Hawaii · Net metering · Deep-stack program
Hawaii Smart Export Tariff (SET)
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Hawaii -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Time-of-use export rates
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 5.2 yr
- Hawaii baseline payback
- 3
- other Hawaii programs
Deep-stack program · mid directory
Hawaii runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 5.2-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #2/3
- Type #9/46
- Baseline5.2 yr
In-state directory place #2 of 3 (mid alphabet). National net metering directory #9 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Under SET, solar exports are credited at time-of-use rates. Battery storage maximizes value.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Time-of-use export rates
- State electricity rate
- 38¢/kWh
- Hawaii solar score
- 67/100
Solar's trajectory in Hawaii
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Hawaii reported to the EIA.
Hawaii's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Hawaii's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Loan
Loan
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
What this shows Hawaii tracks 3 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 net metering layers inside Hawaii's deep stack
The Hawaii Smart Export Tariff (SET) governs how Hawaii 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 Time-of-use export rates. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is already fast by national standards. Hawaii averages 5.9 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 38¢/kWh, producing an estimated 10,337 kWh/year and $3,928 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $20,400. That baseline already implies a 5.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $77,800 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Hawaii bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Hawaii has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like HI Solar Property Tax Exemption, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Loan (GEMS). The state's net-metering policy is classified as partial, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Hawaii incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Hawaii Smart Export Tariff (SET) sit in Hawaii's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Hawaii's other programs?
Who is eligible for the Hawaii Smart Export Tariff (SET)?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Hawaii?
Which other Hawaii programs stack with this one?
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 · Hawaii solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.