Montana · Net metering · Deep-stack program
MT Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Montana -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 16.3 yr
- Montana baseline payback
- 3
- other Montana programs
Deep-stack program · early directory
Montana runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 16.3-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #1/3
- Type #23/46
- Baseline16.3 yr
In-state directory place #1 of 3 (early alphabet). National net metering directory #23 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
Montana utilities offer net metering at retail rates for systems up to 50 kW.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 11.8¢/kWh
- Montana solar score
- 29/100
Solar's trajectory in Montana
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Montana reported to the EIA.
Montana's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Montana's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Tax credit
Tax credit
1 programs
What this shows Montana 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 Montana's deep stack
The MT Net Metering governs how Montana 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 Retail rate credit. 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. Montana averages 5 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 11.8¢/kWh, producing an estimated 8,760 kWh/year and $1,034 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $16,800. That baseline already implies a 16.3-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $9,050 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Montana bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Montana has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like MT Solar Property Tax Exemption, MT Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit. 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.
Other Montana incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the MT Net Metering sit in Montana's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Montana's other programs?
Who qualifies, and why is this an early in-state directory row?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Montana?
Which other Montana 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 · Montana solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.