South Carolina · Net metering · Deep-stack program
SC Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in South Carolina -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 14 yr
- South Carolina baseline payback
- 3
- other South Carolina programs
Deep-stack program · early directory
South Carolina runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 14-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #1/3
- Type #37/46
- Baseline14 yr
In-state directory place #1 of 3 (early alphabet). National net metering directory #37 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
South Carolina utilities offer net metering for systems up to 20 kW.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 13.2¢/kWh
- South Carolina solar score
- 34/100
Solar's trajectory in South Carolina
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in South Carolina reported to the EIA.
South Carolina's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among South Carolina'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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina's deep stack
The SC Net Metering governs how South Carolina 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. South Carolina averages 5.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 13.2¢/kWh, producing an estimated 9,110 kWh/year and $1,203 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $16,800. That baseline already implies a 14-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $13,275 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
South Carolina bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. South Carolina has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like SC Solar Property Tax Exemption, SC Solar Energy Tax Credit. 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 South Carolina incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the SC Net Metering sit in South Carolina's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside South Carolina's other programs?
Who qualifies, and why is this an early in-state directory row?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in South Carolina?
Which other South Carolina 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 · South Carolina solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.