Pennsylvania · Net metering
PA Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Pennsylvania -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 14.2 yr
- Pennsylvania baseline payback
- 3
- other Pennsylvania programs
What it means
In Pennsylvania, a 6 kW system already pays back in about 14.2 years on ~$1,243/year of modeled savings, and the PA Net Metering stacks on top of that, on top of any federal credit.
- Retail rate cr…
- stated benefit
- 14.2 yr
- baseline payback (pre-incentive)
- 4
- Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania IOUs offer full retail net metering 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
- 16.5¢/kWh
- Pennsylvania solar score
- 24/100
How Pennsylvania compares to the U.S. average
Why this incentive matters more (or less) here - Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Pennsylvania reported to the EIA.
Pennsylvania's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Pennsylvania's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- SREC
SREC
1 programs
What this shows Pennsylvania 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 incentive fits Pennsylvania's solar picture
The PA Net Metering governs how Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania averages 4.3 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 16.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,534 kWh/year and $1,243 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $17,700. That baseline already implies a 14.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $13,375 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Pennsylvania has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like PA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption, Pennsylvania SREC Market. 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 Pennsylvania's full solar profile, score, irradiance, rates, payback, and every program you can claim. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the PA Net Metering?
How does the PA Net Metering work?
Who is eligible for the PA Net Metering?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Pennsylvania?
Are there other solar incentives in Pennsylvania?
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.