avoided cost rate. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Arkansas averages 4.8 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 11.4¢/kWh, producing an estimated 8,410 kWh/year and $959 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $16,500. That baseline already implies a 17.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $7,475 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Arkansas has 3 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like AR Solar Property Tax Exemption. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Your next step
- See Arkansas's full solar profile, score, irradiance, rates, payback, and every program you can claim. Arkansas solar data
- Run the savings calculator with your real bill to see how this incentive changes your own payback. ROI calculator
- See how net-metering credits are valued state by state. Net-metering guide
Estimates here are modeled from public data and are not financial advice; confirm program terms and your own eligibility before relying on a dollar figure.
Other Arkansas incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the AR Net Metering?
How does the AR Net Metering work?
Who is eligible for the AR Net Metering?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Arkansas?
Are there other solar incentives in Arkansas?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology.